The Coincidence 07 Seth & Greyson (9 page)

“You want to go out with us?” He glances at the parking lot just outside the window. “We’re thinking about hitting up this place called Red Ink that’s supposed to have cheap drinks and killer music.”

I put my phone away. “Who are you going with?”

“A girl I met at the party,” he says, looking back at me. “If you want, we can chase down Greyson and see if he wants to go, too.”

I try to keep my shock under control. Luke obviously witnessed me kissing Greyson. My first kiss out in the open. My first kiss since the assault.

“You’d be okay with that?”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I be? Greyson’s cool. You’re cool. We’re all just living one fun-filled life of coolness.”

I study him closely, wondering if he’s for real. He seems dead serious and kind of confused about why I’m staring at him.

I decide I’m going to do it. I’ve already taken a few big steps tonight, so why not just keep going? Nothing bad has happened yet.
I can do this.

“Okay, I’m always down for clubbing.” I retrieve my phone again. “I’m going to text Greyson, though, because I’m not about to run down the sidewalk after him. It goes against my lifetime vow of never exercising.”

He laughs, plopping down in the chair again. “Sounds good.”

I pause, thinking about what I should say in the text.

Me: Hey, so Luke Price and an unknown girl invited me to the Red Ink. He invited u, too.

I hit send and quickly type up another message.

Me: Oh yeah, I’d really like it if u went.

“How do you even know Greyson?” I ask Luke while I wait for Greyson to reply.

“We’re in Bio together. He’s actually my lab partner. He seems pretty cool.” His attention whips to the side as headlights shine through the window. “And there’s our ride.” He hops to his feet and heads to the door with me following.

By the time we reach the parking lot, Greyson hasn’t text back.
Totally deserved,
I think to myself
, for blowing him off so often.

I’m about to climb into the car when my phone vibrates. I smile as I fish it out.

Greyson: Sure. I’m down. I’m about four blocks down, but I’ll turn around.

Me: No, just wait there. We’ll pick u up.

I duck into the car, feeling nervous, but giddy. The giddiness remains even when I look down at my scars. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to conquer my fears and my past after all.

Seth

“Luke, Luke, Luke,” I tsk him from across the booth. “Where the hell did you find that girl? On the street corner?”

Luke glances over his shoulder at the brunette that brought us here, who grins at him and slides her hands down her body, right there for everyone at the bar to see. “She’s not that bad, is she?” he asks, looking at me.

“Well, I’m not the best judge, but I’m going to go with a no.” I turn my head to Greyson, who’s sitting in the booth beside me. “What do you think?”

Greyson snorts a laugh as he stirs the ice in his whiskey tonic. “You think I’m a better judge than you?”

“True.” I direct my attention back to Luke. “All I know is that the leopard print dress she’s wearing is tacky and don’t even get me started on those fishnet tights. I’d say her shoes are okay alone, but the whole outfit together,” I make a gagging face. “So gross.”

“So, you’re basing who she is on how she looks?” Luke questions in surprise. “That’s harsh.”

“No, I’m basing who she is on the sole fact that she thinks the,” I make air quotes, “’person’ in the GPS system sounds super hot and she wonders if he’s single.”

“Okay, she might not be the brightest chick in the room, but she’s still hot.” Luke picks up his drink and swallows it in one shot.

“That’s debatable,” I argue, scooping up the drink in front of me.

Greyson chuckles as he slides his arm along the booth, so the crook of his elbow is resting just behind my head. Even though he’s not touching, I can feel his nearness all over me. Panic flashes through me and I take a few measured breaths as I glance around the busy club. People are dry humping each other on the dance floor, flirting at the bar, and hanging out in booths. All having fun, totally relaxed, like I should be.

“She’s just a hook up,” Luke explains, setting down his empty glass. “It’s not like I’m trying to date her or anything.”

“Have you even dated anyone,
ever
?” I ask with doubt.

