Demi: Are you ok girl? Need to chat?
I quickly type my response.
No. Need a male stripper and a lifetime supply of Tequila.
Two seconds later she replies.
I’ll be there in thirty minutes. With alcohol. I’ll be your stripper.
Her quirky response makes me laugh. But I still want to cry.
** ** ** ** ** **
“He did WHAT?” Demi shrieks. She’s sitting on my couch with her feet tucked under her butt and some fruity alcoholic beverage in her hand. Her eyes are completely popped out of their sockets as she stares me down.
“He kissed me,” I say again, failing miserably to hide the blush that skims across my face and settles on my cheeks. I’ve spent the last hour telling her about everything that happened at my Uncle Alex and Aunt Emma’s house last night. I knew Grayson and his parents would be there. However, judging by the look on Graysons’ face when he opened the door, he was more than surprised to see me.
Demi shakes her head, her wild brown curls bouncing with the movement. “Are you kiddin’ me? He kissed you?” She looks at me incredulously and I nod. She sounds as surprised as I felt. I think back to the moment our lips touched, the moment I felt like it was game over. When he walked away I knew I would never be the same again. All because of a stupid kiss.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter now,” I add quietly, trying to disguise my disappointment.
“Why the hell not?”
“You saw what happened in the cafeteria Demi. What else am I supposed to think?” I don’t mention the conversation with Brody. Demi hates talking about him.
“Are you talking about that Rebecca bitch?”
I nod but I don’t look up. I’m afraid of what will Demi will see if I look at her. I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions.
“You have it all wrong baby girl,” she takes a sip of her fruity alcoholic beverage and then continues. “Psycho Barbie all but mauled Grayson while we were sitting at the table having lunch. He didn’t stand a chance when she pounced on him and started sucking his face.” She shivers at the recollection and the sight makes me want to giggle.
“Anyway,” she resumes, taking another sip of her beverage, “What was it like?”
I frown. “What was what like?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “The kiss dummy!”
Oh.
I was hoping she wouldn’t ask me. There no words captivating enough to describe how it felt the moment Graysons’ lips touched mine. Time stood still for what I thought could’ve been an eternity and if the Earth set fire and exploded, I wouldn’t have noticed.
“It was, um,” I pause, searching the entirety of my English vocabulary for one word suitable enough to describe the most explosive moment to ever collide with both my body and my mind. “It was indescribable.”
I look down at my tangled fingers and feel the heat crawl over my neck and face again. I have revealed more to Demi than I have to anyone else. Ever. But the feeling is oddly liberating, being able to say how I feel without reservation. She doesn’t judge me.
“It’s ok to admit that you like him,” she says. “Grayson just needs a little time to pull his head out of his ass.” She smiles at me and I return it. Maybe Brody wasn’t talking complete rubbish after all. But this only leaves me even more confused. Before talking to Demi I was determined to have nothing to do with Grayson or his games. I hate to admit that the prospect of doing just that is far less appealing.
“There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” I say, desperate to change the subject.
“Shoot.”
“I was wondering,” I hesitate, almost second guessing my decision.
“Well spit it out girl, I don’t like waiting.”
“I wanted to know if you’d like to move in with me.”
Demi looks at me surprised. “Are you serious?”
I nod and the grin that spreads across her face confirms that I’ve made the right decision. I’ve been thinking about it for a week, bouncing the idea back and forth in my head, weighing the pros and cons like it’s a life changing decision. In many ways it is, but it also feels like a necessary step, almost like I’m following one of those ‘twelve step’ programs and this is essential to my recovery. I don’t want to live in a box for the rest of my life. I want to take chances. Trust people.
Demi squeals and jumps to hug me, knocking us over. We both laugh hysterically, resulting in tears and aching bellies. It’s refreshing.
The rest of the evening continues this way. We talk about when Demi will move in and go back to talking about Grayson and Brody.
It’s normal and I start looking forward to what will be my new normal, even if my situation with Grayson is nothing more than a grey area.
Chapter 8
~ Huntley ~
My feet hit the sidewalk and start running to the steady beat of the music pulsating through my iPods’ earphones. My heartbeat joins in and thumps along, my whole body moving in perfect concord. My mind switches off, only focusing on keeping my body moving, my lungs breathing and my heart beating smoothly.
Classes are over for the day but a few students make their way in and out of the library, coffee and energy drinks in hand. For six pm there is quite a bit of activity. I run past the coffee shop, inhaling the rich aroma’s, and head past the lecture halls towards the sports fields. As I increase my steady pace, the warm, damp air hits my face and I pull my jacket a little tighter. I try to think only about the feel of it on my skin and the feel of the ground beneath my feet but some thoughts still creep in.
Reaching the athletics track, I notice a few of the football players are on the field but I force myself to look away. I don’t want to know if Grayson is there, even though he probably is. He’s been acting weird lately and it shouldn’t bother me but it does. He’s avoiding me and I can’t figure out why. I should be avoiding him after what happened in the cafeteria the other day. Maybe I’m overthinking it? Or maybe he just doesn’t care.
Well that’s fine by me. Staying away from Grayson Carter seems like a pretty smart thing to do anyway. He’s making that part easier for me.
Turning up the volume on my iPod, I hit the track, picking up a new rhythm. Titanium by David Guetta blasts through my earphones and I find myself being encouraged by the thrum of the beat and the meaningful lyrics. I push harder and harder until my arms and legs are warm, a light sheen of sweat trickling down my back. I feel good. Strong.
After running a few laps I slow my pace and allow the burn in my limbs and my lungs to ease. I’m alone, the guys no longer practicing their plays on the field. My uncle doesn’t usually stay this late but since the guys were out here practicing it wouldn’t hurt to stop by and see if he’s still in his office. A few of the guys leave the locker room and once I know it’s empty I let myself in.
“Huntley?” I look up and almost trip. Grayson is standing in front of me. In nothing but a towel. Oh God. His chest is wet, the water droplets sliding down between his abdominal muscles. He has that v muscle that girls go crazy for and I can see why. It leads straight to his… I shake my head. No need to be thinking about that.
“I …um…I….shit…sorry.” I slap my hand over my eyes. My brain has stopped functioning. I can’t even string a coherent sentence together.