Love Song (LGBTQ+) (COMPLETED)

38. Discover

"You look good today." Grace muttered. "That ass in those jeans is unfair."

Lying in the grass, I let my eyes roll back and watch Grace bounce a soccer ball on her knee like some would see a player do, even though I had rarely ever seen her use one. She was the type of person who could pick literally anything up and be good at it instantly. That was something that never changed about her as she grew up, everything from schoolwork to sports to music had all come easy to her - a natural at absolutely everything.

"Stop lying." my eyes reflexively dropped to remind myself of what I put on.

If anything, what I was wearing was a little too simple for what I wanted to wear around her. All I had on was a pair of black jeans that might have been tight enough to cause blood circulation issues and a sleeveless, deep v-neck that was probably just a little too deep. It might have been a little provocative, but I wasn't wearing it for other people to see. I was wearing what I was wearing because I was with her, because I didn't want her to lose interest in me.

Even when she'd already told me so many times that she hadn't cared how I looked, I seemed bent on convincing myself otherwise. Grace was too good for me in every way, and I that knew that better than anyone ever could have. Somewhere, at some point, I had convinced myself that I needed to be my best in every sense of the word. The way I dressed, ate, and thought had all changed for her - all so I could the person she deserved.

I was a dog on a leash when it came to her, and I hadn't minded in the least. As long as it was her, she could have pulled me around the world and I would've been fine with that, too. At the end of the day, it was less about love and friendship, and more about just wanting to be around her. Maybe she would've stopped loving me someday, but that never would've changed the fact that I just wanted to be in her life.

But as long as I was the target of her feelings, I would have done all I could to be the person she deserved.

Sitting up, I pushed myself off of the grass and onto my feet as she continued bouncing the ball with her knee and foot. If she hadn't found music, she would have been just as successful as an athlete. She could've played soccer or basketball and been a star on either one of the teams, yet she still chose a guitar instead. Perhaps Grace was just that confident in her musical ability, or maybe she wanted to throw all caution to the wind and do what she wanted to do, but she had to know sports were the more realistic long-term option. Even so, she chose what she loved to do over a future that could have paid more.

Maybe other people viewed it differently, but it was nothing outside of dazzling to me. Her confidence in not only her talent, but in herself was something that always took my breath away. She always left me speechless, breathless whenever she smiled or did something amazing, and those were both things she seemed to do every single day. Just once, just once I wanted to be the one who left her speechless, to be the one who left her without breath.

I wanted her to feel the blooming spring that I felt in my chest every day - a beautiful, flowery spring she created every time she looked my way.

"Shut up." Grace let the ball hit the ground as she took large, menacing steps forward until she was in my face, her index finger and thumb holding my chin in place. "I've never lied to you, so don't spit in my face by implying that I do."

As long as I had known Grace, I had never seen the atmosphere she was giving off. It was as little as the tightness she was holding my chin with, and as big as the seriousness her eyes were glaring at me with. I hadn't ever seen anything like it from her, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It was a brand new part of her, but it was a scary one. The intensity, the strength of her glare had become something else entirely.