another one for the sticker set!! this time uraraka!! shes going to have two (not bc shes one of my favs) but bc coffee fits her while also the pun with her name (tea!!)
<AN> Yeet folks we made it!! Here’s part 4. I love you all, thanks so much for supporting me through this crazy series haha. Again, infinite credit and love goes to @lilmissperfectlyimperfect for being LITERALLY MY QUEEN, thank you for all you do. My tag crew is: @euphonyinestetica, @pixelburied, @directorajay, @witchiegirl, @itsbrindleybinch, @anlashokk. Much love to all!! </AN>
Tuesday was miserable for everyone involved.
Ajay took back his place all the way at the end of the table, and refused to look at anyone the entire time. He only stayed at the table for enough time to scarf down his lunch, then he would disappear from the cafeteria entirely.
Grace had retreated entirely from the table, choosing instead to take her lunch in her math classroom, where nobody could find her. Her teacher was more than willing to let her eat there, no questions asked, in return for help grading quizzes. Grace was happy do the work. It kept her mind off Ajay.
Out of the entire friend group, Skye was probably the most stressed. She loved and depended on their friend group more than she was willing to admit, and she hated how it had fractured. She looked across the table to Erin, absentmindedly playing with her food, and cleared her throat to get her attention.
“We have to do something.”
Erin looked up. “Yeah, but what?”
“I don’t know… how can we force them to talk to each other?”
“I’m not sure. Short of locking them in a room together, I don’t think-”
Erin was cut off by Skye’s gasp.
“We should lock them in the auditorium.”
“What?” Erin looked at Skye like she was crazy.
“Think about it! It worked once before. All they need to do is talk it out, and I’m sure they’d at least go back to being friends.”
“Hmm,” Erin considered this. “You might just be right. Let me text James and see what we can do.”
Thirty minutes later, they had come up with a plan. Erin would lure Ajay into the auditorium by saying she had seen someone running around and touching the curtains with cheeto-dust fingers. Skye would get Grace to come by pretending to fulfill her promise about showing her how the lights worked up in the booth. Once they were all in, Skye and Erin would leave through different side doors and lock them while James locked the main doors, effectively trapping the couple.
It wasn’t genius, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And the tension coming off of the two was suffocating, letting darkness and silence fall everywhere either of them went, even lingering after they had left.
Only one day like this had gone by, but even Skye was tired of this.
*****
Ajay ran into the auditorium and right onto the stage. He glanced around before he got his bearings and dashed to the curtain, examining it for orange stains. Not finding any, he moved to the curtains on the other side. Nothing. Nothing except a laugh, a slamming door, and…
“Grace?” he said, more out of surprise than anything else. She stood next to the door, her head tucked down and her arms fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She didn’t respond, didn’t even look up at him, and in that moment his heart broke a little more.
And then he walked away. He released the curtain and turned on his heel towards the side door, only to find it locked. He eyed the main doors, but had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what had happened.
They locked us in, he concluded. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, giving the door a few more pointless pushes before giving up and settling in a chair backstage, not sure what to do with himself.
Grace had migrated to the house and was sitting midway through the first row. He watched her from backstage, aware that she couldn’t see him. He watched as she twirled a pink strand of hair around her fingers, picked at the upholstery of the seat she was sitting on, and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
And god damn it all, it was like he hadn’t learned a thing. He still thought her restlessness was adorable, and all he could think about was how that bottom lip had felt against his, the one time he’d been brave enough to show her how he really felt.
He felt bad for what he’d done to her. He felt awful. Her first time having feelings for someone and he had to come in, ask her out, take two weeks to even kiss her and still not treat her how she was supposed to be treated. He’d just ruined the whole thing she had with Rory, he could see that in how uncomfortable she looked when they were together in front of him.
Ajay sighed and walked back out onto the stage. Aside from a slight shoulder movement, Grace gave no indication that anything had changed. Ajay sat on the floor of the stage and laid back, gazing up to the lights and the system of flies above the stage.
