speak now | grayson dolan

chapter twenty: death by a thousand cuts

mackenzie

"Connor, hi." My voice shakes as I bend down to pick up the utensils I dropped.

I'm in complete shock right now. I can't believe Connor Danport, the sweet guy I went out with two months ago, actually called me. My heart won't stop pounding, I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack.

"How are you?" I can practically see his wide smile through the phone. "I just got home from my road trip across the country. It took all summer, but I had a blast."

"Wow, that's great to hear. I'm glad you made it back safely." My eyes shift to the staircase, hoping Grayson doesn't come down here at the moment.

My mind is spinning and I need time to process everything. I never thought I would hear from Connor again. I used to long for him to call me and sweep me off my feet, but everything is different now.

"I lost my phone three days into the trip, so I didn't have your number. I just found it from my dad's email."

My eyes slightly widen. I remember the text that I sent him, the one he didn't reply to. "So, you never got my message?"

"You sent me something? Crap, I wish I would've seen it sooner. My dad only has his email set up to our home computer. You know how he is with technology. But I'm glad we can finally talk now, I thought about you the whole trip. I didn't want you to think I was blowing you off."

"I completely understand, stuff happens. It's nice to hear from you." I say while leaning against my counter. Holy shit, what do I do?

"I promised you that when I got back home I would take you on a second date. I'm a man of my word, so are you available this weekend? I would love to catch up. It's been a crazy summer."

Yeah, you could say that again. I bite down on my lower lip and frantically look around the kitchen. "I'll have to check with my schedule, work has been hectic."

"Of course, no rush at all. This is my new number so you can give me a call whenever you're free. I would love to see you, Mackenzie." His sweet words fill my ear.

"I could always let you know. Listen, I'm about to eat dinner now-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to give you a call."

"I appreciate you thinking of me." My head nods as I look down at the floor.

"I hope to hear from you soon." He softly says.

I'm lightheaded once we say goodbye and he hangs up the call. Feeling like I'm going to vomit, I run a hand through my hair and shut my eyes for a brief moment.

Connor is a really nice guy. I enjoyed the short time that I spent with him. It's going to be hard, but I need to let him down gently.

Walking back up to my bedroom, I see Grayson cuddled up with Muffin wedged between his arm. His eyes are glued to the screen, showing his intense focus on the movie.

When he hears the door creak open, he turns his head and smiles at me. God, I love that million dollar smile.

"Was that the pizza? I'm starving." He says while sitting up in my bed.

I'm frozen in the doorway, looking like I've just seen a ghost. I don't know how to bring up my phone call with Connor.

"Yeah, it's downstairs." I gulp and awkwardly scratch the back of my neck.

"Perfect, let's eat." Grayson shuts off the movie and rises to his feet. He grabs his shirt off the floor and puts it over his body.

He stops in his tracks when he sees I'm blocking the doorway. My palms are starting to sweat and my eyes are glued to my bedroom floor. I can feel my nerves multiplying.