Rosalie
“I have class.” I almost gasp when his hand wraps around mine and pulls me away.
“C’mon,” he says, slowing down his steps so I can catch up with him. “You’ve skipped class before. That’s nothing new to you.”
I have skipped class before, but how does he know that? “How do you… oh my god. You remember that?” The party. It was the only thing I drank to that night.
He turns his head to the side, stopping abruptly and staring right at me. “I remember everything about you, angel.”
My heart hammers against my chest so loudly I think he might be able to hear it, especially when he smirks and then lets go of my hand. He opens the car door and climbs inside. I walk around to the passenger side and open the door, getting in the car with him.
Fashion technology can wait because nothing in the world could stop me from getting into this car with him. He starts the car and speeds up, pulling out of campus and onto the road.
“Where are we going?” I ask him.
“I don’t know.”
“So, we’re just driving?”
He shrugs, running a hand through his hair. “Where do you want to go?” he asks.
I don’t care. I don’t know where we’re going or what we’re doing, but I don’t care as long as I’m here with him. I just want to be here with Grayson, wherever that is.
“I want to live like Grayson Carter,” I tell him.
He lets out an exasperated breath, shaking his head. “I don’t want to be Grayson Carter right now.”
My brows furrow, and I frown. “Why not?”
He shifts the gear, and my eyes drift down to stare at his hand around the stick. Why does Grayson make driving a stick look so hot? “Just be with me, Rosie,” he says, his eyes looking out at the road. “Forget about who you think I am or who you’re trying to escape being. Just be with me. Right now. Right here.”
Something’s up with him. He wants an escape from his daily life, and I understand that better than anyone. “Okay.”
His head snaps towards mine. “Yeah?”
I nod. He turns back to the road, turning on the radio, making the music fill the car, fill the silence between us and make us forget about everything for a moment.
After a while of driving, the car slows down until Grayson pulls it to a stop. I jerk my head up, trying to figure out where we are.
“C’mon,” he says.
I get out of the car and make my way towards him. I look ahead, seeing a row of cars lined up inside this building.
To my right, there are about three or four men standing by, most of them in tank tops. They whistle as I make my way to the door, and I snap my head away from them and look at Grayson instead.
He interlocks his fingers with mine, squeezing to give me some reassurance. He scowls at the men standing in front of the garage. “Show some respect,” he spits out. “She’s with me.”
Those words make my eyes light up as I look at him. He glances down at me and squeezes my hand in his, tugging me away and into the garage. The sound of scraping and rattling of metal surrounds me as Grayson and I walk into the garage. What are we doing here?
“Is Mattie here?” Grayson asks the guy working on a car in the garage. The hood is popped open, and his forehead and tank top are covered in grime. He gestures with his head over to the right, and Grayson thanks him.
His fingers are still clasping mine, even though we’re long gone from the men outside, and I don’t mind it. I like it. I try to remember that this doesn’t mean anything. He’s told me this so many times before.
We approach the door that the man gestured to, and Grayson knocks on it. “Hey, Mattie. It’s Grayson,” he says.
“Come in.” A deep voice says on the other side of the door.
Grayson faces me and pulls his hand away from mine. I frown, feeling the loss of his touch. “I’ll be right back. Stay here,” he tells me.
I nod, and he disappears into the office.
Why did Grayson bring me here? I look behind me, seeing the man Grayson was talking to before staring back at me with a face covered in dirt. He smirks at me, and the sight makes me feel uneasy. I turn around and keep my eyes on the door in front of me.
The door opens quickly after, and Grayson comes out, locking eyes with me. “Come on,” Grayson says, tugging on my hand and walking towards the back of the garage.
I follow him out of the garage from the back exit. He lets go of my hand and climbs onto a motorcycle, fitting a helmet on his head.
“Uh…” Does he want me to get on that?
He smirks, holding out a helmet to me. “Have you ever been on a motorcycle, angel?” he asks.
I shake my head, taking a step back. “I’m not getting on that,” I tell him, looking down at my outfit. “I’m wearing a dress.”
He smirks and takes that as his opportunity to look down my body. I feel the heat of his stare everywhere his eyes roam. “I know,” he says. “And you look gorgeous.”
I blush at the compliment but make no move to get onto the motorcycle.
He sighs. “Come on, Rosie,” he says. “Get on.”
