~

"What if she says no?" I ask, my eyes shifting from Zyair on my bed to Aaron on the couch.

I had a date with Kelch tomorrow. A perfectly organized date, but my nervousness and anxiety made me worry that something might go wrong.

Nervousness was something I never felt. I always have it at the back of my mind that whatever happens, happens, so there's no need to stress myself. Yet, I made up scenarios featuring all the things that could go wrong tomorrow.

Aaron crosses one leg over the other. "You're just asking her to be your girlfriend. It's not a marriage proposal."

I roll my eyes at his comment and run a hand through my hair. At the back of my mind, I knew the reason I felt so anxious was that I still haven't forgiven myself for cheating on her in the past.

"Why don't you just go. You. Me," Zyair says and raises his middle finger. "Forever."

I facepalm myself and drag my hand down my face in annoyance, while Aaron laughs at Zyair's remark.

"Because-," Zyair raises his hands defensively. "Fucking one girl forever is a big deal."

Aaron raises his hand to me. "Dove has been in love with you since forever. I promise she'll say yes."

"And on the bright side, if she says no, that would mean more food for me," Zyair grins, and I roll my eyes at him.

"You look so worried, and it's so funny," Zyair laughs cheekily, leaning to the side.

I pick a paper from my desk, rumple it before throwing it at him. He dodges the paper, clutching his stomach as he continues his irritating hysterical laughter.

"Times like this make me wonder why I'm friends with you," I chuckle as I walk out the room.

"Bitch, you love me," Zyair calls out to me. I throw him the middle finger as a response.

I do love my friends, but I'll never admit that to their faces. Never. Especially Zyair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wear something comfortable.

The week had dragged on lazily, taunting me before Saturday's arrival. Gray has been super hushed about his plans for the date, refusing to telling me where we might be going. All he said was, 'It's a surprise, and wear something comfortable.'

Throughout the week, I couldn't stop thinking; bowling, dinner, Arcade, a farmer's market?

What else do people do on dates?

Gray and I have never been on a date before with just the two of us. Now that I think about it, I don't think he asked me out officially.

The last time I'd been on a date was with- Luca.

Luca and Aussie have been calm and under the radar these past few weeks. I barely saw them around, and even when I did, they never look my way.

Clearing the thought of Luca from my head, I open my closet and stare at the outfits in it, thinking I should have gone shopping. All my sexy clothes were uncomfortable.

Like Ashley would say, Fashion is pain.

After much consideration, I wear a Mata Complex Top and Mom Jeans.

After my outfit wear, I position myself in front of my vanity mirror and begin applying makeup to my face. Minimal nude makeup is the rage right now. And as simple as it looked, not that easy to achieve such a look.

I had all the makeup products and tools, yet I still needed the help of YouTube videos to apply makeup. I click on the first video I see and begin with my eyebrows.

I take an hour or two to get ready, but it was worth it because I looked fantastic afterward.

The only obstacle left was my dad and Shelia. I know they'd be lurking around somewhere to see Gray and me. After Gray and Shelia's conversation the other day, Shelia let me know she had nothing against our relationship and was happy as long as we were.

Surprisingly, they weren't in the living room when I arrived. Gray seats on the couch, his hand on his head as he tapped his feet impatiently.

I look at my phone to check the time, wondering if he was angry at how much time I spent getting ready. Gray's head snaps up at the sound of my shoes on the marbled floor.

He looks at me, wind-stirred waves in his ocean blue eyes. His eyes take in my appearance, slowly engraving every inch in his mind as he stands.

His eyes hold so much depth, dragging down into the blue waves, and everything else around me blurs as we lock gazes. We smile in sync with each other.

"You look beautiful," He says, his voice low and deep.

"And so do you," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck.

We are the only ones in the living room, and there is no need for us to whisper. Yet we did.

Inching a little nearer to him, I breathe in his scent; I could recognize the brand of cologne he used. His scent was intoxicating, and I couldn't get enough of it.

