Under Seven Minutes // Private RP

Violeta kept her head down for the rest of the walk, too lost in paranoia and hopeless confusion to do much more than drag her heavy bag behind her. When they finally arrived on the front steps of her dormitory building, she turned to face Gray, hesitant and unsure. "Thank you… I thought I was going to—I thought he—"

“I won’t let anyone touch you like that again,” Gray promised. “Not when I’m around.”

He hated seeing her like this. So afraid, vulnerable. Men like that deserved to die. Sexual assaulters, all of them needed to die. Touching someone without their consent…

And suddenly, it was all too much. She couldn't handle the confusion all the while trying to puzzle out each thing he said, wondering whether or not it was genuine. So she merely bowed her head, fumbling for her keys before opening the door. "Good night, Gray…"

“Goodnight, Vy…” Gray whispered as he watched her disappear. He stayed there for a few more minutes before he turned on his heel, running a hand through his hair and walked back home.

Amanda was waiting and he all but collapsed in her arms, trembling with fury and hate and guilt.

Violeta opened the door to her room, only to be met with the sight of her roommate and two of her best friends, huddled in a worried circle. When they saw her, they all broke out into relieved cries (even Lillian, who was as tough as they got) and flocked her, asking questions at a million miles per hour.

"Where were you??" Rae demanded, pulling back from a worried hug to look her up and down. "We waited for two hours, Violeta, but you never came?"

At first, she was confused. Then, it hit her. "Shit," Violeta breathed, smacking her forehead, "I'm so sorry–I completely forgot." She had recently joined a study group, one that met tonight….

"Vi? Why are you shaking?"

Thankfully, Aria had been asleep when this whole thing happened. Though he and Amanda always taught her to watch her back, Gray hadn’t want her to see just how painful it was. And Gray knew it would hurt Violeta more if Aria had seen her.

He sighed, shifting in his bed. He should have given her his number. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

[TIME SKIP:]

Gray and Violeta had barely talked after the incident, and Gray felt a little disappointed. He had hoped she would see he cared, but she was more intent in avoiding him. So he humored her and stayed away from her, too.

“Ah, Gray~” the brown-haired male looked down to see a teenager walk towards him, her lips pressed in a thin line. “I’ve been looking for you. You look disappointed to see me.”

She was right, Gray realized. For a second, Gray thought it had been Violeta. He immediately put on a flirty smile.

“Definitely not, Laura,” he winked at her. “Is there something you wanted from me?”

Laura shrugged, running a hand through her bubblegum pink hair.

“I need a release. So, if you would please…”

Gray’s insides churned, but he kept up that smile. He bent down and clasped their lips together, pulling her closer, biting down on her lip. Laura immediately kissed him back.

Throughout the exchange, Gray was hyper aware of one detail. This girl was not Violeta.

"Bye!" Violeta's best friends, Rae and Irene, waved to her as the group split up, the latter two headed for another class. Violeta sighed, too tired to do much more than plaster a smile to her face and keep walking. She was lost in the soaring crescendos of Through Juniper Vale's Bird Song, trying to shrug her unease off, but so far, it wasn't working. Memories of the past night slipped between the notes and coated her skin. Everywhere she turned, she saw that man, reaching out to her, running his hands down her body, pushing his tongue into her mouth.

She had barely seen Gray so far, but she was unsure whether or not she was happy about it. Whenever their eyes met, tension hung between them. He still hated her, obviously, but after last night, she couldn't quite muster the same abruptness around him as before..

It was only after a fifteen minute walk that she realized—her water bottle, it was still back in her previous class. So she sighed, turning around to jog back, hating the way her thighs wobbled with each step she took. But when she arrived, she was met with a sight that should not have bothered her as much as it did.

Gray, kissing a pink-haired girl. His arms around her body, pulling her against him. Her eyes which were closed, the curve of her smile against his.

Violeta's stomach twisted.

Laura reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, but Gray grabbed her wrists tightly, pushing them away from him. His expression, all the while locking lips, was blank. As if he was doing the deed, but not being present in what he was doing.