I bite my lip, staring at Grayson on the motorcycle. What if we get in an accident or are arrested? Is the motorcycle even his, or are we stealing it? Oh my god. We. I’m an accomplice in this if he is stealing it. I can’t. I’m scared.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he says. “Just hold on tight.”
I sigh and say fuck it. I wanted fun, might as well have fun if I’m going to die. I take the helmet from him and place it on my head. He turns around, making sure it’s secure. He turns, facing the road as he grips the handles.
“You’ll be safe, Rosie. I promise,” he says. “Hold on.” I put my arms around his waist, interlocking my fingers together and clutching tight onto him. I squeeze him and let my head fall onto his shoulders.
He starts the bike and speeds off. I gasp when he accelerates, and his deep laugh vibrates through my chest. I snap my eyes closed, gripping tight onto him. It feels so much more dangerous than it did in the car, but I love how I’m experiencing another first with Grayson.
The ground shakes beneath us, and I feel everything. It’s like all of my senses are magnified. Maybe that’s because my eyes are shut closed, or maybe it’s because we’re traveling so fast, so recklessly, that I taste, hear and smell everything. I take the plunge and open my eyes, gasping when I see the whole world zooming past us.
“Go faster,” I whisper in his ear, clutching tighter onto him.
I feel his laughter deep in the pit of my stomach. “You don’t even have to ask, angel,” he says before pressing his foot down. Cars on our right, in front, and behind are vast memories by the time we overtake them. It’s an indescribable feeling and like nothing I’ve ever seen or felt before.
My heart is in the back of my throat. I smell the trees and feel the air rushing past us. I can hear the white noise of the wind and the sound of the engine roaring as Grayson speeds up.
All of my emotions are doubled, tripled even. I’m alive. At this moment, I feel more alive than I ever have before. I feel it deep in my bones, and Grayson gave that to me.
I clutch tighter onto him as we speed past the road, letting my eyes explore everything around me. We move so fast against the whole world, making our way into a forest filled with trees, dirt, and grass all around.
When he slows down, I focus on the view in front of us. He climbs off the motorcycle and takes my hand. I clutch my palm in his, and he helps me off the motorcycle. The minute I do, I feel the ground sway beneath my feet. My eyes snap closed, and I grab onto Grayson, gripping his shoulders and waiting for everything to stop spinning.
He clutches my arms, holding me upright. “Whoa. You okay there, Rosie?”
I nod, opening my eyes and looking up at him. His brows are scrunched, and his eyes are dark and full of concern. “Just a little dizzy,” I tell him, smiling up at him.
He smirks. “Yeah,” he says, nodding. “Happens sometimes when you’ve been riding so fast and then stop suddenly.” He takes off my helmet and straps both of them to the bike. “C’mon,” he says, taking my hand in his and guiding us away.
We walk deeper into the forest, getting closer to the water. He sits us down on an old wooden bench that faces out onto a lake. His body turns towards mine and brushes the hair out of my face. “You feeling better?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He smirks, tucking my hair behind my ear, and then his eyes meet mine. He doesn’t look away, and neither do I. We continue to stare at each other for a while. But then, he clears his throat and turns back around to face the lake, away from me.
I sigh. “Why didn’t you just bring your car?” I ask him. Why did he feel the need to bring the motorcycle instead?
He doesn’t turn his head. His eyes stay focused on the water shining underneath the sun, but I can see his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “You didn’t like it?” he asks.
I don’t even have to think about that for a second. “I loved it.”
This time he does turn his head. He’s got a slight smirk on his lips. “Yeah?”
I love when he says that. Almost as if he needs the confirmation. “Hell yeah,” I assure him, smiling up at him.
He laughs, shaking his head. “You always seem to surprise me, angel.”
I feel my cheeks fill with heat, and I avert my gaze from him. “So, is that like your thing?”
“My thing?” he asks.
“Yeah. Motorcycles, cars… fast, reckless driving, I guess.”
He laughs, then shrugs. “Yeah,” he sighs. “I love feeling the adrenaline of it. There’s nothing else like it.”
There really isn’t. I didn’t know it would be this much fun to endanger my life like that, even though I knew I was safe with Grayson. I was alive, feeling every emotion possible from the tip of my toes to the top of my head. I felt it everywhere.
“It’s addictive,” he says. “The feeling you get. It’s hedonistic and exhilarating.” His head is turned towards me, but his eyes look past me like he’s lost in thought. “I’m always hyper-aware of everything. I’m never relaxed. But the fear makes me feel alive; it makes me feel everything. And I wanted to show you that.”
