Left Unexplained

Chapter 13~

"Tonight, eight o'clock, at the Chinese restaurant next to the school."

What?! My eyes widened with shock.

Did he just...

"No way in hell!" I blurted out before I could think.

He caught my hand that was on it's way to his face and pinned it against the wall.

"I'm not asking you out," he fake laughed.

He became serious just as suddenly as he laughed. "That night, you thought I stood you up, didn't you?"

Was he really entering that territory? The one we avoided since our 'reunion'?

"Thought?" I spat. This guy was really pissing me off. "There is no other explanation for not showing up."

"And you never thought to excuse me for having an emergency?" he growled.

"Oh? What might that be? You realised you asked out a girl who's infatuated with you and you decided that your ego might break for entertaining her love?" I made sure to let my voice drip with venom.

"Fucking hell, Grace. Where do you get these stupid assumptions from?"

"The truth isn't an assumption."

"Anything you think without knowing the truth is an assumption."

"Oh don't go all Shakespeare on me," I rolled my eyes.

He exhaled loudly. "Just listen Grace, I was a prick to you the past few weeks, and I shouldn't have assumed your reason for packing your bags three years ago was for your own selfishness, but 'cause of all that, we are in this shitty situation right now."

"You know what went down between me and Hanna?"

He nodded. "She told me your side of the story in lunch." That explained his weird behaviour earlier.

"And you're gonna admit you were an ass?"

He nodded again.

Even though I was pissed at him for trying to squirm his way out of the fact that he stood me up, I couldn't help but admire his willingness to put away his pride.

"But I ain't apologising for anything until you listen to what I have to say."

I blew out a breath, but stayed silent.

Getting the message that I wasn't going to fight back, he loosened his grip on the wrist he was pinning, but he didn't open the cage he created for me with his body and arms.

"I had no choice. It was either the date, or my grandma," he began slowly. I lifted an eyebrow, but silently told him to continue.

"A few hours before the date I got a call. I was this close to not receiving it, but I did. My grandpa was panicked, but I couldn't care less. When he told me grandma was in the hospital, our date became the last thing on my mind."

He bent his head, his hair brushing against my shoulder.

Guilt was filling up inside me slowly. 'I jumped to conclusions, and I blamed him.'

I gently put a hand on his shoulder. "What happened after that?"

"When he told me it was because of a heart attack and that he was sending a chopper to get me, I had made my mind to see my grandma at any cost. It was only after the chopper landed that I was told she was fine."

His hands balled into fists on both my sides and he gritted his teeth."Actually, better than fine. Nothing had happened to her. The bastard lied to me! He fucking lied about her being sick to get his grubby hands on me!"