He rolls his eyes like what I said is the most absurd thing he’s ever heard. “Yeah, right.”

“Never once?” I question. “Not even in high school?”

With his jaw set tight, he looks out at the dance floor. “It’s not my thing, okay?”

I open my mouth to press more, but Greyson brushes his finger across the back of my neck and shakes his head, signaling for me to let it go. The touch causes my mind to instantly go back to the kiss we shared earlier and I start getting wound up all over again. It makes me a bit nervous, though, being out with people.

Luke abruptly rises to his feet. “I think I’m going to go get a drink.” He strides off toward the bar, pushing people out of his way.

“Are you my voice of reason now?” I ask in a low tone, leaning in toward Greyson.

“Hey, you’re the one who said you cross personal boundaries sometimes.” His smile lights up his eyes. “I thought I’d help you out. He seemed a little upset.”

“I wonder why.”

“I’m sure he has a reason, but I don’t think he wanted to talk about it.”

I swish the ice around in the glass. “What about you?”

His forehead furrows. “What about me?”

I roll up my sleeves and rest my arms on the table. “How many guys did you date in high school?”

He lifts the brim of his glass to his mouth and sips a long drink before setting it back down. “You really want a number?”

I nod, even though I’m not really sure I do.

He huffs out a sigh then counts down on his fingers. “Five total.”

I try to decide if that’s a lot. Since he came out when he was fourteen and his parents were okay with him dating, that doesn’t seem so bad. But it makes me look very pathetic and inexperienced.

Strands of his hair fall into his eyes as he tips his head forward and stares into his glass. “What about you?” He lifts his gaze to me and my heart slams against my chest, harder than the beat of the bass in the song playing from the sound system.

“I don’t really want to tell you.”

“Why not?” His lip pops out to a sexy pout. I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it, which makes it even sexier.

“Because it’s going to make you think I’m lame.”

“I would never think you’re lame.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” I sigh, placing a hand over my scars. “One.”

His head cocks to the side. “One?”

I nod, shamefaced. “Yep, just one.”

He brushes his hair out of his eyes. “I don’t know why, but I thought it’d be more.”

“Yeah, I grew up in a small town, so there weren’t a lot of options,” I explain in a tight voice. “Plus, the town I grew up in didn’t make it easy. Everyone knows everyone, so I couldn’t even sneak out on a date without it getting back to my mother.” I sigh again. “It probably makes me sound pathetic that I just didn’t say to hell with what everyone thinks.”

“It’s not pathetic.” He covers my hand with his. “It wasn’t always easy for me, either, and I had two supportive parents. I can’t even imagine how hard it’s been for you. Did you have any friends or anything to support you?”

My fingers flex below his and even though it’s almost instinct at this point to pull away, I force myself to keep my hand where I want it to be. “I had a couple, but no one close.”

“What about the guy you dated?”

I smash my lips together so forcefully I feel like they’re going to bruise.

“Seth.” His eyes soften and I swear he can read right through me, see the scars hidden on the inside of me, beneath my skin, along my heart, across my soul.

Tears start to burn in my eyes, but I suck them back. “Can we talk about something else? I don’t think I’m ready for this conversation yet.”

“Okay.” He easily lets it go and I like him even more because of it.

We spend the next few hours talking and drinking. When he asks me to dance, I feel bad when I say no.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” I explain apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” His lips tug to a small smile, covering up his disappointment. He looks at his watch and his eyes widen. “Shit, it’s after three o’clock. What do you say we head back to campus?”

“I actually like that idea a lot. I’m starting to reach my sleep drunk phase.” My gaze skims the dance floor, the bar, and the entrance. “But where the hell is Luke?”

“He left about an hour ago with that girl,” Greyson says.

I shudder. “She was so gross. He could do way better.”

Greyson smiles to himself as he gets to his feet. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and then we can go. It’s a pretty nice night, anyway. Great for a walk.”