If nothing else, theatre had given him a creative outlet. It had given him a way to see the same situation from many different perspectives. He decided on a whim that he’d try to see this from her point of view.
Having a crush on a costar and then your asshole director asking you out, making you nervous. And maybe you’ll feel something for him, but he doesn’t ever say anything for a long time. So maybe he doesn’t like you after all…
A light came on inside his head. Did she– could she really think he didn’t feel the same way? His mind started racing, reviewing every single interaction they’d had for those two weeks. Hadn’t he all-too-often berated himself for not showing her enough attention? For not kissing her when he wanted to, for not holding her hand, for not giving it all up and telling her how much she meant to him?
He forced himself to calm down and to pick through the thoughts one at a time. Pretend, he told himself, that she liked you, like she said. Just pretend. Now, try and look at this from her point of view.
He did. Then he thought about it again. And again. And again. And...
It all came rushing back to him, and suddenly he could see the whole thing through new eyes.
Through her eyes.
Falling hard for someone (him?) and the emotion itself scaring her, not wanting to push and convinced at every awkward moment that it would all fall apart. Her inexperience giving way to anxiety when he constantly pulled away… making it feel like he didn’t want her. And when he’d actively distanced himself from her after seeing her with Rory—comforting him, like a friend would—god, no wonder she thought he didn’t like her anymore.
He was an idiot. A complete idiot.
“I’m an idiot,” he said to the stage lights above him. He sat up suddenly, turning around on his knees to face the audience. “Grace, I’m an idiot!”
Grace looked up from where her hands were clasped tightly together to meet his eyes for half a second, almost like a reflex, before she looked back down at the floor.
“What?”
“Grace...” he scooted forward to dangle his legs off the lip of the stage. He wanted so badly to get closer to where she sat in the front row of the house, but he didn’t think she’d be okay with that.
“Grace, I’m so sorry.” He cleared his throat and forced the words out. “I was distancing myself from you because I was jealous.”
Her head whipped up but she didn’t quite look at him. Her eyes were trained on the emergency exit to his right. “Jealous?” she asked in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat. “Of what?”
“Of… of Rory,” he admitted, hanging his head slightly. “I saw you guys talking, and that thing happened at lunch yesterday, and I guess I assumed there was something going on between you two. And like an idiot, like a scared idiot, I didn’t even ask you about it. I just jumped to conclusions. I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed in my life… I’m so, so sorry, Grace.”
She turned her head toward him, agonizingly slowly, taking in the new information. She stared at him for several seconds, her gaze seeming to burn him from the inside out. When she finally spoke, what she said was beyond his comprehension.
“Come here.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Come here!” she repeated, a little smile growing on her face. Terrified, he pushed off the stage and walked toward her. He settled into the chair next to her, and she took his hand. His heart stopped.
“Grace, I-”
She cut him off with a raise of her left eyebrow. “Let me talk.”
Ajay nodded, signaling for her to begin.
“I don’t like Rory,” she started, making fierce eye contact that Ajay was loathe to pull himself away from. “The last time I liked Rory was like… the beginning of the school year. As we got to be better and better friends, I guess I realized I didn’t like him that way.”
She let out a shaky breath, and he saw her confidence waver.
“I like you, Ajay. I didn’t lie to you, or whatever you thought. I really, really like you. More than I thought I was capable of liking somebody.” Her cheeks turned pink at this last admission. “And I thought you liked me too. But when you started avoiding me… I didn’t really know what to think.”
She shook her head.
“No, I did know what to think. It was pretty clear to me that you weren’t interested in me anymore. Especially in the cafeteria yesterday, when that girl asked about me and Rory and you just left. It felt like you didn’t even care about what was going on between us, like you just wanted to forget about it.”
“So I just wish we could’ve talked to each other more. I know I probably should’ve tried harder to talk to you about it, but yeah,” she finished lamely. “Alright, that’s all I wanted to say. You can talk now. Or... we can just forget about it, if that’s what you want.” She didn’t quite meet his eyes.
