Love at First Text

Chapter 1

Gray's POV is in third person single vision POV whereas Harri's is in first person.

Chapter 1 

If you try hard enough, plan everything just right, and execute the plan like your life depends on it, that you can disappear without a trace. That's what they say anyway.

And maybe.

Maybe you can run away from everything that ever broke you.

But can you run away from yourself?

Gray thought not.

Here he was.

New identity. Living in another state thousands of miles from his old one. All things connecting him to the past gone.

Except for the memories.

Curse those memories.

They were there 24/7. Haunting him endlessly.

Was there such a thing as a permanent memory eraser?

A vision of Natalya's smiling face appeared.

Gray rubbed his eyes and shook his head to clear the vision away.

He sighed and trained his attention on his best friend, Charlie who was coming up to the table balancing a tray of their Sonic order. One chilli dog for Charlie because Gray couldn't stand those calorie stuffed horrors, two kid-sized box of french fries, and two cups of sundaes.

"They didn't have oreo crumbs?" Gray asked zoning in on the oreo less sundaes.

"Nah, man. Some pig ahead of me grabbed the last that they had," Charlie answered plopping down on the seat across from Gray."More tomorrow or something."

"Just think," Gray said taking a spoonful to his mouth,"If you were the one who got the last, you'd be the pig."

"Shut up, jerk."

"Simp."

They both laughed as they dug into their order.

Gray smiled at his friend and thought to himself how lucky he was to have Charlie as a friend.

Two months after he had moved to Cali, Gray had met him at a local pub. Charlie had been drunk, practically begging for a fight which he got with some gangbangers who meant business resulting in a broken wrist and two black eyes. So Gray had dragged him out to his car and taken him to his apartment, where Charlie stayed since then.They both laughed at how it might have looked for people who didn't realize that neither of them were queer in the least bit.

Charlie's ringtone interrupted his thoughts.

"Dude," Gray said as Charlie turned his phone on,"You've got to change that thing."

"Fart sounds are hillarious."

"Yeah. For kids."

Charlie frowned.

"What's the matter?" Gray asked.

When he didn't answer, Gray shrugged and took another spoonful of his sundae. He would have moaned at the cooling sensation it brought his tongue if he hadn't remebered he was in a public place.

One with a lot of skirts at that.

Gray was particularly interested in one woman who was waiting in line. She was dressed in a red tank top and a denim skirt with a slit so high that when she moved just right he was blessed with a view of her thigh.

Heavenly.

She turned her head for a moment and their eyes connected. She smiled a smile that said 'Caught you staring'.

Gray looked down and created a ditch through his ice cream by using the side of his spoon.

When he looked back up the woman was laughing at something an old man in front of her had said.

Gray liked the sound of her voice. It reminded him of Natalya.

Heck everything about this woman reminded him of Natalya. Her chocolate brown skin, the way she moved with grace and confidence.

Gray watched as the woman pulled a golden chain from around her neck and tossed it to the floor in front of the man.

"Oops," she said loud enough for everyone to hear.

The man bent down to pick it up. Before he got back up, the woman using her thumb and index pulled his wallet from his back pocket and dropped it in the oversized bag she had on her shoulder.

What do you know? She's a thief, Gray thought with an inward laugh.

"I'll be back," He said to Charlie standing up and straightening his shirt.

"Yeah. Uhuh," Charlie said typing furiously on his phone.

Gray watched the man and the woman as he walked towards them.

When the old man had finally straightened up he gave it to her in a dramatic gesture.

"Your neckband has been restored, m'lady."

"Oh, thank you so much."

The woman had an accent he couldn't quite place. Irish maybe?

She was gushing the man's ear off by the time Gray got in line behind them.

He waited until the counter lady had called out 'Next!' and the old man had moved forward to take his order before speaking.

Gray leaned forward to whisper close to her ear.

"Very nice trick you got there."

The woman turned her head giving him a side view.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said sounding so convincing Gray wondered if he had been seeing things.

"Taking his wallet while he was retrieving your necklace."

She said nothing so he went on. "Pretty clever. But you call that impressive?"

"I have many tricks up my sleeves."

"Oh you do?"

"Yes, sir."

"May I see more then?"

"Alright then but you have to treat me to dinner. Somewhere nice."

End of the first chapter. Yay! Tell us what you think. And don't forget to hit that vote button. Thank you! ❤