Finally, he pulled back, staring down at the flushed girl, panting heavily.

“Satisfied?” He murmured, his grip on her wrists tightening.

“No,” Laura replied, standing on her toes. Gray did not bend down again.

“Too bad,” he smiled, let her go and stepped back. Just as he turned to walk away, he came face-to-face with the person he wanted but could not get

His eyes widened.

Violeta.

Violeta tore her eyes from Gray's the moment he turned around. Ignoring the frigid pain seeping through her chest, she ducked her head and moved past him, practically stumbling towards her desk. She snatched her water bottle off the top of it, breathing heavily.

Her heart—why was it pounding? Why did it hurt, as if someone had run it through with a rusty metal spike? She pressed a hand to her chest, taking a moment to steady herself.

Snap out of it, she told herself after a moment, and turned towards the door.

Pain flashed across Gray's face when he realized Violeta had seen him. She had seen him act in a shameless manner. She'd seen him kiss a girl he did not even know, all for the sake of… well, pleasure. And the way she was reacting to it as if she'd known all along what a scumbag he was… he turned to look at Laura, who kept drifting her eyes from him to the girl, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Violeta, wait," Gray shook his head, walking after her out the door. He wanted to explain, but explain what? How could he clear things up without digging a hole deeper for himself? He was screwed. She wouldn't even believe him anymore.

Violeta pressed her lips into a hard, flat line as she made her escape, gripping the stupid water bottle so hard that her knuckles turned white. Why are you so upset? She was frustrated. Frustrated at Gray, frustrated at herself for being frustrated at Gray. She had no right to—it was his life to live. Maybe that girl was his girlfriend, maybe she was some random classmate, but either way, it didn't matter. Or at least, it shouldn't….. So why did her heart still hurt so much?

"Violeta, wait!" Gray grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking away from him. He noticed her white knuckles and the way she gripped her bottle tightly, and he swallowed thickly. Was it because of the disgust she was feeling, or… he didn't let himself finish that thought. There was no way she'd feel that way. "Please. That wasn't–that wasn't what it looked like."

Violeta jerked her arm away from him on instinct, not realizing at first that there was no danger present. When he spoke, she took a step backwards. Breathe, you idiot. It's just Gray.

Forcing all emotion from her expression, she looked him right in the eyes. "Why are you explaining yourself to me? I just walked in to grab my water bottle. Why should the random girl you were making out with be any of my business?"

Gray winced, letting go of her just as she snatched her arm back. She was right. Why was it any of her business? Why was he explaining himself to her?

Because I like you. Because I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

He swallowed thickly. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"Gray."

Violeta's eyes were hard, revealing nothing. "We've known each other for over four years. You've been kissing random girls in empty classrooms for nearly that long. What 'wrong idea' is there for me to get?"

Gray forced back his wince and instead returned her stare.

"Why don't you tell me?" he finally breathed out. "Why do you think I don't want you to get the wrong idea? Maybe once you realize the reason, we can… talk. Properly."

Nausea rooted itself deep in her gut——they were back to this again. Violeta’s mask cracked, betraying her true emotions. Pain, confusion, a need to get away. “Stop. Stop playing this twisted game,” she told him, though her voice wobbled the tiniest bit. “I’m not doing this again. Have a nice day, Gray. I’ve got to go.”

“Violeta, please,” Gray shook his head. Her pain, confusion and the utter disgust on her features felt like a stab to the heart. Followed by sprinkles of salt. “Please. Give me a chance. At least tell me what I’ve done wrong to you.”

Violeta stumbled backwards like a cornered animal. But instead of telling him, she merely turned away, inhaling shakily. Her feet carried her away… away to safety. But strangely, it felt like she was making a big mistake.

Gray leaned against the wall, breathing heavily as she walked away. Turned her back on him and walked away from him. Why did he ever think he could make this work?

“You like her,” came a voice from behind him as Laura walked towards him, standing when she was near him. “Don’t you.”

