Candid

Chapter 54

Hi Besties!!

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH❤️🧡💛💚💙💜Sending all of you in the LGBTQIA + so much love!

So the last chapter was...something, huh?

Also in case you missed it: There are only 7 CHAPTERS LEFT OF CANDID after this one. That's right, the journey is coming to an end but I still have so many story ideas coming afterwards and I hope you'll stay to read them all💜

Enjoy

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"Are you shitting me right now?" I demanded, glaring at his calm smile. "I know you're not an asshole, I hold that position out of the two of us so I know this isn't a game for you," I noted, folding my arms across my chest, "So what the hell?"

Grayson stood quietly until my visible rage had subsided. "Mads, let's take a seat and talk about this."

"No," I said in a stern voice, "I'm not sitting down because the last time someone told me to sit down and talk about something, it was to tell me my father had a heart attack so no, I will not sit down if you need to tell me bad news."

He pursed his lips and nodded his head once. "I don't want to date you because we have two months left of high school and I'm going to UCLA and you're going to be on the east coast."

"So? I just told you I love you which means that I am willing to try the whole long-distance thing, I just needed to realize it for myself," I argued, my eyes wide.

He pursed his lips and looked down at me. "Maddie, you are not ready for long-distance just because you admitted that you loved me." He reached out and uncrossed my arms, holding each hand in his. "You need to go to school, and you need to achieve everything you planned before you are ready for an intense relationship."

My eyebrows furrowed and the tension in my jaw was visible. "So...you won't date me because you love me that much that? Is that what's happening right now?"

He shrugged with an uncertain smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

My fist hit his arm. "That's a stupid idea," I yelled, throwing my arms in the air. He only chuckled. "Stop laughing, I just poured my heart out to you and you've just snuffed out the light..." My words slowly trailed off when a switch clicked in my head and I grimaced because that is exactly what I did to him.

He must have read my facial expression because his grip on my fingers tightened. "I'm not doing this because of that, get that thought out of your head right now," he ordered, brushing a finger over my right temple and tapped it lightly. "I'm doing this because you weren't wrong, long-distance is hard, and with our schedules and time-zones," he waffled and paused, took a deep breath, and spoke again, "I don't want you to have to choose between your education and your relationship, that's not fair to you."

"But I want to be with you," I said defiantly, lifting my free hand and resting it against his cheek. "Why can't we try?"

"Do you honestly think that we'll be able to focus on each other when we both have to get used to being in a new city, a new school, and have to meet new people while dealing with full-time classes?"

Crap. Why did he have to be so fucking sensible? "Then why can't we be with each other until we have to leave?" I whispered, knowing my intentions were completely selfish.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine, a sad smile on his face. "Because it'll be that much harder to say goodbye to you and I don't want to feel that way again."

My throat hurt and I had the urge to sniff. "Will we be friends at least?" I asked softly.

"Always," he promised, brushing my hair out of my face. His hand stalled at the nape of my neck, unwilling to drop it altogether.