Page 16 of Seeing Grayscale

You’re so good, Gray.

I can’t wait to see you grow up.

“Are you still here for a reason?” I bark.

“I suppose not,” he says softly and releases the death grip on his hands. Facing me, he offers a placating smile and nods at my clothes. “They fit alright?”

“They do.”

“Good.” Taking a breath, he glances at his watch and nods. “Right. Will you still be here if I arrange for the doctor to come tomorrow?”

Oh. Sonowhe’s going to entertain the concept of me leaving? “Don’t have much else of an option, as you so bluntly put it.”

“I didn’t mean—that wasn’t what I meant. Vinegar in the wound isn’t my typical approach, Gray.”

I don’t like how he’s looking at me.

Yeah, everything he’s done so far is nice and a lot more than anyone else has ever tried to offer me. But despite that trustworthy face and pleasing voice, I’m still on guard. I’m also really fucking tired.

My chest tightens, knowing I’ll be alone in this place, but we aren’t spending the night together.

One, I can’t handle that shit, and two, that’s just asking for conversation and potential seedlings of something else to get planted.

There will be no flowers or friendship or anything else.

Hunter is a mirage in the distance; I’ll never reach it.

“I’ll be here.”

“Great. What time are you usually awake?”

I scoff. It’s involuntary. “Oh, I don’t know. Whenever my schedule allows for a good sleep-in, I’m typically up and at 'em bysunrise.” I deadpan.

A slight smirk crosses his lips. “Duly noted. I’ll give you a call when we are on the way.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Get some rest, Gray,” he says, leaving the hotel. I hurry and slide the chain in place, resting my forehead against the door and wincing as my leg throbs.

I sleep like shit despite having taken the over-the-counter pain pills Hunter bought in his haul.

At 5 am, I get up and take another hot shower. It does nothing but bring on more exhaustion. Sometime around 7 am, after staring at the ceiling for too long, I take more pills and microwave the leftovers. I’m halfway through my food when the phone rings on the nightstand.

“Early riser, then,” I mutter and limp over to it. “Hello?”

“Good morning,” Hunter’s voice is like gravel. “Did I wake you up?”

“No.”

He sounds like he slept worse than I did.

“Good,” he rasps. “Doctor Perry agreed to come out. He’ll be at the hotel around 10. Is that alright?”

That gives me a little over two hours. “Yeah…are you not coming too?” I hate asking, but I don’t know this doctor. I don’t know Hunter, but he’s more familiar than someone I’ve never seen.

“I’m in the area.”

My eyes flick to the window. “Why?”

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