Page 88 of Her Pretty Words

His car squeaks beneath us. My hands find their way beneath his shirt, fingernails digging into his back when my breath becomes sporadic. I feel myself tighten around him while he spills inside of me. His soft lips press firmly against mine to quiet the sounds of us coming undone together. Silence falls over us while we catch our breaths, the sound of crickets in the distance.

“I am so in love with you,” he whispers.

Sometime later, when laying on the hood of his car becomes uncomfortable, we pull our clothes up and Grayson carries me inside his house. He drops me onto the sofa, peppering my face with dozens of kisses. He pulls away from me to grab his bags from out front.

Once he’s back, I say, “Were you really going to leave?”

He runs his fingers through his hair, then joins me on the couch, making the cushion dip beneath his weight. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“It would’ve broken my heart,” I whisper.

“I thought I was protecting you from that. That’s all I want for you. Is to be safe and happy.”

I lift my chin. “I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. I just like to pretend I’m useful in that department.” He jokes.

“Everything that happened tonight really put into perspective how much you’ve been hurting.” I crawl toward him and rest my head on his chest.

We are both quiet for a while, as if we’ve been pulled into our own thoughts. “Macy,” he says. “Everyone is going to think I’m a nutjob.”

I lean my head up and meet his gaze. “No one is going to think that.”

He tilts his head and glances up at me with a look that saysbullshit.

“Our friends won’t think that.”Our friends.“They will understand when you’re ready to tell them. And anyone else who might think that isn’t important enough to know what really happened tonight. They don’t matter.”

“Macy.”

“Yes?”

He inhales a deep breath, and slowly releases it. “Will you tell them for me?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I do,” he says. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you shouldn’t begin any relationship telling lies. Including friendships.”

“It’s not a lie, Grayson. And we can wai?—”

“I already met them,” he says. “Delilah and I came to dinner one night at Elliot’s grandma’s house.”

I dig through my memory, and then I see it. The six of us went swimming after the sunset and got in trouble with our parents. Despite the lecture about sharks feeding at dusk, we had the time of our lives. “I remember that night.” My lips split into a smile. After a few moments, I say, “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you,” I say.

“Actually,” he says. “I’ll tell them myself.”

My brave man.I press a kiss to his lips. He rubs circles on my back, and we slowly drift to sleep from the exhaustion of everything that occurred.

The sharp sound of shattering glass pierces my ears. I look around in a daze, still on Grayson’s couch. I spot him standing perfectly still in the kitchen. He wears workout shorts and nothing else, staring at the wall instead of the tiny pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

I clear my throat. “Is everything…okay?”

He nods his head slightly.

I make my way to him. I step over the shards of what once was a plate, and stand directly before him, pressing my palm against his cheek. A bead of sweat drips from his temple onto my hand.Did he just go for a run?I glance at the time on the microwave and see it’s just past seven in the morning.

As if he just recognized I am standing before him, his eyes widen, and his hands reach for my waist. I’m lifted in the air and set on the kitchen counter. “There’s glass!” he all but shouts the words at me.

“I know,” I whisper. “I stepped over it.”

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