I swallow hard. I felt the exact same way. It was the most thrilling feeling.
“Thank you,” I say.
He snaps out of thought, and he focuses on me. “For what?”
“For showing me what it feels like to be alive.”
His eyes burn into mine, so dark and intense. I can’t look away. He shakes his head. “What do you really want?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you, Rosie, want? What do you get out of this?” he asks.
I shrug. “I told you. Everything on the list.”
He groans, sliding a hand through his hair. “Don’t give me that list bullshit. I want to know what you want, Rosie. Everything that you’ve ever wanted to do. I want to know.”
I open my mouth to speak but then snap it closed again. I’m not sure if I even know what I want exactly. I want to know everything, experience everything, see everything, and live like everyone else.
I shrug. “I want to be a normal teenager, Grayson. I want to do everything people our age do. Smoking, parties, hook-ups, drugs, everything.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t help you with drugs, Rosie,” he says.
I furrow my brows. “But you’re a drug dealer, right? I can pay for it. I just want to try some. I want to feel out of control for a bit.” I smirk at him. “Part of my college experience.”
His jaw clenches. “I thought you didn’t believe that crap.”
“But I saw you. Today.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t help you with drugs. I’m not giving you drugs. Don’t ask me to.”
He looks down, his face pained, so I don’t push him on it. “Okay,” I say, “but I still want the other things.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t live for other people. Live for yourself,” he says. “Those are things that you think you have to do, what other people want, Rosie. What do you want?”
I sigh, letting my head tilt back. “I don’t know,” I admit.
His thumb brushes my cheek, and I let my eyes flutter closed at the feel of him. “You do know, Rosie. C’mon.”
I turn to look at him, staring into his eyes. “I want to go on a date,” I tell him. “I want to go skinny dipping. I want a kiss in the rain, like in the movies, you know?” I swallow and turn my head away from him. “I want to have my first kiss.”
His thumb drops lower until he cups my chin. He gently tugs my chin and lifts my head until my eyes make contact with his. “You’ve never been kissed?” he asks, his eyes dropping down to my mouth.
I shake my head, my eyes roaming all over his face, but his gaze remains on my lips. His thumb reaches up and brushes my lower lip. I part my lips for him with a silent gasp. I feel the callouses in his fingers, and they feel so rough against the soft skin of my mouth.
“How is that possible?” he asks; his eyes finally travel up until he meets my eyes. His hands drop from my face, and I let out a breath. I don’t know if it’s a breath of relief or one that I have been holding in ever since he placed his hands on me.
“I was never allowed out,” I tell him. “My mother was… overprotective doesn’t even begin to cover it. She was overbearing. I was homeschooled all of my life.”
Grayson leans back into the bench, facing the lake as I speak. “I begged her to go to public school for as long as I can remember. I needed something. I hated staying in that house day after day, surrounded by the same people. And in my sophomore year, she allowed me to.”
I sighed. “I was shy and a little scared when I first started school, so I didn’t really make a memorable impression on a lot of people. Leila became my best friend, and I’m so grateful that I had someone like her. But to answer your question, I’ve never had an opportunity where I would even be alone with a boy. My first crush was a guy named Tommy.” I tell him. “He was in my math class, and he did try to talk to me, but I didn’t know what to say, I guess. I was a mess. I couldn’t even speak to him.”
I turn my body to face him and notice that his eyes are already on me. “So, that’s why I’m asking you for this. I don’t know why I asked you, really.” I admit. “I just thought you’d be the perfect person to help me in any way you could.”
I shake my head. “And I know you said we wouldn’t ever get involved that way, but,” I shrug, “Ben seemed interested. Or maybe if I find someone else —”
“I’ll do it.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“I’ll do it,” he says. “I’ll help you. With everything.”
Is he saying what I think he is? “You mean…?”
“Yes.”
I inhale deeply. “But, what about what you said?”
“That still stands,” he says. “We’re not dating, and you can’t catch feelings. But if you still want to—”
“I want to,” I interrupt before he can back out of this.
“Then I’ll do it.” He leans in closer. “I’ll teach you everything; I’ll show you everything. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”
I hold my breath, unable to form words. “Really?”
His fingers brush my cheek, making me gasp. He cups my face with one hand and leans in until he’s right in front of me. “Yes, angel,” he whispers. “I’ll do it.”
