“Hm… this question is going to determine whether our relationship is going to work or not,” Gray said seriously. “Are you a cat person, or a dog person?”
“I like to dance,” Laura replied. “Oh! Want to see something weirdly cool?”
"Dog person," she laughed, pushing at his chest. "But cats are great too. What about you?" Shifting slightly, she pressed her nose to the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. Was that the right thing to do? Was she going about this relationship all wrong?"
Josh chuckled lightly, tilting his head to one side, "Go for it."
“I’m a cat person,” Gray responded, sucking in a deep breath, tightening his hold on her. “But I don’t mind dogs, either.”
“Okay,” Laura stopped walking and turned to face Josh. She held out her hand, grabbed her thumb and pulled it back until it touched her wrist. “I can do it with no problem at all.”
"Kittens are adorable," Violeta answered, but her voice was slightly weaker due to Gray's arms, which had just tightened around her. Flushed lightly and suddenly short of breath, she exhaled slowly against his skin.
Josh's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "What??" He stared, disbelieving at Laura's thumb. "Oh my god—Did you—Did you just—"
“They are,” Gray nodded before he frowned, noticing her change in behavior. “Is this—is this okay? Should I loosen my hold on you?”
Laura laughed at his reaction before she let go of her thumb, flexing it a little.
“Yes. When I first showed it to Gray, he freaked out. But God, your reaction is the best!” She grinned before another thought came to mind. “Oh! Also… when I raise my arms up, they make the thunder sign. My body’s pretty weird.” She showed off by raising her arms towards the sky, and they twisted in a shape similar to thunder. “See?”
"It's more than okay," Violeta murmured, smiling against his skin. He's so caring…. "I just get flustered really easily. You fluster me a lot. It's hard to get used to…" Her smile broadened. "But I like it. My turn, right? What's the one thing you want to do more than anything else in your life?"
Josh stared for a solid ten seconds, before he burst out laughing. "Laura?" he asked between chuckles, "Y'know, I'm really glad I decided to walk you home."
Gray grinned at that, nuzzling her head.
“Well, I love the effect I have on you,” he said before going into deep thought. “Well, it’s to he a reliable man for my family. For Amanda, for my sister… and for you.”
Laura’s heart fluttered and she couldn’t help the blush that coated her cheeks. She remembered saying to Gray how Josh lacked everything. She was so wrong.
“I’m glad, too,” she said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thank you for doing that, even though the original reason was to get away from… you know.”
Violeta's heart fluttered in her chest. "From what I've seen, Gray…" she whispered, "You're plenty reliable already. You're sweet, you're impossibly caring, you're just… an amazing person all around. I think you've already achieved that goal."
Josh's smile faltered for a split second. He glanced away, rubbing at the back of his head. "Yeah. You're welcome.. this was fun. I—Thanks for… I don't even know. Bringing me here."
Gray pressed their lips together briefly before he pulled away.
“I try,” he said quietly. “I’m not really there yet. There’s a lot I need to do.”
Laura cursed herself when his smile faltered. It was a beautiful thing and she ruined it. Before she could say anything, her phone began to ring and she jumped slightly.
Sending Josh an apologetic look, she answered the call, her face twisting into a frown as she turned around.
“I’m coming,” she said with a sigh. “I told you I’d be back before eleven. It’s only ten.”
She paused, wincing slightly. “I’m not—you know what? We’ll talk when I get home. I’ll be there in ten.”
She hung up before she took a deep sigh, turning around to face Josh.
“Sorry, I really need to hurry,” she said apologetically.
"If you say so…" Violeta murmured, letting her eyes settle on his mouth. Kiss me again, she wanted to say, Please. But she didn't, instead pressing their noses together. "Your turn."
A frown tugged at Josh's lips. Who could she be talking to? But he merely nodded, telling himself that it was her business and not his. "Do you still want me to follow?"
Gray recognized the look in her eyes and grinned before he pressed their lips together again. “Hm… if you could have one superpower, what would it be?”
“Walk me home,” Laura repeated, not yet ready to part with him. She’d enjoyed his company. She didn’t remember the last time she’d talked like this with a male, excluding Gray. “At least till my street. Then you can leave.”
"Mmph," Violeta murmured against him, pushing a hand into his hair and pulling him down against her a second time. After a significantly longer kiss, she broke away, red in the face. "I—I—Er… Making drawings into reality. Like—Like drawing a pen and having it materialize in real life."
Josh nodded.
"I'm happy to do so." They began to walk, but her street was growing nearer and nearer, and with it, Josh's aversion to parting ways. "Hey—Laura? Can I have your number? Just to—Just to keep in touch."
