Escaping Lights - A Greyson Chance Fan Fiction

Chapter 37: All a Matter of Coincidence

The silence that came afterwards was record-breaking. I was becoming painstakingly stiff on my seat, observing him drink from his mug, looking anywhere but at me. Our conversation had gone dead, and I was absolutely at a loss for words to ignite another subject after his last unexpected comeback.

     I followed suit—ignored him and pursed my lips. I wanted to vanish on the spot, wishing that I hadn't ran onto him today, or better yet, ever. It was now the perfect time to assume that we were both so awkward that other people who had the chance to get a glimpse of our table could say we didn't know each other at all—just two individuals compelled to share one table because there were no available seats anywhere else.

     I could bear it no longer so I leaned on the table and said, "I think I should be heading back now. I don't want to get caught in the rain."

     Greyson finally looked at me again. "Oh. Well, okay." His face expressed a slight confusion as he hesitantly stood up from his seat. "I'll walk you back to your car."

     "There's really no need for that. I can do it on my own," I countered.

     "Please let me, Phoebe. It's the least I could do." There was a hint of pleading in his now too-deep voice that I couldn't seem to refuse. So for the second time in a day, I gave in to him.

     Outside, the breeze was cold against my cheek—it helped numb my thoughts of him. We didn't say a single thing until we reached the parking lot of the supermarket. I unlocked the doors to the car but before I could step in, I faced him.

    "By the way, where are you staying for spring break?" I asked out of honest-to-goodness curiosity. He was surprised at the sudden question that his eyebrows shot up in reflex. "Is that an indirect invite to the anticipated sleepover party you're going to have with my cousin?"

     I almost snorted. "What? No."

     He let another batch of laughter escape his lips. "I'm kidding." I felt relieved because I had not thought it hilarious. "I'm not going back to Oklahoma so it looks like I'm spending spring break on campus," he informed.

     "Well, you're welcome to see Maddie at the airport tomorrow. I know she will very much want to see you as well." I shrugged indifferently. He placed both his hands on the pockets of his jacket. "The joke's backfired on her. She didn't tell me she was going so I bet her dumbfounded face will be a pretty sight to see."

     After saying those words, droplets of rain started to trickle down my shoulders and I was forced to slide in the driver's seat before I could even think that Greyson was also drenched. "Hey, get in the car!" I adamantly cried out to him. He covered his head with his palms and said back, "I'm okay, I'll run to the nearest bus stop."

     I couldn't decipher why he was being stubborn at the moment seeing as his hair drooped around his ears due to the downpour already building up and spraying water all over everything. "You'll have rain in your shoes by the time you'll make it. I'll drive you. Get in, now."

     He quickly maneuvered his way around the car towards the front seat and slumped in next to me, slamming the door after him. "Oh shit, a girl's driving me to the bus stop," he mumbled in a snide tone. I rolled my eyes—something I hadn't done to him in a long time. I was unaware I still possessed the guts to do so, until now. More importantly, we were both safe from the cold yet not quite dry. I reached for the box of tissues sitting on the dashboard and offered it to him. "I don't have any towels in here so this'll probably do in the meantime."

     He pulled some out and pathetically dabbed on his arms and the areas around his head with them. Meanwhile, I started the engine and backed out of the parking space without much difficulty. By the time the car was running on the main road, Greyson was already asking me certain stuff about college. "What are you taking up?"