iridescent ↠ grayson dolan ✓

↠ f i v e

{ c h a p t e r f i v e }
lauren's pov ;

The world outside was magical.

It was raining still- fresh, spring rain that made the earth seem enchanted. There she stood, a mere step outside the revolving doors, taking in the sheer beauty of it all. She was still undercover, but she longed to step into the rain. Her skin felt strange, being exposed to so much air at once. She eyed it for a second, as though she expected herself to suddenly have a violent reaction.

She didn't.

Her skin stayed as normal as ever, with the exception of a few goosebumps which propped up over her skin- it was duly expected. No reaction. No death. Lauren laughed to herself.

It was an extraordinary feeling. She was cured. Her medication worked; the doctors were right. She could finally live the life that she wanted without her sickness getting in the way.

Physically standing outside was nothing like she could have ever imagined. It was brighter than she expected. Not blindingly bright but a warm, pleasant light that she thought she never felt while looking through a window. The colors seemed more vibrant than she remembered, the air more crisp and clean than it ever had been before.

The world was iridescent.

Grayson was looking at her, smiling softly at her childish wonder. All signs of fear from his eyes were vanished. He looked, for the first time in forever, genuinely happy. Lauren broke into the biggest grin.

On the side of the building was an umbrella that someone had misplaced. Grayson looked around to see if the owner had simply just put it down, but finding no one in sight, he picked it up.

"Oh, we don't need that." She laughed. He gave her a look of confusion but she simply beamed at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the rain.

When the first raindrop touched her skin, it was as though everything in the world came to a complete stand still. The people giving her strange looks seemed to fade out into a blur. Cars on the road a few feet away were almost completely gone. It was just her and Grayson, alone in this completely different universe.

Almost instantly the two were soaked, not only with water but with another feeling that both of them hadn't felt in a long time.

Content.

She didn't care how wet she was, and it didn't even cross her mind that she should move away from the building in case anyone saw her. She simply ran around in the rain, kicking off her shoes with her arms outstretched. Grayson chuckled to himself. He had never seen his best friend so happy. She slipped a little, almost loosing her balance completely when he caught her. They laughed until their stomachs ached, still holding each other in their arms. She put her arms around his neck and he wrapped his hands around her waist.

Those who said sunshine brings happiness had surely never danced in the rain.

"Thank you. For doing this with me." She whispered.

Grayson opened his mouth to say something, but his apparent happiness quickly drained from his face and turned into a look of panic. He unhooked his arms from her waist and pointed at a familiar head of hair.

Her mom.

Lauren's heartbeat accelerated. She couldn't get caught now, of all times. Just when her life became worth living. If her mother set eyes on her, she would not only be dragged home, she'd probably be forbidden to see Grayson ever again. She could never live without him.

"What do we do?" He asked quickly, his eyes filled with dread. "Should we run?"

"No, she'll notice." Lauren said frantically, as she noticed how close her mother really was. She would probably reach the two in less than a few seconds. She wracked her brain to think of something. There were too little people in the street for them to just run without being noticed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it was her and Grayson running away, especially so close to the building.

Suddenly, a crazy thought ran through her head.

"Grayson." She said, biting her lip. "Just- just trust me, okay?"

And just as her mom was less than a few feet away from them, Lauren caressed Grayson's jaw, and stepped closer to him. He tensed up a little due to the unexpected contact. Her eyes flickered down to his lips, then back to his eyes, before pressing her lips gently onto his. He didn't kiss back at first because he was so astonished, but quickly melted into the kiss. He smiled against her lips. It was a gentle and sweet kiss and lasted much too quickly for Lauren's liking.

Mrs McAdams walked past in a hurry, trying to shield her head from the pouring rain. In her way to the building she averted her eyes at a nearby kissing couple, not giving it a second thought at all. Little did she know it was her own daughter.

Once her mother was a safe distance away, the two broke apart. They laughed a little, partially because they were a little giddy from the kiss and because they didn't know what to say. Lauren noticed how much prettier Grayson's eyes were up close. His hazel eyes had flecks of green in them, like stardust. A smile crept onto Grayson's face.

"She didn't notice." Lauren said finally.

Grayson shot her that same boyish, lopsided smile that still made her heart skip a beat. "I guess she didn't."

* * *

why did this chapter end on such a weird note lmao i'm sorry

dedicated to Fijmindolan aka the best goldfish in the entire world - we may or may not be getting married idk if it's legal

alsO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TWO HUNDRED READS. IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT BUT THIS BOOK HAS BEEN UP FOR PROBABLY LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AND TWO HUNDRED READS IS INSANE.

new update soon - thanks for reading <3