By the time I guzzle down the rest of my drink, he’s made it back to the booth. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” I stand up and start pushing my way to the door.

He moves up behind me, so close that his solid chest brushes my back. His body heat engulfs me and I find myself slowing down and taking my time.

The song suddenly switches to a more popular one and the crowd around us goes wild. Everyone starts jumping up and down and the floor vibrates. Greyson laughs and joins in, dancing behind me while continuing to move toward the door. Every time he moves, he grinds against me. By the time we make it to the exit doors, I’m on the verge of losing it, so riled up all I can think about is ripping his clothes off. I almost welcome the idea, too, and contemplate acting on what my body wants, even surrounded by people.

Thankfully, the cool night air acts kind of like a cold shower and helps me relax a bit. I manage to keep myself under control as we round the building and head down the sidewalk toward the campus a few miles away. It’s late enough that hardly anyone’s out and when Greyson reaches over and takes my hand, I don’t pull away.

“You never did tell me what your major is,” Greyson says as we stroll past the closed stores.

“That’s because I don’t have one.” Between the alcohol in my system and his fingers wrapped around mine, I feel high, like I’m having a crazy out-of-body experience. “I figure there’s just too many things I’m good at to pick only one talent,” I joke with a grin.

Chuckling under his breath, his gaze flicks to the stars in the sky then back at me. “If you had to pick a major right now, what would it be?”

I thrum my finger against my lip. “How about weekend partying?” I tease. “No, if I really had to pick one right now, I’d probably pick psychology.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s something about the human mind that I find fascinating,” I tell him. “But I also like English and drama and, of course, clothes, but that can’t really be a major. The one subject I
hate
is math. A math major will never,
ever
happen.”

“Do you play any sports?”

I choke on a laugh. “Are you kidding me?”

Greyson shrugs innocently. “I’m just trying to figure you out, and you never know.”

I glance down at my stylish outfit. “Do I look like I play sports?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs again. “Maybe you’re hiding a rock hard body under those clothes.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, whatever. You’re totally feeding me a line right now.”

“I am not,” he protests, biting back a grin.

I roll my eyes so hard they almost get stuck up in my head. “What about you?” I step back and scroll over his lean, toned, smoking hot body. “You could be a sports guy?”

“The only thing I do that is even remotely athletic is going to the gym.”

“Aw, so you work out?” I muse over something. “I think you and I might be polar opposites.”

“Is that a bad thing?"

“Nope. I don’t think so, anyway. I actually told my friend Callie the day I met her that opposites attract and make the best kind of friends.”

“You two seem really close,” he says.

“We are… She’s my best friend,” I tell him. “I like helping her, too.”

He momentarily studies me, his gaze making me feel restless. “Who helps you, though?”

I shrug, getting squirmy over where the conversation is headed. “I’ve always been good at taking care of myself. Besides, her letting me help her helps me, if that makes sense.” I chuckle as I daze off at the lampposts across the street. “We have this list of things she’s afraid to do. I’ve been helping her slowly scratch off stuff and have even done some of the stuff with her. It’s fun, but I still worry about her.”

“That guy she was with at the party,” he says, glancing at a car as it drives by. “That’s the guy she likes, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, there’s a long story behind how they met, too… I think they’d be good together if they could get on the same page. But Callie’s afraid and doesn’t trust many people. And Kayden... Well, I don’t know him very well, but from what Callie’s told me, he has every right to be wary.”

He grows quiet, staring at the intersection ahead of us. “I’d really like to meet her. Callie… I mean… I know she’s important to you.” He offers me a smile. “Maybe sometime in the future the three of us can hang out?”

“Okay.” It seems like such a simple request, but it’s so much more.

He’s talking about the future. Meeting my best friend.  Whatever’s happening between us, he sees as a long-term thing, which probably means a lot of dating, hand holding, kissing, intimacy, emotions. I won’t be able to hide behind my smile anymore.

I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.

All I know is that I want it, more than I think I realized.