“Can I sit with you?” he asked.
“Actually, I was just about to leave.” I began collecting my things to prove my point.
Grey’s eyes darkened further. Sadness shone behind them, and dammit if it didn’t make me want to do whatever I could to fix it.
“You can walk with me if you’d like.” I heard myself say it as if it were from a million miles away.What am I doing?Idiot.
He nodded. Not happy, but he would take what I was willing to give him.
I finished collecting my things, stuffing them in my backpack, and led the way from the cafe. Grey followed at my heels. I could practicallyhearhis mind churning over the words he wanted to say.
I wasn’t sure if it was our body language or if we simply got lucky, but no one tried to stop us as we crossed campus. There were no autographs or photo ops today. Just two guys trudging through the murky gray weather between redbrick buildings.
“I’ve been considering what you said,” Grey began. “The part about not giving you a choice other than to get over me.”
I nodded.
“So I was thinking. We’ve only been looking at this from the angle of having a crush or staying away from each other to get over it.”
I stayed silent as we walked, waiting for him to get to the point.
“But what if we stayed just friends—I mean, only if you want to,” he said the last part in a rush.
I glanced at him.Stayingjust friends.But… are we even friends right now?If I had to put a label on it, I would say we were just two circling bodies drawn by the other’s gravity. We didn’t reallyknowmuch about each other outside a handful of conversations.
His brown eyes stared back at me, pleading, earnest. I could tell he wanted desperately for me to say yes, for us to be friends.
Do I want the same?If I were being honest with myself, I didn’t know what being friends with Grey would even look like.Would we hang out at each other’s places and watch Marvel movies? Would we help each other study? Would I get to learn what his favorite color is and what television show he hates with a burning, fiery passion?
I’d thought I would either have to get with Grey or get away from Grey. Maybe getting to know each other better without the romantic overtones was a secret third option where we could get over each other without losing each other. After the past few days of hell, I had to admit I liked the sound of keeping him around. It could work.
“There’d have to be ground rules,” I said slowly. “So much of… whatever this is… has been confusing because we had no boundaries.”
“Boundaries are good,” Grey agreed. His hands were tucked into his green sweater, but I could still see them fidgeting with the hem inside the pockets. “What were you thinking?”
I racked my brain.What were the most confusing things he’s done? The things that turned my mind to mush?The list seemed long, but I settled on the first rule. “No talking about feelings for each other. There’s no way we’ll get over our crushes and be friends if we’re constantly talking about how much we like each other.”
Grey looked at his feet, a smile spreading across his face. “Yeah, I suppose that’s not something bros do.”
I had to laugh at the word “bros.” Already, I felt better. The laughter sparked a warmth in my chest that I hadn’t fully realized had been missing until it returned. “Exactly. And in a similar vein, no flirting.”
“Ah.Thatmight be a hard one,” Grey said.
“Well, goodbye then,” I said, but it was playful, and we both knew it.
“I can’t help it if I’m extremely charming!”
I stifled an eye roll as we walked across a courtyard in the center of several school buildings. In the middle, a fountain sprayed water into the air. Though we were yards away, mist settled across my skin.
We didn’t talk until I came to a stop next to the fountain and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s start with beinglessflirtatious.”
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Grey said. “But I’ll do my best. Anything else?”
The sprinkling of mist raised goose bumps on my skin. Goose bumps reminded me of how I felt when Grey touched me. His touch was the one thing that would always clear my mind of logical thought, andthatwas something we couldn’t afford. Not if we wanted this whole friend thing to work.
“No physical contact,” I finally said.
