Behind The Hoodie

(Part 2) Chapter 23: I'll Wait For You

I set my plate on the counter and grab his jacket and shirt.

"You do realize those have my blood on them right?"

"Catch."

I throw them at him as I walk back over. He catches them and looks back at me puzzled.

I grab my plate and quickly finish the last piece before heading back to him as he inspects the shoulder of it. He quickly smiles at me when he notices that it's cleaned and stitched.

"What did she do?" L.J. asks.

I go to the stairs, about to go get ready for today.

"She cleaned and sewed it," Gray says chuckling in disbelief.

I quickly change into a pair of leggings, a pair of running shoes with a big hoodie to cover my stomach. You know, the usual. I walk out the front door before the guys can stop me and go out to the field. 

I start to run as it's noon and I don't plan on going to school today. Already sleeping in class and ditching school. Why can't things just go back to how they were? 

I continue to run until I see Gray at the fence after about a mile or two.

"Beth!"

As I come closer to him I slow down and he walks over to me on the other side.

"Could we talk?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"Us?"

"Going straight to the elephant in the room?" 

"It's a pretty annoying one," he says leaning over the wood.

"Alright, what about us?"

"Beth I know you like me. And I think it's pretty clear I like you-"

"Gray-"

"Hold on, let me finish. I know we both made mistakes, me a lot more than you but I want to know what I can do to make it up to you. I'm not saying we get back together if you don't want to. But what can I do to make it up to you?"

I think my heart just melted. This boy is gonna kill me. What is wrong with me? I run my hand back through my hair and sigh. 

"That's the most emotion you have showed in weeks," he says chuckling.

"Gray, do you remember that night I first said that I really like you?"

"I was sitting closer to the foot of the bed, we had our hands interlaced when you shared your story you had looked down the whole time, your hair was covering your face while you had tears running down your face. You kissed me and when I went to apologize you said it was your fault so I kissed you. And your dream came true of getting me in your bed," he says chuckling.

I can't help the smile that crosses my face. The first real one I have had cross my face in over two weeks.

"So your face isn't broken, you can smile," he says smiling.

I look at him.

"You can take your time if you're not sure yet, I mean I can-"

"Just don't walk out on me, have a little faith that I am not that awful and just stay around," I say looking at him.

"Princess you couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to. That's just a given. You didn't need to ask."

But you said that before. And you lied right back to me. I plaster a small smile on my face anyway.