The Sin of Falling (ONC 2024) (BxB)

Nine (Fedya)

‘Good morning’, is the text from Grant I wake up to; it’s followed by a heart emoji.

     I stare at the message for a little bit as my breath catches in my throat for a short moment. My heart flutters. I look away from my phone, forcing myself to release the air my throat trapped.

     I relax.

     My fingers tremble a little bit before I respond. ‘Good morning… How'd you sleep?’ In hindsight, my message sounds a bit dumb—-or, at least that's what my brain’s trying to convince me of.

        ‘Great… Honestly… Possibly even the best I've slept lately.’

      I can feel myself blush when I read that message from Grant. ‘Oh, really? Was the date that good?’, I reply back.

       ‘Yeah… I haven't had this much fun on a date since Genevieve’, he replies.

     I raise an eyebrow before I send my next message. ‘Genevieve? Collin’s mom, right?’

     It takes Grant a moment to respond. ‘Yes… His mother…’

      Another moment passes before Grant sends, ‘Sorry if it's weird I'm still thinking about her.’

      I feel bad when I read his response. He shouldn't feel like he needs to stop thinking about her—-we’ve only been on one date. It's not like we're married or something.

       ‘No, no. It's fine,’ I try to reassure him. ‘I still think about Stasya’s other father, Anatoliy, every now and then. I get it. It's hard to fully move on sometimes. I don't blame you.’

      There's nothing for a few minutes. And then, ‘Oh, uh… thanks…’

       I don't text back quite yet when I see the three bubbles appear on my screen. I let Grant say what he wants to.

     ‘Hey, um, Fedya? You think you'd like to come with me to a coffee shop tomorrow morning? I can text you the location if you want.’

     I grin at Grant’s message, feeling my face heat up. ‘Sure. I'd love that.’

─┉─¡! • !¡─┉─

    “It's good to see you,” Grant mumbles to me, softly when he sees me enter the coffee shop.

     Gods, he's falling fast for me, my mind notes as I observe his demeanor and tone—-it’s almost lovesick.

      I exhale as Grant continues to look upon me, gently. He's so damn cute… I think to myself.

       I clear my throat and blink a few times once I realize I'm staring at him. “Uh, Grant? Can I ask you something?”

     Grant nods as we head towards one of the lines to order. “Sure. Go ahead.”

     “Why a coffee shop?” My voice starts to sound with my question. I raise an eyebrow slightly. “Don't you think that's a tad bit… cliché?”

    Grant laughs a little to himself. “I guess it is, isn't it?” He goes quiet for a little bit. “I have my reasons.”

     “You do?” I begin to ask him. “And what might those be?”

       Grant looks down to his feet, watching as his shoes inch ever so slightly forward in the line we wait in. He seems to need a moment to compose his thoughts; whatever his reason is, there's a lot tied to it—-that much I can tell.