Grace; misanthrope // Jai Brooks

Chapter 16

"You alright, Grace?" Jai asked.

I took a deep breath, "I'm fine,"

Jai and Luke looked at me sympathetically.

"You want some water to sober up?" Jai asked.

"No, no. I'm fine. I think after that I could use a shot," I chuckled.

He smiled, "Alright."

One shot of vodka turned into about 4 shots of vodka. I was feeling drunk and tired. I sat nearby with Daniel and Beau as the twins played beer pong. Jai puffed on a cigarette, laughing every time Luke lost. Eventually Jai lost and it was Beau's turn to play. Jai took Beau's seat, sitting beside me.

"Your house is really lovely," I said, sipping a drink.

"Can I show you around?"

"Yes," I drunkenly but softly exclaimed.

The living room was decorated with fairy lights and family photos of the Brooks. I followed Jai through the crowded living room, up the stairs. The stairs led to the bedrooms and a bathroom. He pushed open a door that was clearly a bedroom.

"This one's mine," he said.

Red LED lights hung along the perimeter of the room, which gave the whole room a red glow. His walls were decorated with art and band posters. His room was mostly clean but also clearly belonged to a teenage boy. A hoodie or two was strewn about the floor, and his book bag was tossed onto his desk chair. I took a seat on the floor and Jai followed, plopping himself down in front of me. He leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him.

My heart was beating fast, I was tense. Jai's room smelled like him, so at least this seemed to calm me. I finished my drink, setting the empty cup to the side.

"I didn't know you were friends with Max," Jai said curiously.

"More like acquaintances," I shrugged, hugging my knees. "You have good taste in music," I changed the subject, looking around the room.

My eyes landed on a small stack of vinyls and a record player beside it.

"You have a record player!" I exclaimed. "Can I look through your albums?"

He chuckled, "Go for it,"

I sprung up dizzily from the floor and went to the cube shaped shelf where his records sat. There were a lot of grunge and alternative bands in his collection — Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins. I turned around and held up Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream" album, and made a puppy dog face.

"Play it," he insisted, contently watching me.

I put the record onto the player, setting the needle to one of my favorite songs, "Mayonaise."  Then I returned to the floor, lying down on my back. My head was spinning and I felt like I was falling. Jai lay down with his head beside mine, but his body in the opposite direction. We stared up at the ceiling. It was quiet for a while as Smashing Pumpkins played softly in the background.

"What are you thinking?" He asked me.

"Nothing in particular," I said. "My head is spinning,"

"Can I get you some water? Or aspirin?" He said, about to get up.

But I caught his arm and pulled him back to the floor, "No. Stay, please." I muttered.

He looked at me hesitantly but returned to the floor.

"Funny you ask what I'm thinking. I always wonder what you think, but I can never tell," I trailed off.

I could feel his eyes on me, then he went back to staring at the ceiling in deep thought.

"I think... about how bad I feel for the way I treated you. And... how I barely know anything about you, but I like being around you. And how beautiful you are... I love when you wear your hair down,"

Then I felt his eyes burning on me again. I was still really drunk but that last part was a little sobering. I bit my cheek, heart pounding, sort of nervous to look at him. But I did turn to look at him, trying to read his face. Jai looked as calm as always. He brought a hand to my cheek and brushed my hair away from my face.

"The kiss, it wasn't an accident," It came out like a question even though I already knew the answer.

His lips were pursed as he shook his head, gently.

"Do you reckon you might want to try it again?" I mumbled, almost inaudibly.

He gave me a little side smirk, and I saw that spark in his eyes. He lowered his eyes, propping himself up on his elbow. His eyes went from mine, to my lips, and back to my eyes again. He leaned toward me and I closed the gap between us, our lips meeting. I slung an arm around him, pulling him close.

When we pulled away, I kept my eyes down, kind of nervous to look at him. My heart was beating out of my chest. He gently caressed my cheek with his hand, then pecked my cheek before returning to the floor, this time laying beside me. We gazed at the ceiling as if it were a night sky.