Ajay took a deep breath, willing himself to have the courage to speak up this time. She had given him an out, a chance to forget about all of this and move forward as just friends, but he didn’t want it. He’d never wanted anything less.
“Grace… I was selfish. I wasn’t thinking about how anyone felt but myself. I was jealous when that girl thought you and Rory were a couple, and I let my jealousy take control. I kept comparing myself to him, convincing myself that he’d be better for you than I would. I didn’t stop to talk to you about it, to ask you what was going on, to ask you how you felt. And I’m so, so sorry for that.”
“Thanks,” Grace said in a soft voice. “And I forgive you for that, if you can forgive me for being too scared to talk to you about it.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. But I do think—if you’d like to try again—that we definitely need better communication.”
She finally looked up, and her grip on his hand tightened. “I agree completely. And I’d love to try again, I was really hoping you’d say that.” She gave him a tentative smile.
“I really like you,” he said, bringing the back of her hand to his mouth to kiss it softly. “I want to be your boyfriend. I have since I asked you out two weeks ago. Does that sound… okay?”
“Yeah,” she said breathlessly, nodding. “That sounds… amazing.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Okay,” he whispered. He gave her one last smile and turned away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He had just stood up from the seat when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Grace, arms crossed in front of her chest.
“You need something?”
“If you really think I’m letting you leave without kissing me…” One corner of her mouth quirked up.
Ajay rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. “Oh my god, you’re so needy.” He pulled her (his girlfriend!) in by the waist, pressing their foreheads together.
“Yeah, I am. Just a little.” She brought her hands up to cup his face and leaned in, kissing him sweetly.
He tugged her even closer as their lips moved together, and felt her melt into the kiss. They stayed like that for several long moments, holding each other tightly, until Grace had to pull away to take a breath. Contentment filled him the same way a mug of masala chai would: heavy, warm and familiar, but intriguing and new all at the same time. He needed more.
“Wow,” she breathed, still way too close to him. He kissed her one last time—a brief, soft press of his lips to hers—then stepped out of her space, bending over to grab his backpack.
“Wow, indeed. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” She smiled softly but her eyes lit up, telling him that that comment had meant everything to her. He resolved to never make her eyes do anything except that again, he vowed to himself that he’d do anything he could to keep the soft smile on her face.
“Now, do you think they’ll finally let us out?”
“I’m sure James is in on this. If he doesn’t let us out, I’ll call mom on him. He’ll cave. Especially once we tell him we’re officially dating. If you’re okay with telling them, that is?”
“Of course!” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, laughing as she turned pink again. He offered her his hand and led the way to the auditorium door, to their freedom.
<AN> Ohhhhhh boy. Here’s a thing. It’s a little thing. To be more clear, it’s the first part of a series I’m planning. Would like to credit @lilmissperfectlyimperfect as my amazing cowriter (giving me ALL of the ideas) and @lorosette for giving me headcanons and hella inspiration. Also want to tag The Crew: @pixelburied, @witchiegirl, @anlashokk, @directorajay, @itsbrindleybinch. Hope y’all enjoy! </AN>
Breathe, Ajay told himself. It’s not that hard. Inhale. Exhale. That’s really all you have to do, just… do it.
Much, much easier said than done. He broke himself out of his trance to take in the scene around him. The lockers he was leaning against. The nearly deserted hallway. The snow gently falling outside. The girl standing right in front of him, looking up at him with a confused expression, her arm holding a textbook to her chest and a heavy-looking backpack slung over the other shoulder.
“Ajay?” she prompted. He tried to remember how to breathe.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale- not that fast!
Okay, he had breathing down. Breathing was good. Progress was being made. Now, to remember how to speak. More precisely, to remember the words he was going to say.
“I… do you…” he stumbled over his words. Damnit. He took another breath, then looked down again at her. She’d pressed her lips together, like she was trying to hold back a laugh. Her eyes were dancing. He remembered why he’d decided to come over here and do this.