Gray grinned at her red face, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. “That sounds very like you,” he kissed her cheek. “I love it.”
“Yes,” Laura said immediately before she turned pink again, hoping she didn’t sound too eager. Which, in fact, she was. Extremely. She dug out her phone again, unlocking it and handing it to Josh with contacts open. “Here. Save your number. I’ll give you a ring so you can save mine.”
Still blushing furiously, Violeta pressed a hand against her pounding heart. "What—What would you want?" she asked shakily, but her eyes flickered down to his tempting lips once again.
Josh was grinning like an absolute idiot by the time he finished entering his number in her phone. He was also completely red in the face, inwardly celebrating the (minor) success.
"Here you go," he told her as he handed it back.
“Shapeshifting,” Gray answered, noting where her eyes were wandered to. “Imagine shifting into beasts and scaring people.”
Laura’s heart hammered wildly when she took back her phone, eyes going to the screen. Josh’s number. The second male to want her number without intentions of taking her to bed. She tapped the call option, looking at Josh through her lashes as she waited for the call to get through.
His response prompted a soft laugh from Violeta's lips, which were still pink and swollen. "Shapeshifting would be cool, but I'm not sure about that last bit," she joked, "Who would you scare off?"
The look Laura was giving him…. even though he knew he was probably imagining it, Josh's heart skipped a few beats. When he heard his phone go off in his pocket, he fumbled to fish it out, managing a dorky grin before pressing the call button.
"Hello, yes, this is Josh," he spoke into the receiver. "You're going to have to call some other time, I'm busy hanging out with this great girl from my college."
“Anyone that offends me,” Gray shrugs. “Or people I care about.”
Great girl. If Laura had been blushing before, she was extremely red at this point. His close proximity when she went on with their dare, as well as when she was wiping lipstick off of his face flashed through her mind and Laura felt hot all over again. What was going on with her?
“Oh? Well, this girl must be pretty darn special for you to be busy with her,” she purred into the phone, offering him a seductive look. “I’ll let you hang out with her, then.”
"You did that just fine at that Subway a week ago," Violeta reminded with a smile, referring to the group of girls he'd defended her from. "And you didn't shapeshift into a tiger to do it, either. My turn to ask?"
Josh turned approximately the same colour as the lipstick she'd wiped from his mouth. "She is, yeah," he managed to hum into the phone. "Wouldn't want to keep her waiting, so I gotta go." With that, he hung up.
“I can’t stand girls like those,” Gray scowled when he remembered the incident. “They insulted you. I can’t stand that. I was burning with fury. Anyway, ask ahead.”
Yeah, she is. Laura’s heart skipped a beat at that and she slowly took the phone away from her ear. Her eyes never removed from hers.
“Special, huh?” She murmured, stopping when they reached the front of her street. She turned to face him.
Violeta placed a tentative hand on his cheek to calm him, chewing on her lower lip while she tried to come up with a good question. "Uhh….." Her cheeks were suddenly burning. "Would—Would you model for a painting? For—For me, I mean. So–So I can paint you. Again. So I can paint you again."
Josh slipped his phone back into his pocket, rocking forward and onto the balls of his feet. He inhaled slowly, letting his head fall to one side,
"Yeah," he answered after a moment, "Special."
Gray immediately looked at her, wondering if he should ask. He contemplated several times and the mischievous side won. He offered her a lazy smirk.
“Fully clothed or…?”
For the first time in her life, Laura was speechless. Because of a boy, of course. She’d pretended to be bashful, speechless, shy, flustered so many times. But this guy… he made her actually feel those things.
She opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she closed it again.
“I—well, congratulations, Josh,” she offered him a breathless smile. “You officially rendered me speechless.”
Violeta shoved him back, turning her head and burying her scarlet face in the pillow. "Gray!!!" Her protests were slightly muffled by the fabric, but her embarrassment was clear in the way she kicked at his shin with one foot.
Josh's bruised heart kickstarted.
Somehow, he managed to uphold the thin façade of cool self-assurance, placing an enigmatic smile on his lips. On the inside, he was an absolute mess, a gooey puddle of flustered embarrassment… and it was taking Herculean strength to keep his mask up.
"What—" He cleared his throat to start again, rubbing at one of his red cheeks. "What would you like me to do with that information, Laura?"
Gray burst out laughing, pulling her back to his chest as his body shook with each laughter.
“I wish I could say sorry, but I’m not,” he managed between chuckles. “You know I love you, Vy~”
Kiss me. Hold me. Call my name again.
Instead, she stepped closer to him, hands on her shoulders, stood on her feet, closed her eyes and lightly pressed her lips to his cheek.
With a burning mouth, the girl stepped away, giving him a flirty smile.
