(Will be praying!)
I practically melted in his hands, my heart singing. Leaning my head against his hands, I slipped my arms around his waist and tugged him ever-so-slightly closer.
“Thank you.” It came out as a hoarse whisper. “What about you? What are your boundaries?”
(I sucked. That question at the end KILLED me.)
Gray's POV:
Could this girl get any more perfect than she already was? Was it even possible to be like this?
"You don't have to worry about me," I whispered in her ear, pressing a light kiss as she leaned her head against me. "Let me know if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, okay? Never think it'll offend me, okay?"
(Aw I’m sorry)
I nodded slowly, removing one hand from his hair to rest it gently against his cheek.
I thought you didn’t believe in love.
“Thank you,” I whispered, tilting my head in thought. This was all so new to me…. The kissing, the idea of mutual belonging, and I loved it. But I didn’t want that to be all we did—— I wanted to get to know him. To scratch deeper than the surface.
I told him exactly what I was thinking, hoping he agreed.
Gray’s POV:
I faltered, her words ringing in my ears. She wasn’t wrong. I wanted to get to know her, too. I wanted to know her childhood, her happy memories, but I wanted to keep her away from my past. It wasn’t something I talked about openly, and I didn’t want her to think of me as something other than she did.
“Okay…” I agreed anyway, not wanting to disappoint her. “What do you want to know?”
I took note of his hesitation, and raised my hands in a show of surrender. “You— you don’t have to speak about anything you don’t want to— I don’t want to pressure you. We can go slow. But in order for this to work we have to do more than kiss….. not that I don’t love the kissing.”
Gray’s POV:
I took her hands in mine and squeezed them lightly, giving her a genuine smile.
“What do you want to know, Vy?”
I squeezed his hands back, my eyes wider than I thought it was possible for them to go.
“Anything you want to tell me.”
Gray’s POV:
I rested my forehead against hers.
“I don’t know where to start, so just ask what you’re most curious about,” I told her. “I’ll try to answer as best as I can.”
My breath caught.
This thing, this new and beautiful thing, was like nothing else I’d ever experienced.
He’d told me he wasn’t looking for a relationship, yet here he was. And he sounded like he cared.
“Tell me about… tell me about middle school. I only met you in ninth grade.
Gray’s POV:
I fell silent for a while, contemplating her question. I didn’t know what to tell her, or where to start.
“Middle school… wasn’t very eventful,” I started slowly, furrowing my eyebrows. “I was a… problematic child. I didn’t give teachers a break and was always getting detentions.”
To avoid going home, I guess.
“Basically, the same as I was in high school,” I said with a small laugh. “Minus the flirting. I was also very hotheaded. I had a hard time controlling my temper.”
I gave a nod of understanding, bringing his hands carefully to my mouth to brush a kiss across his knuckles. “You only became flirtatious in high school?”
Gray’s POV:
I slipped my hand out of her hold and softly caressed her cheek.
“I didn’t want to fall in love,” I admitted. “So I tried to escape it by doing the obvious thing.”
“Oh…”
It was all falling into place now, each piece of the puzzle.
“Can I— can I ask why? If that’s okay.”
Gray’s POV:
I fell silent again, running my fingers through her hair.
“I’m… an orphan,” I said finally, choosing my words carefully. “But I’m sure you knew that already. Er, there wasn’t really anyone I could count on, so eventually it became second nature to block people out.”
Orphaned freak.
The stranger’s words made sense now.
My expression flooded with horror and sympathy, one of my hands flying to my mouth.
“Oh…. I’m sorry. I—“
Gray's POV:
"Don't," I shook my head. "Don't give me that look. It was a long time ago."
This is why I didn't like declaring the fact that I didn't have parents. There are people who treat it as a joke, and others who pity you. I didn't like being pitied.
I quickly cleared my expression, sweeping it all under a metaphorical rug. “I’m sorry— I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was pitying you.”
Gray’s POV:
I shook my head.
“It’s fine,” I ruffled her hair fondly. “It was a long time ago, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.”
The second statement was most likely a lie, but I wasn’t about to press him about that personal of a topic. I just nodded and leaned into his touch, exhaling slowly.
“Your turn to ask.”
Gray’s POV:
I thought for a moment, wondering which question would be appropriate and not personal.
“Tell me about your middle school, too,” I finally said, deciding to ask the same thing she asked me.
I chewed on my bottom lip, looking away. “I was basically just…. resident fat girl. Average grades, one friend, picked on constantly.”
Gray’s POV:
My eyes softened (although a rush of anger went through me) and I cupped her cheeks gently.
“You’re not an average girl,” I told her, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “And you’re not fat. Don’t let anyone fat-shame you, okay? If anyone gives you a hard time, you let me know.”
I closed my eyes, marvelling at how much had changed in only a few minutes. It felt… nice, to be cared for like this. Definitely nothing I’d experienced before, not to this degree.
“Thank you, Gray.”
Gray.
I loved the sound of his name, the way it felt on my tongue and fit perfectly in my mouth. Did he feel the same about mine?
Gray’s POV:
I shivered when I heard my name come out of her mouth. She said it so beautifully. It felt amazing coming out of her mouth, different emotions lingering than before. It even felt like everything had changed.
I would have stayed a while longer had my phone buzzed. I groaned and got it out, my face going pale immediately.
Whoops.
I’d forgotten to pick up Aria from her friend’s place. Amazing.
“Gray?”
Confusion and concern laced their way between my words. I bit the inside of my cheek, regarding him with worry in my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”