They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 29: Destined To Become

Song for the start of the chapter

Stella POV

I stretched as I looked around the room. Gray was nowhere to be seen, and it caused panic to rise within me just a little. Silently, I got up from his bed and rubbed my hip. His bed was really not comfortable. I felt like I was sleeping on a board the whole night.

"Morning," Gray said as he walked into the room with two cups in his hand. He sat on the foot of the bed and handed me a cup of something hot. "It's tea."

"I like tea," I said as I sniffed the mint tea, feeling more relaxed.

"Who doesn't? How did you sleep?"

"I should be asking the same about you. Where did you sleep, by the way?" I asked as I remembered waking up in the early morning, seeing him asleep on the wood floor beside the bed. I just hoped he didn't sleep there all night long.

"I slept fine."

"On the floor?"

He shrugged as he took another sip of tea, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I've slept worse places."

And that comment made me wonder where else he had slept. The floor did not look comfortable at all, so what other worse places has he been.

"And how about the bed?"

"It's not comfortable."

He chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant. "Honestly, I think the floor was more comfortable than my bed."

I laughed as I took another drink of tea. "Well, now you know for future reference."

"I guess I do," he said as he stood up from his seat and smiled at me. "I normally wake up early and so I didn't want to wake you up."

"Thanks for thinking of me."

"Of course. Anyhow, we will return you this afternoon, but while I have you this morning, I was wondering if you want to see my world." A hint of a smile played on his face as if he was really excited about this possibility.

I nodded with a smile. "I've been waiting far too long for this moment."

"Good, because honestly, I have too."

My smile only grew as I looked at him. Deep down, I knew he didn't want to push me away. He wanted me to know, but his foster mother must have prevented him from telling me. But now that I was here, there was no reason for him to keep it from me. "No more secrets?"

"It's kind of hard to keep any secrets from you, isn't it?" he chuckled as he sipped his tea.

"You have a point there."

He nodded as he looked out the window. In Jackson, he was always so guarded, but here, it was like he was a different person. Fears nor rules weren't holding him back. This playful banter wasn't restricted in any way. He wanted to have these light conversations as if he wanted them all this time.

"You know, you were talking in your sleep at one point."

"Oh gosh..." I stated as my cheeks turned red as I worried about what I said during the night.

"Don't worry, you didn't say anything, mumbles really, but it was still amusing."

The fact that he found this amusing put me slightly at ease, however I still worried that he wasn't telling the truth to me. "I bet you it was."

For a moment, we let our tea drinking do the talking until Gray spoke up. "Well, enough talking, I have a lot to show you, let's get out of here and I'll show you around."