Taming the Street Racer ✔️

32 | you make it easy

Chewie falls asleep again so we stay on the mountain for a while, eventually sitting down and opening up to each other. Gray reveals the reason for his gigantic backpack; he packed us a small picnic.

He spreads out a large blanket on the ground for us to sit on. I take a few minutes to show him just how much I appreciate his romantic gesture.

We eventually peel ourselves off each other and bring out the food. Gray leans his back against a tree, and I sit between his legs, relaxing into his chest.

Between our eating, we discuss our pasts, but the conversation is completely different from the one earlier. He tells me about his friendship with Tommy in middle school, how he got into street racing through him, and the way he's managed to balance raising Gracie with street racing.

With his arms draped around me, he tells me about how much he loved his mother.

I tell him about my friendship with Violet and Peyton, how they've been by my side through thick and thin. Although I try to avoid it, I eventually let information slip about my parents. Gray holds me while I talk about my childhood and the weeks I spent alone in my house. In a way, I almost feel guilty for getting emotional about my childhood, knowing what he went through as a child.

But Grayson doesn't judge me, nor does he put me down for holding onto my parents' neglect. As we open ourselves up to each other, there aren't any tears or yelling, just pure understanding.

By the time we finish the food and decide it's probably time to head back, I feel more validated than ever, and I can only hope Gray feels the same. Gray helps me wrap Chewie back up in my arms before grabbing my hand.

The walk back down is much slower than the run up, and we fill the forest with our conversation and the occasional laugh. Something in my heart tells me that we're coming down the mountain as a new and improved couple. The walls between us seem thinner, if they're even there at all anymore. Gray holds me close, and his body feels relaxed next to mine.

We slow down as we get closer to the car, and I'm glad to know Grayson doesn't want this walk to end any more than I do. I think back to the quote on the card, and I realize that we both got so much more out of this nature hike than either of us had planned.

Before getting in the car, Gray pulls me into him, and we share a long, emotional kiss. It feels like a fitting conclusion to this long morning.

In the car, Chewie starts shaking in my lap, pawing at the door and crying. I try to calm him down but he's inconsolible, turning in circles nervously. Looking at him this closely, I can see the fleas and ticks moving around his irritated skin. His fur is dirty and he has a rough outline from being tied up.

"He's in bad shape," Gray says, taking his eyes off the road for a second to examine Chewie. "I think there's an animal shelter around here. Chewie looks pretty young, so they'll take good care of him."

I know what he's saying: he's young and cute so they probably won't kill him. That doesn't make me feel any better.

Tears prick at my eyes as I think about what we have to do. My parents would never allow me to bring home a stray dog, and from what he's saying, I don't think Gray is willing to take care of Chewie on top of his existing responsibility with Gracie.

"You're right. I shouldn't have named him," I murmur, still trying to soothe Chewie but also trying to hold back my emotions.

Gray drives silently to the animal shelter. As I look out the window, I realize we're near Ridegcrest High, our rival school. Nothing looks familiar around here, and that makes me even more nervous about leaving Chewie here.