Where The Light Doesn't Reach

7.

The two of us eventually leave the diner, our bellies full and a pleasant atmosphere surrounding us. We make our way to the park that lies next to it, sitting on a bench and watching the ducks in the pond as Gray hands me a cigarette.

We don't speak, simply enjoying the silence as we let our worries fly away with the smoke that escapes our lips. I'm surprised at how quiet the man beside me is, especially when you consider his usual boisterous behavior.

Everyone can enjoy silence every now and then, I suppose.

I glance over at him, trying very hard not to stare but failing as I still find myself taking in the sight of him.

He's very attractive, there's no doubt about that.

"I think you have a bit of a staring problem." He comments, flicking his eyes over to me as his mouth turns up into a smirk. I blush, immediately turning my eyes away from him to look straight ahead.

No, I was definitely not studying his smooth lips, and I also wasn't admiring his sharp cheekbones and jawline. That would just be ridiculous, because he's Gray.

"Sorry." I mumble, not really having a good, straight excuse for why I was clearly examining the grey-eyed man. He chuckles, shaking his head light-heartedly.

"Nah, I'm only kidding. As I've said - I'm kind of used to it."

At his words, I turn to him curiously and take the cigarette out of my mouth.

"What do you mean by that?"

Gray's quiet huff of laughter doesn't go unnoticed, and he turns to me with an amused smile.

"You stare at me, what do you think I mean by it?"

The question throws me off, and my eyes widen as I open my mouth, but no words come out.

I don't really know how to answer that.

There could be a number of reasons why I stare at him, but not all of them are really things I think I should say aloud, especially to his face.

It could be his striking appearance, the knowing look in his sharp eyes, or his edgy and strange sense of fashion. I know I mostly stare at him because he's Gray, a terrifyingly unknown force in the universe who constantly seems to demand my attention.

"You terrify me."

The words leave me without warning, brought out by my train of thought but probably sounding completely out of the blue to the bad boy sitting next to me.

Surprisingly he doesn't seem bothered by it and cocks his head to the side a bit, his mouth turning up at the corners.

"Why's that?" He asks, clear curiosity in his voice.

His deep voice, the same one that has given me plenty of advice and urged me to give up so many details of myself, even things I haven't told anyone.

How do I explain it to him?

I shrug, not quite sure how to put it.

"You're a mystery. Despite how much I know about you, I still don't know why you do things. A lot of your actions confuse me and you're always catching me off guard... not being able to predict you is terrifying."

Gray listens, holding onto my every word until I finish, studying me in interest.

He shrugs, turning away to take another drag from his cigarette and letting out another breath of smoke. I do the same, copying him.

"I can understand that, I guess. But most people would consider something like that normal - nobody can actually guess other people's thoughts and actions, so I definitely don't think that makes me any different."