"I can't do it anymore Keeth, I'm not the same" I shook my head at him as I started walking out of the office
"I can't-" you stopped as you seen Luke standing In front of you.
"Loni..." he sounded tired, and for once, not drunk
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone?" I turned around, immediately ramming into Graysons chest.
I stumbled back, trying to stabilize myself as he reached forwards and held my shoulders tightly.
"I'm sorry I didn't know you were th-"
"You okay?" He cut me off before I could finish speaking
"Yeah I'm fine I was just-"
"Why is that asshole here?" Once again he cut me off.
"She doesn't want some fucked up guy as her boyfriend, I'm not telling you again. Quit bothering her" Grayson said to him.
"What are you gonna do? Fight me?" Luke said. Grayson stayed quiet as he still had a grip on your shoulders.
"You need me Loni, you KNOW that." Luke shouted in my face.
"Remember all the backlash you got from your mom all these years later? Who was there for you? ME. Who was there for you every time something went wrong? Like when you found out you might have been loosing your house, or your dads job all because of the stupid incident. All due to you guys being SUED. And now it's gonna happen all over again and I won't be there." tears were forming in my eyes as he continued to shout my darkest memories
"You used me! The only fucking reason you stuck around for so long is because of my money! You constantly would end up with my cash in the end. 'Oh Loni you can pay for this' or 'my girlfriends got the bill' or 'She's the money maker'. 'Loni it's okay, I'm coming over. But is it possible for you to spare like 10 dollars?'. " I fired back.
"You're gonna regret this. Mark my fucking words"
He said and walked off. Tears were fighting there ways out of my eyes as I walked away, down the second floors stairs and outside of the building. Reaching a small patio lunch area that was nicely decorated...I know that because mom is the one who helped renovate it.
"Loni wait up!" Grayson shouted behind me.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm sorry you had to hear that"
He spun me around and pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around me. I tried my best not to the let tears escape my face, I barely knew this man yet I was crying in his arms. But this was wrong
"Grayson I'm okay, I promise" I said as I pulled away and turned around, grabbing some business papers that were left out here, trying to look occupied. But these damn tears never left my cheeks.
"Loni..." he let out a low sigh as I fumbled with the papers.
"What? What do you want me to say?" My voice slightly pitched as I faced him again, His eyes were soft as he crossed his arms
"That I'm worried about losing everything? That I just lost my asshole of a boyfriend? You have no idea what it's like to loose a parent, and come so fucking close to loosing your house, and all of your money because of the insurance company! And ALL of that is going to be happening again, and I don't have a job and the one Keeth does have wouldn't financially support my family. The only reason we have that nice of a house is because of my parents company that we FOUGHT to keep after my mom died"
"I'm so sorry" he spoke and stepped closer
"No, no just stay away from me" I turned back around
"Why do you push everyone away? I've seen how you act around people Loni" Grayson said. I didn't answer him, he was just pissing me off more then anything
"Loni"
"Because Grayson! I always manage to loose the people I love. It's too fucking hard to make new friends because I constantly live with the fear of it. I don't want anything to happen to you, I'm like a dark cloud that never goes away and no one seems to understand" he furrowed his brows together and stepped closer
"Come with me" he spoke
"What?" I said back
"Please, trust me okay?" He put his hand out for me to grab it. Where in the hell did he want to go? You know, this whole time he might have just been some mass murderer that I just told a bunch of my problems too. Or something worse-
"Well?" He waited as I sighed and gripped a hold of his hand.
He gave me a soft smile as he lead me around the building and over to his car. Okay okay, now I might actually be getting kidnapped. I barely knew Grayson yet I was willingly letting him take me somewhere.
About ten minutes passed until we pulled into a parking lot, in front of a cemetery.
"Wh-"
"No questions" he said, getting out of the car and walking around to my side. Now I was CERTAIN I was gonna die. But he reached out for my hand once again, and I took it. The cemetery looked really creepy, yet oddly comforting. I spent a lot of time in one when mom passed, visiting her as much as I could. Telling her all my boy drama, different things that were going on, and basically anything.
Grayson stopped right in front of a grave and pulled me next to him...
My eyes widened as he gave a soft smile to them, His parents grave. They were dead, and I just assumed that he had the perfect life. Like nothing was wrong
I didn't realize this is what he meant when he said he moved here because of 'family issues'. Oh my god...I was so trapped in my own world, thinking everything resolved around me. At least...That's how it felt like I was acting.
I shook my head, as my jaw fell open
"I-I'm so sorry Grayson, I didn't know" I felt a heavy weight on my chest. The feeling of mom dying all coming back. Ever since she drowned I've been so insensitive towards people, it just got worse as the years went by.
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he stuck his hands in his pockets, nodding his head.
"Yeah...We didn't have anything left. Me and my siblings all split off and I ended up here" he said. God I felt so guilty, it was so wrong of me to assume
I let out a sigh as I walked closer and pulled him into a hug. This isn't who mom would want me to be, she would be so disappointed in her daughter. He was just as hurt as I was, but way better at hiding it. Death was such a horrible topic and I was so pissed at the world for what it had done to me...but I need to try harder, and stay stronger.
"I'm not mad at you, I get it, I really do. You're never gonna be alone in this" Grayson spoke into my ear as he lowered his chin into my shoulder.
"Can we start over? Please?" I pulled back and stared him in the eyes, waiting for a response.
He smiled once again and shook his head, while I stuck my hand out
"Hi I'm Loni" I smiled as he grabbed my hand
"And I'm Grayson"