He smiled bitterly but didn’t answer. The pink-haired girl needed no other confirmation.

“You’re going about it the wrong way,” she continued. “If you want her, you need to stop what you’re doing. Stop being the flirt. Start being the gentleman.”

Then she, too, turned to walk away, her heels clicking in the otherwise silent hallway.

[TIME SKIP:]

Gray ran a hand through his hair. Why was he so nervous about this? All he was doing was ask for some advice. It was just simple advice.

From Violeta’s friends.

Which was the reason why Gray was nervous. Finally, he took a deep breath and began approaching the girl he knew would have answers for him.

“Irene,” he addressed her, forcing a calm expression on his features, blending in his composed personality. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

The dark-haired girl glanced up from the thick volume in her lap, reacting to the sound of her name being called. Upon seeing who had called it, she froze. Her sandwich paused midway to her mouth.

Grayson.

The man Violeta has told her about—the man she feared and resented.

“Sure,” she answered cautiously, setting The Fellowship of the Ring aside for the time being. “What’s up?”

Gray looked away for a second, contemplating how he could continue. He knew she would most likely tell Violeta whatever he said to her. After all, that’s what friends did, right?

Still, he wanted his feelings to get across, so he looked back at her.

“I like her,” he said seriously, sincerity in his eyes. “Violeta. I like her.”

The sandwich fell from her fingers.

Wide-eyed and disbelieving, the bookish girl pushed her glasses further up her nose and just stared.

“I’m sorry,” she said, clearly baffled, “What?”

“I like Violeta,” Gray repeated, shuffling on his feet. That wasn’t the reaction he thought he would receive. Instead of her lap, he thought maybe he would be the one receiving the sandwich. “For a… long time now.”

He paused, trying to think of what to say.

“I’ve been taking things the wrong way and I know that,” he said. “At first I wanted to get rid of my feelings for her, so I continued with my normal behavior. It didn’t work. I thought maybe after high school, after we went into college, we’d never see each other again. I thought that would give me the perfect opportunity to get over her. That didn’t go as planned, either. She’s afraid of me, and I know she finds me… upsetting, and I just want to know how I can make her stop hating me so much.”

Irene just kept on staring.

This didn’t add up—at least, not to her. Violeta always said that Grayson hated her, that he flirted and toyed with her just for the satisfaction of making her believe she could be loved… right before ripping that hope away. Just like everyone else in her old high school. And now, Grayson was saying he had feelings for her?

Suddenly, her mouth fell open.

Oh.

It all made sense now. What if it was one huge misunderstanding? What if all those ‘fake’ flirtations had been real?

Irene blinked, trying to clear her head. “I think you should sit down,” she told the boy, still thing to wrap her head around the concept of his player liking her sweet, artistic friend.

Gray blinked at her for a few seconds, trying to understand what Irene just said before he obliged, taking a seat. Did that mean she believed him and wouldn’t tell Violeta about it?

Irene massaged her temples slowly, taking a deep breath. How was she supposed to word this? Some things weren’t her business or her job to tell him——he had to talk them out with Violeta herself. So she had to tread carefully, nudge him in the right direction all the while keeping her best friend safe.

“I’m not going to give you advice on how to ask her out,” she said slowly, “Because that would be disloyal. But I will say that there’s a huge misunderstanding between you two right now. She doesn’t hate you, she… almost fears you, in a way. You make her uneasy and anxious. Because—Well, you’ll have to talk that out with her. She’s sick of your flirting, so don’t flirt with her. Compliments also make her uncomfortable beside—I can’t say. But use them sparingly and word them cautiously. Don’t treat her like she’s about to break. Give her space.”

Gray listened intently, nodding at every word that came out of Irene’s mouth.

“So no flirting, no treating her like she’s breakable, give her space, word my compliments nicely, keep my distance for the most part?” He looked at her, tilted his head to the side. “I… messed up big time a few days ago. I don’t think she’ll be willing to hear me out after that.”