To Learn to Let Go | ✔

Chapter 9

"I... I like y-you too." I managed to stutter out despite my best interest.

"Gray," he started to say, but I cut him off.

"I like you, but we can't, I can't be what you want or need."

"I don't need you to be anything Grayson. Just be you." Just be me. He didn't want to know who I was. "Please just give us a chance. Give me a chance?" He asked. I thought about it as I looked in Trent's deep green eyes. I wanted to launch myself over the coffee table and plant my lips on his. But I also felt my breathing constrict at the thought of it. How could we be together?

"I want to," I found myself saying despite my better judgement. "But if we do, this isn't going to be, be l-like other relationships you've had. I-I'm going to n-need time."

"We can go as slow as you need, Gray," he assured. "Can I, um, move a little closer?" He looked at the empty space on the couch next to me. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that Trent promised to never hurt me, and nodded my head. He got up and walked over to the empty spot, carefully sitting next to me. I tensed up slightly as I felt the warmth of his body next to mine, but I breathed in that familiar scent of tobacco and sandalwood and my muscles relaxed. Yet again, he simultaneously terrified me and made me feel more at ease than I ever have.

Trent and I sat together on the couch and watched TV until my parents came home. I jumped slightly when I heard the door unlock and Trent nearly jumped out the window. "It's okay, you can stay."

"I'm not usually very well-liked by parents."

"Just be you." I said, using his own advice to me against him.

"Hi honey, oh, Trent!" Mom plastered a fake smile on her face when she saw Trent. I couldn't quite tell what she was actually thinking, but I had a feeling that maybe I should have let Trent go out the window.

"Hi Mrs. Daniels, it's good to see you again."

"Trent, how are you, son?" Dad asked, shaking Trent's hand firmly.

"Great, sir, how are you?"

"I'm doing well," Dad replied, eyeing Trent suspiciously as he put his briefcase down.

"Did you want to stay for dinner, Trent?" Mom asked, purely out of obligation. I tried to send Trent the signal to say no, but he missed the message.

"That would be lovely, thank you."

"Um, we're just going to go up to my room." I ran out of the kitchen without another word, Trent following closely behind me.

"Grayson, what the hell?" Trent asked as I shut the door behind us once we got to my room.

"Why d-did you say you'd s-stay?" I asked

"Because I want to make a good impression on your parents. Should I have said no?"

"My mom was being... weird."

"My reputation precedes me, I suppose."

"I-It'll be okay," I half whispered, trying to catch my breath. I was not ready for any kind of fight with my parents, I wasn't ready to try to defend whatever this relationship with Trent was.

"It will be, I can cancel, I'll say my dad called me home?"

"No, that'll make it worse."

"Dinner!" Mom's voice called from downstairs. We braced ourselves and headed down to the dining room table. Trent and I sat next to each other, Mom sat across from me, and Dad sat at the head of the table. "Trent, I had no idea you and our son were so close," Mom said, taking a bite of her salad.