unsaid | g.b.d

Chapter 3

"Seriously? Since when do you go on jogs?" Alaina questions.

"Come on, we've been through this. I watched some really inspiring exercise videos and I'm starting now," I explain for what seems like the hundredth time.

"Whatever. Still don't get why you don't just use one of the treadmills in the apartment gym, but you do you."

"I'll see you later Alaina."

"See ya, mysterious Millie."

"Oh my gosh you're such a loser."

Her jaw drops and she tosses a pillow at me. I quickly dodge it and run out the door before she has the chance to throw another.

As I walk down the hall toward the elevator, I replay my conversation with her in my head, trying to make sure she believed that I was going for a jog. She can't know where I'm really going.

She would try to stop me.

I make it down to the lobby and grip the strap on my bag tight as I look outside. Rain. I take a breath before stepping outside. Walking towards the bus shelter, I skip over puddles and glance at my reflection each time. It seems as though perhaps the universe may just like me, as the rain got heavier right when I boarded the bus.

As soon as the bus stops, I get off. I don't have a destination. I just need to get far.

I'm greeted by the sound of honking, dogs barking and people arguing.

Downtown.

I walk quickly under the shelter of a building, getting away from the rain. I look around, making sure no one is watching me. Everyone seems to be busy with their own lives. Why would anyone be looking at me anyway. I reach for my bag, but before I could do anything further,

"Hey!" I immediately look up, my heart dropping.

Why are you getting so scared? You're not committing a crime and no one even knows what you're doing.

"Oh, hi!" As my luck would have it, out of all the people in this damn city, the tampon guy had to come approach me.

This isn't real. Why am I cursed. He's literally the last person I want to be seeing, especially right now.

His eyes look just the way they did in my dream. I remembered him well in that one. I got all his features right, even when I was sleeping.

"You look really familiar... have we met before?"

He doesn't remember me from the grocery store two days ago. Wow.

Why are you mad though, he caught you buying tampons.

"Yeah, I think we bumped into each other at the store or something," I laugh. What a liar. I remember every detail.

He furrows his eyebrows as he stares at me intensely. "Um, I don't think so."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Then how do you suppose we know each other?"

"Ah!" He claps his hands together, as I become startled. I guess he just realized how we met. Which really doesn't make any sense, because I just told him.

"You're Dana, right? You're the girl that was dancing on the table yesterday at that club!"

Wait, what?

"Yeah, yeah! You had some pretty smooth ass moves - pun intended." He winks.

"Um, excuse me? You're mistaken, I've never even been to a club before, nor is my name Dana." He suddenly became incredibly unattractive to me.

"Oh shit, sorry."

I stare at him for a few seconds before turning away, not saying anything.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I hope you don't think I'm some perve who just goes to clubs and watches girls dancing or anything."

"I really don't care, it's fine. I'm not even surprised." All guys are like this. I want him to leave now.

"No, I don't want you to think I'm an asshole."
He hesitates. "Okay I know you probably don't want to talk to me anymore, but just know I'm not like that. I have the utmost respect for girls."

I look up at him. Is he seriously bullshitting me right now?

"It's fine." I just want him to leave. Does he really think I'll believe he's a complete gentleman after his comment?

He nods his head and stands next to me in an uncomfortable silence for a couple of seconds.

"Oh my god! You're right!" he exclaims.

"What?"

"We did meet at the grocery store! You dropped a bunch of pads and almost fell on me!"

My cheeks turn red as I look down. "Yeah, heh," I say. "And, actually those were tampons."

Literally what's wrong with me.

"Oh, my bad," he laughs. "Wait, so what're you doing on this side of town?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you do your shopping at that store, you must live far from here. So what're you doing all the way here?"

I swallow hard as I think up a response. I'm not going to tell him why I'm actually here. "Oh, I was just, uh, visiting a friend," I lie. "What about you?"

"You see that building, over there?" He steps closer to me and points to a building across the street.

"I see it."

"And, you see the roof on it?"

I go on my tip toes, yet still unable to see it. "Not much."

"Well that's my heaven. I never leave without adrenaline still simmering throughout my body."

"Your heaven?"

"Yup. I do everything up there, and enjoy being alone. Painting, listening to music, that kind of thing."

"Wow, that sounds pretty awesome. So tell me, what business does an artsy guy like you have at a club?"

"Oh, that..." he scratches the back of his neck. "My friends and my brother dragged me there. They don't know how an artist works," he laughs. I chuckle at his little joke.

"Ah. I see." My phone buzzes and I take it out of my pocket.

Alaina: girl where you at? there's gonna be a big ass storm soon.

Oh shit.

I see a bus approaching, and then turn back to Grayson. I see the bus stop from the corner of my eye, and walk towards it. "It was nice seeing you, Grayson." I smile at him as I get on the steps of the bus.

"Wait, I didn't get your name!"

The doors of the bus close before I get a chance to tell him, Lana.

I walk to a seat and see him through the window, and mouth a sorry. He shakes his head while chuckling.

I feel kind of annoyed that I didn't get to do what I came all the way here to do, all because he decided to start a conversation with me, and now there's gonna be a storm. I feel annoyed at him.

But somehow, I have to see him again.