iridescent ↠ grayson dolan ✓

↠ n i n e

Lauren's heart did backflips in her chest.

Why on earth did he do that?

* * *

Grayson knew the city by heart. He knew the streets like the back of his hand and the crowd as if they were his own family. The way his eyes lit up whenever he saw little things that reminded him of his childhood nearly made Lauren's heart melt. She could see how much this city meant to him.

Los Angeles was his home. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken he must've been when they moved to Arizona. Grayson said his dad had gotten a better job, and they had no choice but to move. He had told Lauren about how much he loved the city, how every single little blade of grass and every speck of dust was the very soul of his memories. His whole life was here, and his smile said it all.

Grayson didn't talk about Ethan much. Lauren didn't ask about him. Whenever his brother was mentioned there was a feeling of prolonged sadness that hung in the air, and Lauren didn't feel like pressuring him to tell her all the details of Ethan's death. She knew it was a touchy subject and he would only tell her when he was ready.

"So where are we starting?" He asked, breaking the silence.

Lauren scrolled through the map on her phone. "The Groove."

"The outdoor mall?" Grayson questioned with his eyebrows raised. "Why there?"

"Because I said so." She responded with a grin. Grayson shot her a hesitant look. "Oh, stop staring at me like I'm an axe murderer- it's just a mall, Grayson."

"Remind me again why I agreed to this." He mumbled under his breath.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Shut up, would you? It'll be fun, I promise."

* * *

The Grove was a shopping mall with elegant pillars of untouched ivory that seemed to hold up the ever darkening skies. The moon hung a lazy shadow over their faces as they made their way through the dense mall, hand in hand to ensure that they wouldn't lose each other.

Lauren could see how uncomfortable Grayson was. His face was paler than usual, his eyes popping out of their sockets in a desperate attempt to stop the little tears that stung behind his lashes. His jaw remained clenched from the moment they stepped out of their car.

Lauren grabbed his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Hey." She said softly. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. We could always go back to the hotel and order pizzas or something and stay in-"

Grayson shook his head profusely. "I'm fine, Laur." He said. "I'll be okay."

After buying ice cream, Lauren and Grayson decided to see what all the fuss was about in the center of the mall, where a large crowd stood huddled together. After they fought their way through the crowd, they finally reached the front where a long table stood with dozens of cream pies. An eating contest, no doubt, with a plump, jolly host that seemed more interested in the pies than the actual competition.

"Who's up for the challenge?"  The man spoke into the microphone, his eyebrows raised as he searched for willing contestants.

Grayson glanced at Lauren who was already looking at him with a smirk. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Lauren, no. Absolutely not."