Page 48 of Six Years
My mom likes him.I know because she hasn’t messaged me to tell me to get rid of him like she did with my ex-boyfriends. There was only ever one exception, and that exception was Charlie. He was never myboyfriend, but I don’t talk about him that much either.
She always said nobody could ever measure up to him. I used to think she was right because, truthfully, nobody ever caught my attention like Charlie did before our forcedfriendshipbreakup happened and I ended up drinking away my feelings. But these days I start to realize that there might very well be someone who could potentially be even better than Charlie was.
I’m just praying she’ll still like him when I eventually have to tell my parents whose son Grey is.
“Seriously,anothersong?!” Grey groans, letting his head drop against the backrest of the sofa.
I shrug. “The movie’s called High SchoolMusical, Grey Davis. Of course there’s another bomb song in there.” We’re only halfway through the first movie and he’s already had enough.
When he first told me he had never watched either of the High School Music movies, I didn’t believe him. I always thought everyone had seen them before at least once in their life. As it turns out, I was wrong, and I‘m never wrong. What kind of person has never seenHigh SchoolfuckingMusical?
While I know most of the choreography to the dances, and all the lyrics to the songs, plus make it a big deal that I do, Grey sits there on my sofa with a blank expression (as always), sometimes scowling, sometimes rolling his eyes, or sometimes groaning and huffing in annoyance.
I like catching glimpses of him every now and then when he’s not looking, but I’m almost certain he always notices it. That’s okay. I don’t make enjoying to look at him a secret, he can know, and gladly so.
I mean, have you looked at that perfection of a human being?
Grey’s so… wow.
He has probably the blackest hair I’ve ever seen, the darkest eyes with so much depth in them that I cannot wait for the day he finally gives me a key to unlock all of his secrets. His jaw is defined, he might as well shred cheese with it. And the tattoos… God, the tattoos.
I never liked tattoos before, but now I can’t even remember why.
Grey is the complete opposite of the guys I used to date, not only personality wise but appearance wise, too. Maybe that’s also why I’m a little too interested in him sometimes.
It worries me though. That I will get too attached to him. That I will go too far one day because I know I tend to do just that. I worry that I am forcing feelings onto him but if I am, I can’t tell. I don’t know when I’m going too far, where teasing and jokes stop, and toxicity starts.
Should Grey ever start to like me, I want him to like me on his own accord and not because my toxic tendencies couldn’t be stopped, and I somehow manipulated him into linking me.
I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I’ve been trying to get rid of the old Luan, get rid of the guy who manipulates people into liking him because I didn’t know how else to make friends. I’ve been going to therapy, still do just so I can live a normal life without wondering if someone likes me for me or because I made them like me.
But it’s hard sometimes. It’s still difficult for me to see the difference.
Maybe that’s exactly why I like Grey. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d allow me to manipulate him. I think he’d see right through me.
He figured out Doro is a really outgoing person within two minutes of meeting her. He knew she prefers ice cream over plain chocolate, and he never even asked her, he just straight up mentioned it to me like I didn’t already know it.
So, no, I don’t think Grey would let me trick him into liking me. Before that could ever happen, he’d probably tell me to piss off for the millionth time, meaning it this time.
When Grey yawns, I jump right back into reality, only then really noticing that I’ve zoned out.
I look at him, praying he won’t get up to leave me just yet. I don’t know for how long he’ll be staying in Malibu, but I do know that I don’t want him to leave yet.
“Are you leaving?” I ask when he stretches while the end credits roll, but I don’t pay any attenti—
Hold up.END CREDITS?!How long was I zoned-out for?
“Yeah, I still have to find a hotel.” Grey sets the popcorn bowl down onto the coffee table. “We can watch the rest tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”
“You’d do that?” My eyes widen with surprise. I don’t think he even liked the first movie. Maybe he did, apparently I stopped paying attention halfway through.
“Well, I’ll still be around tomorrow, so sure.”
“That means we can hangout or will you be visiting your family? That’d be fine, of course but I’m just wondering.” The more time I have with Grey, the happier I will be. I already barely see him as is, let alone talk to him whenever he decides to ignore me due to whatever episode he has going on.
“I’m not on talking terms with them, hence the hotel.”
Not on talking terms? That’s so sad. I couldn’t imagine not calling my mother daily or visiting my parents at least once a week.