“Do you…” he trailed off, trying desperately to remember his words. Since when had he gotten this nervous? He didn’t usually get nervous, that wasn't his thing. Why did she make him so nervous?
“Spit it out,” Grace said, barely managing to hold back a giggle at his distressed expression.
“Ughhhhhhh…” he groaned, then rubbed his eyes. “Do you. Want to. Go out on a date. With me. Um. This afternoon.”
She blinked rapidly, then her face just lit up. Her eyes shone and she grinned, a huge smile stretching across her face.
“Really? Are you serious right now?!”
“Of course I am! So… yes?” he asked hopefully, a blush warming his cheeks.
“Definitely yes!” She turned to shove her book into her locker, then finally closed it. She reached out a tentative hand, and he took it just as shyly. For a moment they stood there, lost in the same space. She squeezed his hand.
“So… coffee?”
“I’m not the biggest coffee fan,” she grimaced. “But I could go for a peppermint hot chocolate!”
“You don’t drink coffee? God, I’ve made a huge mistake…” Ajay joked, pretending to let go of her hand. She only held on tighter.
“Ah! You can’t go back on it! Look! We’re holding hands! You’re following this through!”
He laughed. “Damn, I guess I have to now.” He smiled down at her and led her out into the parking lot and to his car. She settled in the front seat and, once he turned the car on, started flicking through the radio stations. He had almost pulled out onto the main road outside the school when she settled on one, a classic rock station. She immediately kicked her feet up on his dash and started imitating a ferocious riff on an air guitar. He shook his head in mock disappointment.
“Why do you have to be such a dork? All the time?” he teased.
“Hey, you said it yourself. Dorky… but cute!”
Ajay rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself.” He turned his eyes back to the road.
After a few seconds of silence:
“SMOOOOOOOOOOOKE ON THE WAAAAAATTTTEEEERRRR!” she belted out, along with the voice on the radio.
“FIRE IN THE SKY!” Ajay joined in, headbanging briefly. This only served to crack her up more. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see this cute little wrinkle in her nose as she laughed.
“That’s adorable.” He gave her a soft smile. She grinned back, then returned to the song, this time banging on invisible drums along with the even beat. He thought she was probably adding too much invisible cymbal, but didn’t say anything.
In no time at all, they were at the coffee shop. As they stood in line, Grace elbowed him gently in the side.
“What’re you gonna get?”
“A flat white.”
“Yawn. Boring.” she replied in a sing-song voice.
“No, I just have a refined palate. And respect for coffee, unlike someone” he teased back.
“Snob.”
They collected their drinks- she had settled on the peppermint hot chocolate- and grabbed a spot at a table not far from the door. He took a sip of his flat white and looked at her over the rim of his cup. The weak winter sun shone on her face at just the right angle to sparkle in her eyes as she sipped her drink. She flitted her eyes over to his, catching him staring. She reddened slightly and set her cup down.
“So. Question.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you ask me out?”
He blinked. “Is it not obvious? I’ve had a crush on you for a while, Grace. I didn’t think I was being slick about it.”
She blushed a little more. “Wait, really? I couldn’t tell.”
“Oh. Well, I did.”
“Huh.” She took a long sip of her hot chocolate. “Wait, why?”
“Why?” he asked, bewildered.
“Yeah, why? Why did you have a crush on me?” She laughed nervously.
“I don’t… really know? Just because you’re you, I guess. You’re… I mean obviously I think you’re cute. You’re really dedicated to acting, and you’re passionate. I guess you’re just all-around a sweet person.”
“Awwwww” she teased. “I actually didn’t think I could get you to say all that.”
“Well…” he gestured with his hands, lost for words. His face heated up. “Well, why did you say yes when I asked?” he countered.
“Uh…” she hesitated, trying to collect her thoughts. “Because I had a crush on you, too.”
His eyes twinkled. “Oh, really? Since when?”
