The Coincidence 07 Seth & Greyson (16 page)

Greyson

I don’t think I’ve ever been so fucking excited to see someone as I am now. Seth and I made plans for him to pick me up at the airport. By the time I walk out of the door, dragging my suitcase behind me, it’s past ten o’clock. The winter air instantaneously stings my lightly sun-kissed skin. Shivering, I search the pick-up area for Seth and spot him leaning against his car just to my right.

A smile spreads across his face as soon as he sees me and it takes all of my effort not to drop my bag and kiss him right here in the midst of hundreds of post-holiday travelers. The only thing stopping me is the caution in his eyes. We’re still not in the same place yet, which is okay.  He has a lot of stuff to deal with, but at least he’s working on it instead of running away.

“Hey,” I say, stopping in front of him.

He smiles at me, takes my bag, and tosses it into the backseat. Without saying a word, he rounds the back of the car, opens the driver’s door, and climbs in. I follow his lead and slide into the passenger seat. The moment I get the door shut, he reaches over, cups the back of my neck, and pulls my mouth to his.

“God, I missed you,” I murmur as I taste his lips.

“Me, too,” he agrees, his fingers fumbling as he grips onto my arms. “Just FYI, we’re
so
spending spring break together.”

“Works for me. I hated being apart.” I lean back and buckle my seatbelt as he drives down the ramp toward the road. “How did everything go on your trip?”

He taps the breaks, bringing the car to a stop at a streetlight. “Well, there was a lot of drama, none of which I caused, surprisingly.”

“With Callie and Kayden, I’m guessing?”

He nods. “But I think,” he holds up his hands with his fingers crossed, “they might finally have worked it out. She even told her parents what Caleb did to her.”

“Wow, that was really brave of her.”

“It really was.” He drives forward when the light turns green. “I think they handled it pretty well, too, which restores my faith a little in parents.”

“Not all parents are bad. And speaking of parents.” I reach into my pocket and dig out a bracelet my mother sent Seth. “My mom wanted me to give this to you.” I hand him the bracelet and he stares at it, his forehead creased. “I know it’s tacky and definitely not your style, but there’s four leaf clovers woven in the shells that are supposed to bring you luck or strength.” I shrug. “I’m not really sure which, because sometimes I zone out when she starts rambling about herbs and karma and auras, but she said something about wanting to give you some of her luck because you deserve it. And that every time you look at it, she wants you to remember how strong you are.”

He grins from ear to ear as he clasps the bracelet in his hand.  “I seriously can’t wait to meet your mother.”

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to.” To prove it, he slips it onto his wrist.

We make the rest of the drive holding hands and don’t let go as we walk up the stairs to my apartment. I unlock the door one handed, and the moment I step inside and kick the door shut, Seth’s mouth is devouring mine.

I drop my bag somewhere on the floor, not bothering to turn on the lights as we stumble back to my bedroom. We only break the kiss long enough to pull off our shirts and jeans, reconnecting as we fall onto the bed. The kiss is slow, my tongue inspecting every inch of his mouth as he does the same to mine.

I support my weight on my arms as I roll on top of him, breathing heavily. “We can go slow…” I trail off as he slips his hand down the front of my boxers, gripping me firmly.

My cock jerks with need and I’m seriously about to fucking lose it before we even get started.

He swallows nervously and shakes his head. “No. No more Ferris Wheel.”

I can’t help myself. Laughter erupts from my chest.

He grins proudly. “That really was a good one, wasn’t it? And I didn’t even plan it.”

I shake my head, still laughing a little, but the laughter swiftly fades as he starts moving his hand up and down.

I struggle to breathe, needing to know, “Are you
sure
you’re sure? I promise we don’t have to do this now… I know you’ve had to deal with a lot lately. I don’t want to push you into anything.”

“Greyson, I’m sure. Trust me. I’m more sure about this than anything else.” Then he pushes up on his elbow and seals his lips to mine.

Seth

I hate that I’m still afraid. For a moment, I put up my walls and fall straight into my usual defense mechanism, cracking some absurdly inappropriately timed joke about Ferris Wheels. Still, it gets Greyson to laugh and helps me breathe just a little bit easier.

We start off slow, allowing our hands and mouths to search each other’s bodies. His skin is so soft, his body so amazing, and he tastes like mint and chocolate, completely delicious. I get lost in it.
Him
. Everything that is him. Nothing about the situation is funny, and I don’t want it to be.

My nerves start to get the best of me when he rolls the condom down his length, but then he kisses me and everything is okay. Just. Like. That.

“Are you sure?” Greyson checks for the millionth time, simply because that’s the kind of guy he is.

He’s the guy who always makes sure I’m okay, who is by far the most patient person I’ve ever met, who makes me feel safe, and who puts my needs before his own. Of course, because I’m the slightest bit vain, I have to add how incredibly sexy he is to the list. 

Since I’m nervous beyond belief, I open my mouth to tease him about asking me again, but not wanting to ruin the moment, I decide just to nod. “I love you.”

His lips tug to a lopsided grin. “I love you, too.”

Greyson spent a long time preparing me and once he’s inside me, I wonder what I was so afraid of to begin with. It’s better than I ever imagined, completely opposite of the one-sided fumbling I experienced before. It’s a perfect balance of give and take and give and take as he grips me in his hand, rocking into me while I kiss him with all the pent up desire I have in me. We completely lose it together, kissing all the way to the end.

Greyson climbs off of me, cleaning both of us before we lie down in bed together wrapped in each other’s arms. It remains silent for a while, the soft moonlight trailing through the window and across his face.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask as I slide my knee between his legs.

