To Infiniti & Beyond

Chapter Twenty-Two

It's been a couple of days since the craziness of Jaxon's car breaking down. The Quad decided to do movie night at Jaxon's to end the week on a good note.

The four of us are packed into Grayson's car on our way to the store to grab snacks and drinks. Grayson typically doesn't listen to music when he drives - he prefers listening to his exhaust - but he knows how much the silence kills me, so he lets me DJ.

We all take turns suggesting songs and I que them up. Before we know it, we're pulling into the Walmart parking lot.

Jaxon and Grayson walk slightly ahead of Brynn and I. As we walk through the doors, they look back at us for further instruction.

"Don't get a cart, we don't want to over purchase." I suggest.

We're nearing the chip aisle. Jackson and Grayson disappear around the corner - for whatever reason, Brynn and I can't contain ourselves. We burst out laughing.

We stumble into each other, grabbing hold and practically gasping for air as we join the boys in the aisle. They don't even question us, they just smile at our antics.

After Brynn and I regain composure, Grayson drags me further down the aisle. He makes me pick something for us to share.

Post a successful shopping trip, the music plays softly in the background of Grayson's car on our way back to Jaxon's place. We're all in awe at how beautiful the sunset is turning out to be.

"Everything is practically golden." Jaxon comments from behind my seat.

Grayson turns to me, "including Kie." He raises his eyebrows in amusement.

His comment makes me blush.

Out of all of my friends, I'm the most pale. However, I have noticed that during golden hour, my skin tends to drink up the sun leaving me to glow golden as well as everything else the sun touches. I like how it makes my green eyes turn an indescribable color.

As we travel further down the road and the sunset gets more intense, painting the sky the most vibrant shades of pink and orange, I am the first to take out my phone to try and capture the moment.

Grayson notices me slightly struggling and pulls to the side of the road putting his hazards on. This simple gesture makes my heart melt.

The four of us all take pictures until we're satisfied with the outcome, then carry on with our night.

We arrive at Jaxon's and head upstairs to his room. The boys light a blunt and smoke while Brynn and I finish preparing the bed to fit the four of us.

Brynn and Jaxon lay at the foot of the bed. Grayson and I towards the top. He sits more upright so I have more room to lay down and curl around him.

After settling in, we press play on the pre-decided movie - Cars.

During the first half of the movie, the munchies start to hit Jaxon and Grayson. They're eating everything in sight. No snack is safe.

They settle back down for a short while before deciding to smoke again.

After smoking, Brynn and Jaxon return to the bottom of the bed. Grayson lets me take his spot and proceeds to pull Jaxon's gaming chair up next to me. He holds my ankle while rubbing his thumb back and forth between the exposed skin of my sweatpants and socks.

As the movie is coming to an end, Grayson's phone rings. As he presses the answer button I don't mean to look, but I do. I can't exactly remember what his ex's name was - but that name looked similar to what I remember hearing.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm with friends right now, can I call you back later."

When Grayson hangs up the phone, his hand never returns to my skin. I am now internally freaking out and texting Brynn. Neither of us know what to think.

The movie finishes, Grayson and I say our goodbyes and then walk out to his car.

On the way to my house so he can drop me off we make small talk for the shortest amount of time. I close my eyes while he drives the remaining ten minutes. I want to ask who called, but it's not my place.

For once, the car ride seems to drag on forever.

He pulls behind my Infiniti and parks.

"Thanks for driving." I acknowledge.

"Of course."

We sit and stare at each other for a minute. I want to kiss him but decide against it. He doesn't even reach over to hug me. "Have a good night," I say as I exit his car. "Text me when you're home," I note before closing his door.

He just nods.