“You’re a dork.” She hid her face in her hands and peeked out at him through her fingers. “Probably… since we got locked in the theatre together. I feel like I really got to know you then. And I really liked what I learned about you.”
“Really? Even my terrible track record with romance?”
“A red flag that I ignored,” she teased. “So, anyways. Enough of that. What do people usually do on dates?”
“Get to know each other. But since we were already close, I don’t know. How about you just… I don’t know, tell me about your day or something.”
Grace took a final sip from her peppermint hot chocolate and then launched into a long-winded account of her math class, featuring the teacher that definitely had it out for her ever since she’d fallen asleep in class during tech week for the play. Ajay listened to her intently, chin resting on his hand, eyes focused on her shining eyes or her soft hair. Everything felt… right.
He was suddenly very, very glad he’d asked her out.
***
The rest of the afternoon passed by way too quickly. They passed the time exchanging flirty roasts, debating the importance of math to The Real World, and swapping stories about their favorite (and least favorite) classes and teachers. In no time at all, it was nearing 4:30 and Grace made an offhand comment about needing to be home for dinner. Hands linked, they made their way out to his car.
He pulled up at her house a few minutes later, and left the car before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt. He was at the passenger door in a flash, opening it for her with a big smile.
“Wow, what a gentleman,” Grace teased. She took his hand and they walked together up to the bottom of the steps that led up to the porch.
“So.” she said.
“So.”
They stood in a slightly awkward silence for a few seconds.
“So,” she started again, “I had a really great time. It was a lot of fun. We should definitely do this again, soon.”
“What, the coffee part? Or the date part?”
She squeezed his hand. “The date part, idiot.”
He laughed at himself. “Just checking. I had a great time, too.” He leaned forward, as if he was going in for a kiss- but at the last second he stopped himself, diverting to press his lips to her cheek instead. He didn’t see that her face fell the slightest bit when he switched directions.
“Text me when you get home, ok?”
“Will do! Have a good night, Grace.” He shot her one last affectionate smile and let go of her hand, retreating back down her driveway to where he’d parked on the curb, behind a few trees.
Once he got back in his car, he had to take a second to breathe and reflect before he could start driving home. He kept the radio tuned to the classic rock station but turned down the volume. He fired off a quick text to his parents, letting them know he was on his way home. Then, he buckled his seatbelt and started the car.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. He turned his head to look, view partially obstructed by the line of trees, and saw Grace sprinting across her front lawn… across to Rory’s house. He saw her knock on the door and watched as he let her in with a hug.
Jealousy sprang up in his chest, burning as his mind raced. Had he been reading things wrong? Had she decided, even after their date, that she liked Rory more?
His stomach sank. Had she lied to him, when she said she had a good time? Had she lied, when she told him about how she’d had a crush on him for a while?
He shook his head, trying to return himself to rational thought. Rory was her friend, he told himself. Maybe she was just going to hang out. And even if she wasn’t, well… it wasn’t like they’d established any kind of exclusivity. It was only one date.
Ajay managed to regain control of his mind enough to tell himself that he was being stupid and paranoid. That the date had gone well, and that there would be another. Still, a small doubt lingered in the back of his mind as he drove home.
<AN> Hey guys! I finally finished writing part 3! Thanks for ur patience :3. Here are links to part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t read them or want a refresher, since it’s been a WHILE. Thanks to my co-author @lilmissperfectlyimperfect!! </AN>
Monday, at lunch, Ajay pointedly arrived late so that he had a good excuse not to sit next to Grace. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her anymore—in fact, his heart heart more than ever whenever he caught a glimpse of her—it was just that he knew better now than to think she’d end up with him. He’d somehow managed to dodge her texts all weekend, and he missed her more than ever. But he couldn’t let himself feel that way about her, not anymore. Not now that he’d seen her and Rory together. He had to admit to himself that Rory would be much better for Grace than he would.
