Grayson let out a snort of laughter that later he’d think back on in horror, and despite the fact that he’d chosen the name himself, he had to agree with Maya.
“Completely fake.” He nodded, and cast his mind around for a suitable answer to her question without admitting that he’d already done that very thing. “Maybe I’d just do that thing where they use two initials and a strong sounding last name.” He wondered, faintly, if they were both making allusions to the same famous author.
The accusation made him grin, quick and bright and the first expression since their meeting that wasn’t tempered. “Guilty.” There was a true crime podcast his youngest sister had found, who referred fondly to their fans as ‘spooky bitches’. Dani had bought Grayson a pair of sweatpants labeled as such, and he wore them pretty proudly around his apartment. Remembering that, and after only another second’s hesitation, Grayson reached out to grab the bookmark he’d been eyeing earlier, the little grey tabbies rolling around in a patch of purple flowers, and set it neatly atop his stack of books, sliding them along the counter once Maya’s haul had been bagged up.
“Probably some,” He answered, pulling his own wallet out of his coat pocket as the cashier began ringing up his purchase. “If they’re really uptight about it. But unless you’re sticking tight to one ideology or time period you’d think the general study of demons would include their portrayal in popular media.” With his own transaction underway, credit card already shoved into the slot at the bottom of the PIN pad in front of the register, Grayson gave Maya another glance, more relaxed now that the conversation had shifted away from him blowing his cover, and turned into the sort of general weirdness that he adored.
“You seem a bit spooky yourself, you know? Demons and horror books and all that.” Despite the topic, there was nothing but warmth and gentle teasing in his tone.
“Oh, like R.L. Stine! I like that.” Maya points out, jabbing the air with her index finger. The smile on her face doesn’t fade, obviously satisfied with her observation. Or perhaps she just loved the Goosebumps books too much as a kid to let that go unnoticed. As the man continues to speak, the cashier prints out Maya’s receipt and reminds her of certain deals before handing it over to her. She takes it gladly before stepping aside, allowing Gray to complete his own transaction.
Then his next few works come, earning in more laughter to bubble from her. “I seem spooky?” The brunette questions, her dark brows arching upward in amusement. It’s evident that he’s teasing, which Maya appreciates, but she can’t help the bizarre nature of the statement. Or, compliment, for that matter. Her smile grows. “That’s like, the most amazing thing anyone’s ever said to me. I’ve never been called a bit spooky. I’m gonna hold that very close to my heart.” She muses, “Thank you, Gray.” Maya concludes, her smile softening.
With that, Maya rests her bag of books on the ground, placing her receipt on the counter. Her hands move to dig into her bag, pulling out a pen. She scribbles her number onto the back in large font before slipping the pen back into her crossbody. In truth, Maya wasn’t a very confident person, especially around strangers. She often coiled into herself upon any new interaction, mostly in fear of being rejected or simply not liked. She’s not sure what comes over her today, perhaps it was the fact that she was in a bookstore because places like this make her feel better than normal. Who knows. Still, she holds the paper out to him, “My number’s on the back. Do with that what you will.” Maya says simply with an air of humor to her tone, picking her books back up, “I’ll see you around, Gray.”
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