“Something my mom said.” He turns his head, slides his hand around the back of my neck, and plays with the hair at my nape. “She made this prediction that I was going to meet someone while I was here.”

“So, you believe her now about being psychic?” I ask as he slips his other arm under my head.

“No, I think us being together… that was all us.  Yeah, it hasn’t been easy, but it’s worth it.”

“Yeah, it is.” I stare at the bracelet he gave me. The thing is hideous, but what it represents is the most beautiful thing in the world. Every time I look at it, I’ll remember that not all the world is ugly and full of hate. That there are people out there who firmly believe that no one should ever be afraid to love. That love is simply love, and that regardless of the form in which it arrives, that there’s beauty in it all. “I’m going to try to do better. I know it might take me a while to completely be myself in front of everyone, but I promise I’ll get there.”

“I know you will. And you want to know why?” He grazes his fingers along the scars on my arm. “Because you’re seriously the fucking strongest person I’ve ever met.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Just wait until you try to get me to exercise, then you’ll realize how weak I am.” He shakes his head and I smile. “I’m kidding. Seriously, thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”

We kiss until we fall asleep in each other’s arms, and I drift into the most peaceful dreams I’ve had in a long time.

Three weeks later…

Seth

For once in my life, I actually feel like I’m being myself.  Now that I’m not so afraid, I’ve started opening up more. Sure, I still crack jokes sometimes to cover up my feelings, just like I sprinkle my flamboyant opinions wherever I see fit.

Greyson and I are officially together and a lot of people know about it. Yes, it’s terrifying when someone makes some snide comment or stares at us when we’re holding hands, but I’ve mostly felt the love, more than I thought I ever would. And no matter what happens, Greyson, Callie, and, yes, even Luke and Kayden have been super supportive.

I’ve even decided to start dipping my toe into the world of sports. Granted, I find it rather boring, but Greyson seems into it, which is enough for me to go sit on the bleachers and pretend not to smell the stench of sweat that seems to permeate the air whenever anything athletic is involved.

Right now, I’m at a basketball game with Greyson, Luke, and Callie. The crowd is going crazy, whistling and screaming and about as wild and out of control as Jenna is when she eats too much cotton candy.

 “Where are Greyson and Luke?” Callie asks as she plops down on the bench beside me.

I point out Luke and Greyson in the bottom row in our section. Greyson keeps waving his arms around, his eyes lighting up the way they always do when he’s talking about something that excites him. Luke is shaking his head in disagreement and sticking his hands out to the side. More than likely, they’re discussing either photography or the gym, both of which I find a little boring, but I love watching Greyson debate things he’s passionate about.

I reach into the popcorn bucket and stuff a handful into my mouth. “What’s with the silly grin, my darling Callie?”

She sticks her hand into the bucket. “Kayden just told me he loves me.”

I almost throw the popcorn bucket onto the bald guy’s head in front of us. “I’m so happy for you,” I say as I grab her and pull her in for a hug.

She folds her arms around me. “I’m really happy for me, too.”

I pull away and set the popcorn bucket onto the floor. “I know you are, which is good. I really didn’t want to kick Kayden’s ass.”

She laughs at that. “I’m sure Kayden’s grateful, too.”

A large man behind us starts yelling at Luke and Greyson to “sit the fuck down!”

Feeling like the protective boyfriend, I turn around and yell, “Shut the hell up,” while Luke flips him the middle finger.

Seriously, sports fans are insane.

Grabbing the bucket of popcorn, I fix my attention back on Callie, only to find her staring at Luke.

 “Sometimes…I wonder if Luke...” She leans in and whispers, “If Luke…likes... guys.”

I almost choke on my popcorn. “Luke’s not gay, Callie.”

“Are you sure? Maybe he’s just afraid to come out, like Braiden was.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I glance down at Greyson and Luke, shaking my head. “You want to know what I think?”

She nods, stealing a handful of popcorn. “Yes, please share your knowledge, Oh Wise One.”

I scoot closer to her. “I think that Luke’s been through something that makes him more understanding and accepting than the average person. And I think that sometimes people misinterpret understanding and acceptance and make it into something that it isn’t.”

“You’re right and I’m sorry,” she says with a trace of embarrassment. “I should never assume things about people.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” I playfully poke her in the side. “Besides, you’re one of those people.”

“What? Understanding and accepting?”

“The kind of person who sees things in a different light because they’ve been to hell and back. The kind who has given and received redemption.”

We exchange a smile as the crowd goes berserk, shouting and clapping and jumping up from their seats. I start clapping, too, even though I have no damn clue what’s going on.

Callie’s phone rings and she shouts, “It’s my brother!” She jumps to her feet with her phone in her hand. “I’ll be right back. He’s been trying to call me all night.”

She hurries down the stairs and I turn my attention back to Greyson and Luke, thinking about going down there and joining them, but they’re already climbing the stairs toward me.

Luke takes a seat down at the end of the bench where Callie was sitting, and Greyson sits beside me.

“Having fun?” he asks, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bucket.

“Oh, yeah, a
blast
.” I smirk. “You so owe me for this one.”

He grins as he shoves his mouth full of popcorn. “Sounds good to me.” As the people in the bleachers continue bouncing and screaming at the game, he leans in and whispers, “Thank you for coming with me.”

I slide my hand toward his and lace our fingers. My heart pumps deafeningly from inside my chest, but I refuse to pull away.  He smiles at me and I take a deep breath, feeling my scars become less visible. Sure, the ones on my arm are still there, and they always will be. But the ones on the inside, those are the ones I have control over. And I know as long as I stay strong, they’ll continue to fade away.