“Take me out on a date sometimes,” she winked at him. “I had fun. I’ll see you later, Josh~“
Waving, the girl turned away and when she walked away, she finally let the mask drop. She felt her hot cheeks, her heart stampeding in her chest.
No wonder girls were attracted to him.
Laura, what are you getting yourself into?
"M'not talking to you," Violeta muttered against the fabric of his shirt, refusing to lift her burning face, even for a second.
Josh stood there for a long time, mouth hanging open as he stared after the girl who had somehow taken the shattered pieces of his heart back home with her. Completely stupefied, he raised a hand to lightly touch his cheek, then blinked down at his fingers.
Slowly, a stunned, ridiculously dorky smile formed on his lips.
Will do, Laura.
“Aw, I’m sorry,” Gray chuckled, clearly not sorry. “I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry, Vy~”
When Laura got home, she sunk to her knees, face completely red, eyes wide. What in the world was she getting herself into? Was she seriously starting to flirt with a guy who was clearly crushing on someone else? Oh, God.
“Laura?” Her head whipped up to meet her father’s. He furrowed his eyebrows, eyes distant, cheeks flushed. He wasn’t drunk, but he wasn’t sober, either. “You’re home. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Laura breathed out, standing to her feet. “I’m fine. I’m totally fine. Dad, I’m totally fine.”
Her father quirked an eyebrow, shaking his head.
“I’m going to sleep,” he declared. “Food is in the refrigerator. Eat and sleep well.”
She barely heard him over her beating heart. Somehow, Laura managed to change into a comfortable shirt and shorts, took off her lenses, crawled into bed and took out her phone. Her finger hovered over Josh’s contact before she pressed ‘message.’ She went to the video section, put on a dog filter and smiled brightly.
“Goodnight, Josh," she sang, eyes twinkling, heart hammering wildly. Once she hit send, Laura collapsed on her bed.
"If you want me to forgive you," Violeta stated, half-joking, "You're going to have to give me a kiss that leaves me speechless."
What are you getting yourself into? she asked herself as her heart began to pound.
The moment Josh got home, he added the number on the top of his Recent Calls list to his contacts, his heart pounding with each letter he tapped.
You're being stupid, he told himself bluntly as he climbed into bed, wearing nothing but a pair of loose pyjama shorts. You aren't even over Violeta, and you're flirting with Laura? Don't make her the rebound girl. She doesn't deserve that, and you don't deserve her.
But just then, his phone buzzed on his nightstand. Briefly, he caught sight of the contact name—–Laura.
It took about five seconds until his resolve to keep his heart to himself snapped.
Rolling onto his side, he pulled his earbuds and phone from the bedside table and checked his message. The moment he saw the video—–her sparkling eyes, her intoxicating, mischievous grin—–red bloomed across his freckled cheeks.
Oh my god…
His mouth fell open.
JOSH: awe, now I feel special
Gray immediately pulled Violeta up, trapped her between his arms and grinned wickedly at her.
"Easy," he said right before he pressed their lips into a kiss.
Laura rolled onto her stomach, cheeks flushed, stomach dropping as time went by. No response from Josh. Why was she looking forward to it? Why was she acting like this? It wasn't right. Josh liked Violeta. He still did, she knew it. Besides, what else would he want from her, besides flirting? She wasn't–she wasn't likable material. She was a tease. She fooled around, she was a–
Laura squeezed her eyes shut. No, she wasn't going to think about herself like that. Not everyone was the same.
Then her phone pinged and buzzed in her hand and she scrambled to open it before she groaned. What was she doing, really?
LAURA: Just a little something for calling me special back then~
Violeta instantly melted against him, pushing a tentative hand through his hair. As it had been the previous few times, her mouth was clumsy on his at first, but after a few seconds of absolute ecstasy, she began to get used to the rhythm of the kiss.
Josh felt an immense surge of satisfaction when Laura replied almost immediately. His heart thumped as his fingers flew across the keys, forming a text he hoped was acceptable before pressing send.
JOSH: if I call you special every day, will you send me more cute pics/videos? XD
Gray pulled her on to his lap, wrapping his arms tighter around her while one hand rested on the back of her head. He moved his lips against hers softly, gently as if trying not to scare her. Though she slumped against him and completely gave in, he still kept the gentle pace of their kiss.
Cute. He thought that the video was cute. And that message–was he flirting back with her, or was he truly being serious? Laura opened the camera, raised her arm and took a picture, her face covered by her pillow nose down. She'd made sure her brown eyes had a melted sort of look, like a puppy's. She contemplated for a few seconds before she finally hit send, along with another text.
LAURA: How's that for cute? ;)
