meant to be // grayson dolan

twenty-one

“You've never used chopsticks?” I asked him chuckling.

“Nope.”

“You've never eaten sushi?”

“Actually, I did.”

“How?” I look at him confused, waiting for his explanation.

“A fork.”

“What? How the f-” I stop talking when my dad gives me the 'be careful' look. “Uhm, okay then. I have no idea why you would do that to a sushi, but I'll teach you now.” I sighed exasperated.

I grab my chopsticks and show him how to hold them. He then grabs his and follows my instructions.

“No, this- You know what, let me show you.”

I put my chopsticks down and grab his hand. I move his fingers on his chopsticks, putting them in the right place. Then, I show him how to grab things.

“Like this?” he asks me, and I look in his eyes. We lock eye contact, and I see him licking his bottom lip. I feel shivers down my spine and gulp.

“Uhm, yeah. Exactly.” I said, breaking the eye contact.

“Thank you for teaching me, Kayla.”

He kisses my cheek and I smile widely. I let go of his hand and get back on my seat.

“What do you plan on doing after high school, Grayson?” my dad asked.

“Well, I want to go to the Police Academy.”

“So you want to be a police officer?” my uncle insinuated.

“In the beginning, yes. But I want to be either a criminalist or a detective.” Grayson took a sip of his water, then smiled.

“Interesting. What about you, Kayla?” my uncle asked me and I looked at him.

“I wanna be a forensic scientist.”

“What made you decide this?”

“Well, it might sound stupid, but since I was little, I've been a huge fan of comic books. My favorite ones were The Flash. And, the protagonist, Barry Allen, was a forensic scientist. I always thought it was so interesting, and I wanted to do the same thing.” okay, that really sounds stupid.

“Wait, you like The Flash?” my cousin, Noah, asked me.

“Yeah.”

“Me too!” we high five and I laugh. “Wait, do you have the old comics?”

“A few of them. And some on my phone.”

“Oh my God, can I borrow them? Please!”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Kayla! You're the best!” the whole table chuckles, including us two.

°°°

“The dinner was amazing. I love your family more and more.” Grayson said after I closed the door to my bedroom.

“I know, right? I just wish I could spend more time with them, but they're from Arizona.”

I crash on the bed with my hands on my stomach. I look up at the ceiling, with my mind clear.

Grayson lays next to me. His left hand is underneath his head. I rest my head on his shoulder and smile.

My phone beeps shortly in my pocket. I take it out and see it's a text from Gabe.

Gabe 👨🏻‍🎓
Today 8:17 pm