Nothing,a dark voice whispered to me as I lay down to try catching some sleep.It was him indulging in a fantasy before going back to Carina. That’s all.
I didn’t want to believe the dark thoughts, but as hours turned to days and days turned to almost a week, I began to.
My last final of the semester was for Professor Young’s English class. I woke at the ass crack of dawn to my blaring alarm, grimly pulled on my clothes, and got ready for the day. It was my last day of the semester, but that wasn’t what had my stomach churning with anticipation. It was also the first time I would see Grey since the wedding.
I grabbed the counter and gave myself a hard look in the mirror. Whatever I did, I would not be the first one to break the silence. If he cared for me at all, he would talk to me first.
Two hours later,I was handing in my finished essay. I felt comfortable with it. The story was about a plant that had grown from a single stem until that stem was no longer necessary, then the plant was cut. Yeah, I was probably processing some things when I wrote it. It wasn’t my greatest work by any means, but it would get me a solid A minus.
I was turning to leave Professor Young’s desk when I accidentally bumped into the person I hadn’t realized was standing behind me.
“S-sorry,” I mumbled before realizing who it was.
Grey stood there ready to turn in his own essay.
How did he walk up on me so silently?
“No worries.” A smirk crossed his lips.
In that moment, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss him or slap him. Rather than try to figure out that conundrum, I pushed past him and made a hasty exit.
Mentally, I kicked myself. I’d broken my vow not to speak first. Though, to be fair, I hadn’t realized it was him when I’d apologized. I’d seen him come into the room. Of course I had. But Grey had sat far in the back. We’d had assigned seats, and his had been about as far away from me as it could be and still be in the same room.
I managed to make it out of the door and into the quad before someone grabbed my shoulder, stopping me.
“Ethan, wait,” Grey said.
In the time since I’d seen him, somehow, I’d managed to become more susceptible to the musicality of his voice. He sounded like he was half singing every time he uttered a word. It wasn’t fair.
Face warm with desire, and fire blooming in my stomach, edging its way farther down, I turned to face Grey. “What?” I was proud of myself when I sounded just as stern as I’d meant to.
Grey was adequately taken aback. “Are you mad at me?” he asked blankly.
“Why would I be mad at you?” I asked pointedly. When he was silent, I continued. “You never texted or called after the wedding.”
Grey didn’t hesitate. “Neither did you.”
“That’s not the point.” I hated the fact that my ears were growing warm with embarrassment. “You should’ve reached out to me.” He was the one with the girlfriend and still had been breaking our rules left and right.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Grey said, completely disarming me. “I just wasn’t sure if you’d want to hear from me—if I’d pushed things too far. And when I didn’t hear anything from you, I guess I took that as confirmation that my fears were right.” He took a step closer and grabbed my elbow again before letting it go. “I’m sorry I let my insecurities get in the way of being your friend.”
Friend.God was I getting tired of that damn word. It caused my anger to return with a vengeance. Once again, I found myself torn between kissing and slapping him. But I did neither. “Was there something you needed?” I asked. “Or am I good to go?”
He paused, seeming to consider his next words carefully. “Would you want to come to one of my shows?”
I blinked. “Seriously?”That’s what he decides is appropriate to ask me right now?
“Yeah, I have one tomorrow, and you could be backstage, and—”
“Wow.” I fanned myself. “The great Greyson Hyun doesn’t call me after a week, but at least he can get me backstage to his show.”
“Ethan, don’t be like that,” Grey said. “I really am sorry.”
The look of distress on his face made my anger simmer down. He wasn’t being totally unreasonable, I had to admit grudgingly. He’d been self-conscious too. And he’d apologized.
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry too. I could’ve called you, but I figured you didn’t want to hear from me either. Thought we’d gotten too close to the sun.”
The corners of Grey’s mouth twitched upward. “Sounds like a great lyric.”
