Selcouth • Grayson Dolan

| 03 | Broken Hopes

"Truth is, I think about you often,
I miss your voice, I miss your smile
That I used to get lost in
I know you know
I have this thing for you,
I never lost it"
-Fake Smiles, Phora

××××

c h a p t e r    t h r e e

broken hopes

"I love you" Grayson said, leaning in and placing his lips on top of mine. I stare at him blankly, bewildered, confused by his sudden action. He does nothing but stare back at me. His eyes expressing guilt and many other emotions I could not decode.

Then his face softens and shakes his head, "I'm sorry" He whispered, leaning once more to kiss the top part of my head, before leaving me empty all over again.

I woke with a start, sitting up way too quickly from my bed, an instant feeling of dizziness rushes through my veins as I look around the room. Realizing it was all just a simple dream, I fall back down on my bed with a sigh and stare at the ceiling for quite a while before finally getting up and head towards the bathroom to take a long bath.

I felt the urge to smoke, in hopes of cooling my mind. I dropped a bath bomb as I watched it dissolve its colors on the water, while I let the smoke escape my lips and lay back, spreading my arms throughout the tub.

I sink a little further, allowing my feet to touch the end of the tub and my head to rest on top of the corner of the tub. The warm water hugged my body, covering my naked self as I stared into space.

Just when my mind began wandering around, my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey get up looser, we're going shopping" I recognize Joanne's voice on the other line and let out a small chuckle.

"It's too early to go shopping" I groaned, holding my cigarette with my fingers.

"It's not, you're just a lazy ass" She laughs, making me roll my eyes but smile afterwards.

"How about I just go to your place?" I suggest and move my foot around, wrinkling the water.

"My whole family's there," 

I groaned as she giggled.

"Just get your fat ass out of bed and get ready. I'll be there in 10"

I groaned even louder.

"Just do it" She dragged the words. "Fine,"

"See ya" She sang before hanging up.

I took a deep breath and got out of the tub, wrapping a white towel around my body as I headed back to my room to choose something to wear after killing the cigarette.

Before I could grab my clothes and don them on, I witnessed the door swing wide open and saw Grayson. His jaw dropped.

"What the heck dude?" I asked with gritted teeth, holding on to my towel for dear life.

His eyes scanned me up and down and walked directly towards me.

"I believe this belongs to you?" He archs an eyebrow, ignoring the fact that a simple, short towel was covering my naked self and hands me a familiar necklace.

"Must have left it in the kitchen counter the other night," I nodded, and lowered my gaze in embarrassment. "Thanks" I mumbled and took the necklace from his hand.

"Don't act so shy around me. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before" He said before leaving the room.

I felt my cheeks flush red and I get dressed quickly, ignoring what had just happened. I jogged down the stairs, to the kitchen to grab something to eat while I waited for Joanne to arrive. Grayson was there in the kitchen with me, staring at the opened fridge before him. I felt a strong feeling of discomfiture in the air. A tension between us two floating in the silence that surrounded him and I.