His fears were only reinforced when he finally made it to the cafeteria and found Rory sitting in the spot he usually took next to Grace, telling her something that was making her laugh so hard her cheeks were turning red. Ajay felt sadness wash over him at seeing them together, but resigned himself to sitting with his friends at the table. He knew better than to isolate himself from a group of friends that cared as much as these ones did.
He sat down in just enough time to miss the end of Rory’s story: a small mercy. Grace smiled at him from across the table.
“Hey, Ajay! We were wondering when you’d get here.”
Against all his intentions, his heart leapt in his chest. Just the idea of her missing him, of wishing he were there, made his heart beat faster.
“I just had to talk to a teacher for a second. How was everyone’s morning?”
The group talked animatedly, each person seemingly having an interesting story about their morning classes or about the night before. Ajay let all the conversation surround him, and for a brief moment he was able to convince himself that this was okay. That he didn’t miss Grace, didn’t remember exactly how her lips had felt against his, didn’t want to hold her hand.
He took a swig of the black coffee he had poured into a bottle, and winced at the taste. He hated black coffee, but it was the only way he was going to be able to get himself through the day. He hadn’t gotten very much sleep, up all night intermittently doing work and trying to figure out how to win Grace back. He hadn’t come up with much.
He was pulled sharply back into reality when he saw Rory wrap an arm around her.
The first thing he noticed was how uncomfortable she looked. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Rather than leaning up against Rory as she might have, she stayed stiff and as far away from him as she could get. To his credit, Rory quickly noticed that and withdrew his arm, whispering a quick apology that she waved away.
Ajay felt a bright spark of hope in his chest. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost. He tapped Grace’s hand to get her attention, and was just opening his mouth to ask her something—ask her what, he wasn’t sure—when a girl he recognized from his drama class suddenly walked up to the table and started talking.
“Hey! Rory and Grace, right?”
Grace looked shocked, but Rory smoothly introduced himself.
“Yeah, that’s us! What’s up?”
“Oh my god,” the girl gushed, “I saw you guys in the play! The Enchanted Kingdom! You did so great!”
“Wow, thanks!” Grace said, shaking off her surprise. “That’s so great to hear. You know, our director, Ajay, is right ther–”
She was cut off by the girl. “Rory, you and Grace had so much chemistry! I felt like I was actually watching the knight and the princess falling in love. You guys have to be actually dating! You are, right?”
To Ajay’s horror, Grace didn’t say anything. Her face turned red, and she stuttered, but no coherent words came out.
She must be embarrassed… it’s clear from earlier, when she shrugged Rory off, that she didn’t want everyone to know they were dating he realized. His heart sank, and he could only stare at the table.
***
Grace could only watch helplessly as the cafeteria spun.
Me and Rory? Together? No way, we’re just best friends.
She wanted to say it so badly, but she just couldn’t get the words out.
“Um, I… it’s not um. It’s not… like that?” she finally managed to stutter, but the girl completely disregarded her, especially when Rory turned to Grace.
“Well, y’know, I was actually meaning to ask you about that,” he said.
Grace’s eyes widened in shock.
“What?!”
Grace whipped her head around to look at Ajay, who wouldn’t meet her gaze. Then, all of a sudden, he grabbed his books and walked right out of the cafeteria. Grace watched him leave for a second before she turned to Rory, terrified of whatever it was he was going to say next.
Obviously seeing the panic in her eyes, Rory backed off again.
“No, we’re not dating. We’re just best friends.” he clarified, and the girl’s face fell.
“Aw, well you would make a cute couple. Too bad.” She walked away, finally, and Grace remembered how to breathe. She turned again to Rory.
“Rory, we’re going to talk about this later,” she said with a shake in her voice. Then she slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran out of the cafeteria after Ajay.
She found him leaning against a locker, but the second he heard her footsteps he turned away and started down the hallway away from her.
“Ajay!” she called after him, but he only sped up.
“Ajay, it’s not what you think it was!” He didn’t listen.
Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him walk down the hallway. At the end he turned to enter a classroom on the left and they made eye contact for a brief moment. He shook his head, then walked into the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him with an air of finality.
Grace’s knees couldn’t keep her up. She backed up against a locker and slid to the ground, barely able to contain her tears.
God, I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I say anything? Oh god, he must think something’s going on with me and Rory… oh my god.
Thoughts raced through her head at full speed, and tears streamed down both of her cheeks when she couldn’t keep them in anymore. Erin found her like that five minutes later.
“Oh, Grace. Come here.”
Erin pulled her into a hug.
“What happened there?”
“I… um…” Grace’s voice shook even more and she sniffed. “It’s a lot.”
“You want to tell me after school? I can drive you home, we can talk about it privately.”
Grace nodded, then accepted another hug from Erin before getting up as the bell rang to mark the end of lunch. Erin guided her to class with an arm wrapped around her shoulder as Grace hastened to regain control over herself, regulating her breathing and wiping the tears off her face.
Somehow she got through the next two periods until she was able to climb into the passenger seat of Erin’s car. She distracted herself by turning the dial through different radio stations, but once Erin was on the main road everything started coming out.
“A… a few weeks ago, I guess, Ajay asked me out.”
Erin’s eyes widened, but she said nothing.
“We went to go get coffee, and it was a really nice time. And I’d had a crush on him for the whole show, so I was really surprised that he liked me back. We went out a couple more times, and we studied together on Thursday and we like, kissed and everything. I really thought he was into me.”
She took a second to breathe, and Erin cut in.
“Wow, that’s crazy. I mean I saw you guys both making heart eyes at each other across the auditorium, but I didn’t know this was going on. I think I get why he stormed out of the cafeteria now.”
“Well, yeah, with that girl and Rory just saying things the way they did,” she grumbled. “I don’t know why I just couldn’t say that Rory and I weren’t together, I guess I was too surprised. And then what he said… I knew Rory had a crush on me earlier this year but I guess I just… hoped he was over it. I really didn’t want to have that discussion right then, and especially not right in front of Ajay.”
“Yeah, I get that. He definitely put you on the spot there.”
“He did. I guess… I’m gonna have to talk to him about it when he gets home. I might just wait outside of his house.”
“Good plan. And Grace,” she hesitated. “Ajay can be really insecure, especially when it comes to relationships. I’m sure you’ve noticed. He’s just really paranoid about getting his heart broken again. So please, try and talk to him about it?”
Grace thought it over.
“I… I wish I could, Erin. But I don’t know. It seemed really obvious today that he’s not interested in me anymore, especially because he didn’t even say anything when that girl thought Rory and I were together. He wouldn’t even listen to what I said. I don’t think he’ll listen to me again.”
Erin’s jaw tightened, and she stared straight ahead onto the road.
“I’m gonna kick his ass,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. Rather than respond, Grace just pretended she didn’t hear.
She had no idea how their friend group could ever return to normal after this. Erin dropped her off a few minutes later, and after thanking her, Grace made a beeline to Rory’s house. She didn’t see his car in the driveway yet, so she sat on his porch.
***
It only took five minutes until Grace saw his car pull into the driveway. After a bit longer than usual, he got out and approached her. She started to talk,
“Rory, I’m so-”
He shook his head. “No, Grace, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m the one who should be sorry, for telling you something like that with everyone around. I should’ve waited to ask you about it in private.”
“I… it’s okay, Rory. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t like you that way. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Grace.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m strong, I’ll get over it. It was just a little crush.”
“Okay. Thanks, Rory.” She gave him a quick hug before leaving to let herself into her house as the bus rolled up and her twin got out.
***
Later that night, Grace was struggling to focus on her homework. She watched her phone, and each time the screen lit up she hoped it was Ajay. She wanted him to just listen to her, or maybe to text her and say he was sorry, or just anything. She had texted him once:
Grace: Hey, can you call me? I wanted to explain about today.
