“Hobbies,” Violeta answered immediately, “What are yours? Other than—Other than being ridiculously attractive, that is.”
Josh felt a twinge of regret when Laura released his sleeve, but he ignored it. “Maybe if you gave me a song, I would sing it for you,” he answered after a pause. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me about yourself.”
Gray smirked.
“Being ridiculously attractive isn’t a hobby of mine, Vy,” he pinched her nose. “But I’m glad you think so. As for hobbies… I like to cook. I plan on joining Amanda’s kitchen one day. I’m just like, a normal worker. Even for her foster son, she’s cruel.”
“I’ll hold you on to that,” Laura nudged him in the side. “I love Froot Loops and no other cereal. I put in whatever reaches my hand first. I like to shop. I work at a bakery. And I’m extremely flexible.”
“You’re a good cook,” she complimented, recalling the night she’d eaten at his house. “Do you like baking, too? Would you bake me muffins if I asked nicely?”
“A baker?” he echoed, smiling. “What do you like to bake, then? And can you do backflips?”
"I'm glad you think so," Gray kissed the top of her head. "And yes, I like baking as well. Whatever you want to eat, I'll make for you. Your personal chef at your service."
"I'm in charge of baking the cookies and walnut cakes. I don't really have the ambition to be a chef, but yeah. I like to keep myself busy, so I try to keep my schedule tight," she shrugged before shooting him a grin at his next question. "Oh yes, definitely. I'd show you, but I can't due to this dress that I'm wearing." she pointed to her long, flowy dress.
Violeta laughed softly, nestling deeper into his embrace. “Thanks, Gray. It’s your turn now—Ask me something?”
“Right, yeah,” Josh mumbled awkwardly, rubbing at his nose. “Are you a gymnast, then?”
“Hm… this question is going to determine whether our relationship is going to work or not,” Gray said seriously. “Are you a cat person, or a dog person?”
“I like to dance,” Laura replied. “Oh! Want to see something weirdly cool?”
"Dog person," she laughed, pushing at his chest. "But cats are great too. What about you?" Shifting slightly, she pressed her nose to the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. Was that the right thing to do? Was she going about this relationship all wrong?"
Josh chuckled lightly, tilting his head to one side, "Go for it."
“I’m a cat person,” Gray responded, sucking in a deep breath, tightening his hold on her. “But I don’t mind dogs, either.”
“Okay,” Laura stopped walking and turned to face Josh. She held out her hand, grabbed her thumb and pulled it back until it touched her wrist. “I can do it with no problem at all.”
"Kittens are adorable," Violeta answered, but her voice was slightly weaker due to Gray's arms, which had just tightened around her. Flushed lightly and suddenly short of breath, she exhaled slowly against his skin.
Josh's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "What??" He stared, disbelieving at Laura's thumb. "Oh my god—Did you—Did you just—"
“They are,” Gray nodded before he frowned, noticing her change in behavior. “Is this—is this okay? Should I loosen my hold on you?”
Laura laughed at his reaction before she let go of her thumb, flexing it a little.
“Yes. When I first showed it to Gray, he freaked out. But God, your reaction is the best!” She grinned before another thought came to mind. “Oh! Also… when I raise my arms up, they make the thunder sign. My body’s pretty weird.” She showed off by raising her arms towards the sky, and they twisted in a shape similar to thunder. “See?”
"It's more than okay," Violeta murmured, smiling against his skin. He's so caring…. "I just get flustered really easily. You fluster me a lot. It's hard to get used to…" Her smile broadened. "But I like it. My turn, right? What's the one thing you want to do more than anything else in your life?"
Josh stared for a solid ten seconds, before he burst out laughing. "Laura?" he asked between chuckles, "Y'know, I'm really glad I decided to walk you home."
Gray grinned at that, nuzzling her head.
“Well, I love the effect I have on you,” he said before going into deep thought. “Well, it’s to he a reliable man for my family. For Amanda, for my sister… and for you.”
Laura’s heart fluttered and she couldn’t help the blush that coated her cheeks. She remembered saying to Gray how Josh lacked everything. She was so wrong.
“I’m glad, too,” she said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thank you for doing that, even though the original reason was to get away from… you know.”
Violeta's heart fluttered in her chest. "From what I've seen, Gray…" she whispered, "You're plenty reliable already. You're sweet, you're impossibly caring, you're just… an amazing person all around. I think you've already achieved that goal."
Josh's smile faltered for a split second. He glanced away, rubbing at the back of his head. "Yeah. You're welcome.. this was fun. I—Thanks for… I don't even know. Bringing me here."
Gray pressed their lips together briefly before he pulled away.
“I try,” he said quietly. “I’m not really there yet. There’s a lot I need to do.”
Laura cursed herself when his smile faltered. It was a beautiful thing and she ruined it. Before she could say anything, her phone began to ring and she jumped slightly.
