I let my eyes drift shut, leaning my forehead against his mouth (which tasted like caramel, for some reason I wasn’t going to question or complain about).
“What do you think?” I asked breathlessly, my skin burning in every place he had touched it.
“Of course. I should— I should be the one asking that question, not you.”
I still couldn’t fathom it, the fact that Grayson Jules, the man I had known since ninth grade, was holding me in his wonderfully strong arms after kissing me into oblivion.
I still couldn’t fathom the fact that I’d wanted him enough to kiss him back.
“Did I do a good job?”
Gray’s POV:
I loved it. I loved the feeling of her pressed against me, willingly, without any signs to move away. I loved how she continued to let me hold her, kiss her, as if she still couldn’t believe.
“You were perfect,” I breathed out, resting my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in deeply. “Nothing less than that.”
(Iejdbdjbbfjxbdkcncjdndbdkbdndbxb
WHAT?!?)
My eyes widened at the touch, at the feel of his breath against my skin. Slowly, carefully, I angled my head until my mouth was in the perfect position to brush across his temple.
The thrill that came with even just that was incredible. I could hardly piece together my next response.
“I— I’m glad. Just— this is all very… new to me. Please don’t try anything…… you know. Clothes stay on. Hands don’t go below my waist.”
(Iejdbdjbbfjxbdkcncjdndbdkbdndbxb
WHAT?!?)
(This was us, and we were writing this thing!)
Gray’s POV:
Her mouth pressed against my temple, and I felt a rush of energy go through me. How was she so easily able to turn me into jelly with just simple actions?
“I promise you,” I started in a low voice. “I won’t ever do anything to you that you’re not ready for.”
And I wasn’t lying. I would never force her into doing what she wasn’t ready to do. I ran my fingers through her hair, twirling them around my fingers, exhaling deeply.
(Yeah pretty much lmfao)
(I have a test today so do pray for me! ;-;)
(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.
