I try to mask my disappointment. “Okay,” I say, having no idea what to reply.
“He had to go to Melbourne on a business trip with his dad,” Jake adds. I wonder why Grayson didn’t tell me that himself. It was only yesterday that he came over to apologise, but I haven’t seen or heard from him since.
Some apology.
“So why are you sitting here again?” I ask, not sure what his game is.
Jake chuckles at me. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
I lift my shoulder in a shrug but don’t say anything.
“I thought since Grayson wasn’t here, I’d keep you company,” he says, flicking his pen between his fingers. I force a smile and then concentrate on the book in front of me.
“Not very chatty, are you?” he asks when the lecturer finishes talking. “Most girls would be talking my ear off by now.”
I roll my eyes. “I have nothing to say.” To him anyway.
He chuckles. “What are you doing after class?”
“Going home,” I reply, putting my books into a neat pile on my table.
“Want to get something to eat?” he asks.
“No thanks.”
He winces. “Cut down.”
I sigh, feeling a little guilty. “I’m sorry; I really have to go home and study. But thanks for the invitation.”
He nods, looking amused. “That was a polite rejection.” Does the man ever stop? I don’t stick around to find out.
Walking home, my mind roams to Grayson. After apologising, he just leaves? I pull out my phone and check to see if there are any missed calls or texts from him.
Nothing.
I thought Grayson was perfect. At least, perfect for me, but I guess I was wrong.
Chapter Nine
Grayson sits down next to me in class, and I can feel his eyes on me. It’s been five days since I’ve seen him, since we’d had any contact.
“Hey, Paris,” he says quietly, his tone careful. I glance up. He looks gorgeous as ever, his dark hair slightly damp, dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans.
“Hello,” I reply, mustering a small smile. I look back down at my notebook.
“Listen, I need to—” Grayson starts but is cut off when the lecturer stalks talking. Glad for the small reprieve, I try to ignore Grayson as much as I can, and concentrate on the man talking at the front of the room. I can see him glancing over at me out the corner of my eye though, and I know there’s something he wants to say. I’m really not feeling the hot and cold act, and I’m wondering if I should just cut my losses and not talk to him anymore at all. The idea hurts, which means it’s probably the right action for me. It saves me having to quit Toxic, which I was considering—for him. But now… Hell, it’s probably better this way.
Grayson clears his throat. “Can we talk?” he says in a soft tone.
I don’t look up. “What about?”
“You know what about, Paris,” he says. I look over to see his hands clenched on the table, his eyes on me. I see a flash of worry in them, before he manages to contain it. What could he possibly be worried about? He’s the one who made a conscious decision to put space between us, to go away without so much as a word. He was sending me a message, and boy, I got it loud and clear.
“Where did you go?” I reluctantly ask. I know what Jake told me, but I want to hear it from him.
He runs his hands through his hair, mussing it. “Went with my dad on a business trip.”
I want to say, ‘and what, they don’t have phones where you are?’ but I don’t. The rest of the class passes in tense silence. Grayson follows behind me as I exit the class, gently grabbing my wrist and pulling me to a stop when we hit the car park.
“Come to my house so we can talk?” His voice is almost pleading.
I pull my arm out of his hold and turn to face him. “Look Grayson, I think we should just be friends.”
He winces, and makes a sound in his throat. “I want to be more than your friend, Paris. I want us to start over—more than anything in the world.”
He has a great way of showing it, doesn’t he? “Yeah, it’s not really working for me,” I say, wringing my hands. He’s taken my heart and stomped on it. I didn’t deserve that. I know I deserve better. I can’t look at his handsome face without feeling hurt.
“It was working until…” he trails off, probably thinking about that night. Yeah, I really don’t want to bring that night up either, but something has to be said.
“It was and now it isn’t. Do you know you just leaving like that was even worse than what happened that night,” I say. He pales, running a hand down his face.
“I don’t know what the f**k I was thinking,” he says. “I know I’ve messed this up but—”
I cut him off. “I don’t know what you were thinking either. But if you wanted to hurt me so badly that I stop caring, I’d say you’ve succeeded,” I lie. “I’ll see you around,” I say, trying to pass off a grimace for a smile. Grayson takes a step forward, but I shake my head. I do this embarrassing wave with my hand, and then turn around and head in the direction of my apartment. I have to work tonight, so I want to relax for a little before I have to go in. When I get out of the car park, and onto the walking path along the main road, I look back. Grayson is still standing where I left him, looking down. His posture screams defeat. I sigh, and turn back around, clutching my palm to my chest.