My Other Thirds

Chapter Three (Keyan)

After math class, I decided to invite Bryson to eat lunch with me and Grayson. We usually never invite anyone to sit with us because it's our special spot, but I felt there was something different about Bryson. The second I laid eyes on him, I knew we were meant to be- and I'm not yet sure in what way. All I know is that I want to get to know him better, and I definitely have to introduce him to Grayson.

As I'm walking through the door talking to Bryson, my eyes instinctively find Grayson's, as they do every day. He seems a little off today, his brow furrowed as he sends me a questioning glance. When he sees Bryson walk in behind me, the expression on his face changes drastically from confusion to wonder. I watch, perplexed, as he stops chewing his food and his eyes widen. I see out of the corner of my eye how Bryson hesitates as his shoulders tense. His cheeks turn pink as he follows behind me, his gaze dropping to the ground. I walk over to Grayson, whose eyes are still trained on Bryson. I'm sure they don't know each other, because Grayson would have told me. "Grayson, this is Bryson. He sits next to me in math." I turn to Bryson, "Bryson, this is Grayson, my uh-" I look over at Grayson, my best friend, who is in reality so much more to me. He stares back at me, his steady gaze conveying hidden messages that I can't seem to comprehend. Why does it have to be so complicated? If only he felt the same way... "best friend," I finish. Grayson continues to hold eye contact with me, and in his eyes I can almost see- sadness?
*CRASH* The moment is gone, my attention by Bryson sprawled on the ground with his chair flipped, and his papers all over the place. I start laughing, I just can't help it. He looks so funny laying there on the ground. "Bro, how did you manage to just fall off your chair??" I laugh. Grayson is two steps ahead of me, already helping Bryson scramble up. "Bryson, are you ok?"Grayson asks, completely focused on him. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." Bryson answers quietly, seemingly unbothered by the whole situation. I glance over at Grayson, who seems to be deep in thought, zoned out on Bryson's face.