Sending Josh an apologetic look, she answered the call, her face twisting into a frown as she turned around.
“I’m coming,” she said with a sigh. “I told you I’d be back before eleven. It’s only ten.”
She paused, wincing slightly. “I’m not—you know what? We’ll talk when I get home. I’ll be there in ten.”
She hung up before she took a deep sigh, turning around to face Josh.
“Sorry, I really need to hurry,” she said apologetically.
"If you say so…" Violeta murmured, letting her eyes settle on his mouth. Kiss me again, she wanted to say, Please. But she didn't, instead pressing their noses together. "Your turn."
A frown tugged at Josh's lips. Who could she be talking to? But he merely nodded, telling himself that it was her business and not his. "Do you still want me to follow?"
Gray recognized the look in her eyes and grinned before he pressed their lips together again. “Hm… if you could have one superpower, what would it be?”
“Walk me home,” Laura repeated, not yet ready to part with him. She’d enjoyed his company. She didn’t remember the last time she’d talked like this with a male, excluding Gray. “At least till my street. Then you can leave.”
"Mmph," Violeta murmured against him, pushing a hand into his hair and pulling him down against her a second time. After a significantly longer kiss, she broke away, red in the face. "I—I—Er… Making drawings into reality. Like—Like drawing a pen and having it materialize in real life."
Josh nodded.
"I'm happy to do so." They began to walk, but her street was growing nearer and nearer, and with it, Josh's aversion to parting ways. "Hey—Laura? Can I have your number? Just to—Just to keep in touch."
Gray grinned at her red face, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. “That sounds very like you,” he kissed her cheek. “I love it.”
“Yes,” Laura said immediately before she turned pink again, hoping she didn’t sound too eager. Which, in fact, she was. Extremely. She dug out her phone again, unlocking it and handing it to Josh with contacts open. “Here. Save your number. I’ll give you a ring so you can save mine.”
Still blushing furiously, Violeta pressed a hand against her pounding heart. "What—What would you want?" she asked shakily, but her eyes flickered down to his tempting lips once again.
Josh was grinning like an absolute idiot by the time he finished entering his number in her phone. He was also completely red in the face, inwardly celebrating the (minor) success.
"Here you go," he told her as he handed it back.
“Shapeshifting,” Gray answered, noting where her eyes were wandered to. “Imagine shifting into beasts and scaring people.”
Laura’s heart hammered wildly when she took back her phone, eyes going to the screen. Josh’s number. The second male to want her number without intentions of taking her to bed. She tapped the call option, looking at Josh through her lashes as she waited for the call to get through.
His response prompted a soft laugh from Violeta's lips, which were still pink and swollen. "Shapeshifting would be cool, but I'm not sure about that last bit," she joked, "Who would you scare off?"
The look Laura was giving him…. even though he knew he was probably imagining it, Josh's heart skipped a few beats. When he heard his phone go off in his pocket, he fumbled to fish it out, managing a dorky grin before pressing the call button.
"Hello, yes, this is Josh," he spoke into the receiver. "You're going to have to call some other time, I'm busy hanging out with this great girl from my college."
“Anyone that offends me,” Gray shrugs. “Or people I care about.”
Great girl. If Laura had been blushing before, she was extremely red at this point. His close proximity when she went on with their dare, as well as when she was wiping lipstick off of his face flashed through her mind and Laura felt hot all over again. What was going on with her?
“Oh? Well, this girl must be pretty darn special for you to be busy with her,” she purred into the phone, offering him a seductive look. “I’ll let you hang out with her, then.”
"You did that just fine at that Subway a week ago," Violeta reminded with a smile, referring to the group of girls he'd defended her from. "And you didn't shapeshift into a tiger to do it, either. My turn to ask?"
Josh turned approximately the same colour as the lipstick she'd wiped from his mouth. "She is, yeah," he managed to hum into the phone. "Wouldn't want to keep her waiting, so I gotta go." With that, he hung up.
“I can’t stand girls like those,” Gray scowled when he remembered the incident. “They insulted you. I can’t stand that. I was burning with fury. Anyway, ask ahead.”
Yeah, she is. Laura’s heart skipped a beat at that and she slowly took the phone away from her ear. Her eyes never removed from hers.
“Special, huh?” She murmured, stopping when they reached the front of her street. She turned to face him.
Violeta placed a tentative hand on his cheek to calm him, chewing on her lower lip while she tried to come up with a good question. "Uhh….." Her cheeks were suddenly burning. "Would—Would you model for a painting? For—For me, I mean. So–So I can paint you. Again. So I can paint you again."
Josh slipped his phone back into his pocket, rocking forward and onto the balls of his feet. He inhaled slowly, letting his head fall to one side,
"Yeah," he answered after a moment, "Special."