It's About Time

Quiet Feelings Only

I'm sorry I updated this so late but I've been super busy. I currently have exams and I spent 6 hours today stuying for Chemistry *Slowly dies on the inside*. So I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy this chapter and for those of you pushing for Natalie and Grayosn to, I don't know, KISS, that may or may not be coming up soon! Let me know what you think of the chapter!

~Riley xx

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        Natalie watched out the window as Grayson navigated the parking lot of a small red brick building with a sign over the door reading “Alice’s” in a swirly green font.  He found a space quickly, which surprising due to the number of cars in the lot, and pulled the jeep in. He was unbuckled and out the door the second the keys were out of the ignition and Natalie laughed,realizing that he must be starving.

Undoing her own belt she reached for the door handle just as the door was wrenched open.  She stared up at Grayson, shocked.  Noticing her surprise, Grayson smirked and swept an arm out, beckoning Natalie out of the car.  

        “What are you doing?” She gawked.  First Grayson invites her to dinner, and now he’s opening car doors for her and offering her his help.  Hell must have frozen over.  

“Why do you always seem to doubt my gentlemanly abilities?” Grayson asked, feigning hurt.  “Just because I was raised by a teenage guy doesn’t mean that I don’t have manners”, he blurted.  He and Natalie both sucked in a sharp breath.  Natalie noticed the look of panic in his eyes as he realized his mistake and the way the he immediately shut down.  Stepping away from the jeep, he turned and began walking to the restaurant, leaving Natalie alone in the passenger seat.  

She huffed and slid gracefully out of the car, slamming the door.  The only move Grayson made to let her know he was paying attention was throwing the remote up over his shoulder and locking the door.  

Grumbling under her breath, Natalie ran to catch up with him, having trouble meeting his large strides.  His stony silence persisted, speaking only long enough to tell the waitress “table for two” in a clipped tone.  She seemed startled by his hostility but had quickly ushered them to an empty table and handed them their menus before scurrying off.

Natalie watched as Grayson scowled at his menu, occasionally flipping it aggressively over and back again.  His eyebrows were furrowed creating a crease in between his eyebrows and Natalie wanted nothing more than to reach over and smooth it out with her thumb.

“You know, the menu didn’t do anything to you”, Natalie mumbled after a particularly aggressive menu flip had resulted in a pile of sugar packets on the floor.  Grayson slammed his menu down, turning his glare to her.

“You’re right.  It didn’t do anything.”  He bit out icily.  

Natalie set her menu down angrily, albeit, more gently than Grayson had.  She met his stony glare and held it, unblinking.  

“I haven’t done anything to you, Steele.  You were the one that brought it up, not me.”  Grayson’s eyes hardened at the mention of the incident and he let out a humorless laugh, slapping his palms down onto the table.

“Maybe not, but you’re going to want to know all about it.  I know what you’re thinking.  ‘Why was Grayson raised by his brother?  What happened to his parents?  I can comfort the poor boy; fix him and make him good as new.  No more broken pieces.’”  Grayson’s voice was thick with emotion and his eyes held a hurt that Natalie had never seen.  Making a quick decision, Natalie reached out and laid her hand tenderly over Grayson’s.  As she had expected, he pulled his hand away sharply but Natalie caught it and held it on top of the table.