Page 64 of Wandering in Darkness
“That’s what you’re going to be like when you get older at the rate you’re going,” Grayson announces as soon as we get in the car.
“Excuse me?” For a man who pretends to be here for my heart, he’s quite brutal.
“Grumpy, evil, mean…” Grayson trails off as he starts the car before grinning at me.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
His expression tells me he thinks otherwise. “I’m hilarious,” he decides for some reason. Obviously, it’s a reason only he knows.
“I’m not turning out like him.”
“I don’t know… you’re already well on your way. You used to be cute and sweet.”
“And then I met you and it all went to hell.”
“I do have that effect on people. It’s a talent,” he teases. “People take a simple gander at me and realize they can never be as perfect as me and it just… taints their whole life.”
I glance over at him. “You’re not convincing me to be a better person. You make me want to be evil to you.”
“I would never,” he says.
“And maybe I like being a miserable waste of space.”
“Then we shall embrace it.”
Why the fuck do I just immediately want to be swept up in whatever nonsense he’s going on about? Why can’t I get him out of my head? Why can’t I just move on? I want to be pulled away from him because he reminds me of what I did, but he offers me a level of comfort I’m not sure anyone else can. Felix is so kind and caring; he’s pulled me out of the darkness I’d begun to drown in. But there’s something different about the feelings I get from being around Grayson—as long as I’m not thinking aboutthem.
“Once we’re back to Felix’s, I’m going to pretend I don’t know you again,” I declare.
“Does that mean that on the way there I can run through my apology?”
“You have five seconds.”
Grayson nods in understanding, like this is fair. “Okay… okay. Let me prepare. Five seconds isn’t much time. Think, think.”
“Starting now.”
“I’m—”
“And time is up. That was a good talk. I’m glad we had it. If you ever want to have another talk, I’m around,” I say.
“Areyou around? Because it feels like you weren’t even around for my spectacular talk here.”
“Oh no, I heard all of it. It was impressive. I liked the emotion you put in it. The pizazz. The acting. The theatrics. Just… all around two stars out of ten.”
“Oh… you thought it was impressive but gave me two stars?”
“Correct. Two stars, would change nothing.”
“I feel like at two stars out often,there’s at least eight stars’ worth you’d like to change.”
“Nope. No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Glad I was able to please you.”
“Yep. Quite pleased, actually.”
When we pull up to Felix and Lane’s house, I get out of the car. “Traveler probably needs to pee before your long drive home,” I say, rather reluctant to let the dog go. It seems like Grayson isn’t going back to Ned’s place, so he probably doesn’t need me to watch Trav.
