I went over to Grey's house weekly; we spent a lot of time with his father. Of course, he wasn't there every time I was over, but it was enough to get to know him more. Sometimes he'd watch movies with us; other times, he'd play silly video games like Gang Beasts or Human Fall Flat, and every time we were with him, it was a blast.
"Grey, did you just throw me, your flesh and blood, into the grinder?" he asked.
Grey chuckled. "Yeah, pops, and I'll do it again."
"He threw me into pink goo," I signed as Grey threw his avatar's hands up in victory. "He spares no one for his wins."
"I see that," his father said. "Wanna team up to take him out?"
"Yes!" I signed. "We gotta humble him a bit."
"Oh, you guys are so on," Grey said excitedly.
We were only to get Grey down once or twice over the dozens of games we played with him.
Grey and his father made me feel at home. And since we liked each other and our parents liked our relationship, my mom and Jared came over to meet Grey's dad. We all had dinner together that Grey made for us. My mom, Jared, and Grey's dad hit it off very well. Grey's dad was a taciturn guy but lovable at the same time—I think I was biased since he could sign, and he often signed with me.
Watching Grey and his father interact was fun as well. I got to see a side of Grey that he only tended to show in the dream world, not the real world. They always made me laugh when they were together.
"Dad, Hazel, Ready for Linner?" Grey called from the kitchen.
"Did he just say, Linner?" Grey's dad asked.
I laughed and signed, "I believe he did."
We walked to the dining room where Grey had prepared a traditional rice, beans, and chicken meal.
"Thank you, babe," I signed and kissed him on the cheek.
"Yeah, thanks, son," his dad said and made a fake kissing face.
"Get away from me," Grey joked.
We sat around the food and served ourselves. Grey's cooking was always super good. He heard it from me countless times. His dad praised him for it as well.
"So, how was your guys' day at school?" Grey's dad asked through a mouthful of food.
"It was good," Grey said. "Typical day at school as always."
"Good to hear," he said. "How about you, Hazel?"
"It was great. I finally finished this ceramics project I was working on."
"What was it?" he signed.
"Nothing special. I made a sculpture of my dog, Timmy."
"Can you take it home?"
"Yeah, after Senior Arts Night at the end of the year."
"Perfect, then. I'll be there to see it."
"Her ceramics is spot on," Grey signed. "She does such a good job."
I kicked his leg shyly.
"Don't be humble, Hazel; we're all family here," Grey's dad said. "You're allowed to admit you're awesome without judgment."
"I'm okay," I signed, slightly smiling, looking down at my hands.
"All right, we'll cut you some slack. We're going to burn her ears off her body if we don't." I laughed and shook my head. "Hazel, if you don't mind me asking, we're you born non-verbal?"
YOU ARE READING
Little Sweet Dreamer
Teen Fiction"Oh," he said, as my back hit the wooden wall. Damn it, of course. With nowhere to go, his arms locked me in between him and the wall. He stared down at me as he said, "So you're trying to piss me off?" His lips were surprisingly close to mine. No g...
