Taming the Street Racer ✔️

39 | endless sun

The next two weeks blur together in a blissful haze. I avoid my house and parents like the plague, only returning home to sleep and shower when needed. Fortunately, my parents hardly even notice. Between their socialite events and my repulsion from them, I only cross paths with them a handful of times. That arrangement seems fine for all three of us.

Despite our own relationships, Violet, Peyton, and I make ample time for one another. From what they tell me about their own relationships, I assume their lives are going just as well as mine is.

On several occasions, I find myself reflecting on where we were a few months ago--me struggling with my past trauma, Peyton feeling the need to hide her sexuality from us, Violet still lusting after Chris Cuomo-- and I wonder how long this period of euphoria will last. I assure myself that it will.

Between time with my friends and time spent coaching, I spend the majority of my afternoons and weekends with Gray. While he's walking me down the boardwalk, taking me to the aquarium, or just holding me in his arms in his bed, it's easy to forget everything that we've been through to get to this point. I remember the first time we laid eyes on each other, the instant spark we felt, and how we've been fighting ever since to keep that fire alive.

I hear that Gray's aunt is on a two week-long cruise to Alaska. Because of this, I'm Gray's only option for watching Gracie when him and Tommy attend races. I don't mind, though; I wouldn't trade my time with her for the world. We watch movies, play games, play dressup, and talk about Gray.

She tells me stories of them when Gray was younger, the places he would take her even when I know they had little to no money back then. Although Gracie doesn't really understand it yet, I can tell that those stories convey just how far Gray went to keep Gracie from ever feeling sad or alone. Even as Gray was whethering those same emotions himself. It isn't long before Gracie starts feeling like my own little sister.

However, Gray's aunt being on vacation also means that Gray and I get no time alone. Despite the circumstances of our first night of intimacy, we both agree that we feel too guilty to do anything when Gracie is in the house, whether or not she's asleep. It's absolute torture, but we manage to keep our hands to ourselves for what seems like an eternity.

Day by day, I feel the darkness lifting out of me, replaced by the love of those around me and the truths that Gray reminds me of. I open my heart to him, and him to me, and we both accept the things that we've buried deep inside ourselves.

I sleep at his house most nights and one night, I catch him writing in some kind of notebook. When he catches me staring, he flashes me a smile and shuts it, assuring me that it's nothing. That night, the way Gray looks at me sets every inch of me aflame, and the love he conveys to me almost drives me to tell him how I feel. How I've completely, utterly, irreversibly fallen in love with him.

But I just let him hold me, and I don't say a word. Although I feel like he already knows just by looking at me. I feel like he sees every part of me, and surprisingly, that doesn't scare me at all.

It's a Saturday afternoon and I'm itching to get over to Gray's penthouse. Earlier this morning, Gray promised that we would do whatever Gracie wanted for the rest of the day if she won her soccer game. Of course, Gracie scored the last of three goals for our team and subsequently ordered Gray and I to go swimming with her later today.

Gray tried to act like he wasn't excited for the plan but I felt his enthusiasm when he pressed me to him and whispered for me to sleep over tonight. Needless to say, my legs turned to pure jelly and I start to think about what bathing suit I would wear later on.

After meticulously deciding what I should pack, I get ready to leave my house and drive to Gray's, hoping that neither of my parents are home to ask me where I'm headed. But of course, when I get downstairs, I find my dear parents sitting at the dining room table.