"You smell great too," He whispers in my ear, nuzzling his head in my neck and tightening his grip around my waist.

"You too."

He pulls away and lets out a small growl from the back of his throat. "Okay, let's get out of here before I lose control."

I giggle as he intertwines our hands and pulls me out of the house. "Are you still not going to tell me where we're going?"

He shakes his head and opens the car door for me. "It's a surprise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're kidding," My mouth hangs open as I stare at the sight before me.

Gray grins and shakes his head, the fierce wind running through his hair. "Nope."

"Grayson Christopher Stone," I turn to look at him.

"Not my middle name."

"I'm not jumping out of a fucking plane," I shake my head.

I turn on my heels once I see the diving instructor walking towards us, but Gray stops me from going further by grabbing onto my waist.

"I promise you'll land safely," He laughs in my ear.

"That's if I don't I die of fear, first."

Gray chuckles, and with a swift hand movement, he turns me to face him. He tucks my air behind my ear and strokes my cheeks with his thump. "I'll jump with you."

"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better," I roll my eyes, dryly.

The diving instructor reaches us and stretches his neck in our direction. "Are you guys ready?"

"No," I reply sharply.

"Give us a minute," Gray replies to the man with a small smile.

He turns to me, a more serious expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd like this. We can watch a movie instead," he says, his face searching mine.

I place a kiss on the side of his lips and shake my head. He must have spent time and money on this ride. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude."

"You don't have to jump if you don't want to. I have a Plan B," He grins, tracing my bare waist with his finger, his chilly hands lighting sparks everywhere he touched.

"Well, I've always wanted to know what it feels like to be a bird," I chuckle, wrapping my arms around his waist, rating my head to stare into his eyes. "I'm just terrified a bit."

Gray sighs and kisses my hair. "To be honest, I am too," He laughs. "But, hey. We'll be facing our fears together."

We pull away and turn to face the instructor who had a bored, disgusted expression on his face.

"Someone needs to get laid," Gray whispers in my ear. I bite my lips to hide my laughter.

"We are ready."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't know Gray was this much of a baby.

The diving instructor climbed through from the cockpit. He reached for a handle and pulled open a door set in the back of the aircraft, allowing the frigid air to rush in.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Gray shouts over the wind, repeating the same question he had been asking me for the past five minutes.

Yet, my answer remains the same. "Yes."

Now that I was in the aircraft, I felt free, exhilarated, and couldn't wait to jump out. The wind kept hitting my face hard, pushing my hair to the back. The jumpsuit given to us by the company kept rustling with the wind.

"If you find this terrifying-,"

"I don't," I cut Gray off, feeling giddy.

Gray was having a moment of realization, and he knew he had fucked up. I couldn't help but laugh at how the tables have turned.

I clutch Gray's hand and pat it gently. "Don't worry, baby. I'll hold your hand," I tease with a smirk.

"I'm not scared for me. I'm scared for you," he replies in a bored tone.

"Yes. Let's go with that."

The diving instructor taps Gray's back, signaling that it was time to jump. "You can take your seatbelts off now."

"Are you sure you're not having second thoughts?" Grays furrows his brow at me.

"Yes. I am."

"I just don't want to force you to do something you don't-,"

"Gray," I cut him off and hold his face in my hands. "I want to do this."

He grins and pulls me up by the hand. Our bodies press together as he stands behind me, sharing the same parachute with me. We stand close to the edge of the aircraft, waiting for the signal from our instructor.

"My heart totally skipped back then," Gray whispers in my ear.

"Why? cause you realized we night die?"

There was a loud buzz, and the red light turned green.

"No. Because you called me baby."

The green light flashes, leaving stunned with no time to think as our bodies let go. The cold air hit my goggles and rushed past as we descended at an accelerating rate. The tapestry of the country field blurs out and enlarges. I close my eyes, trying to take deep breaths.

Then, after a time, I felt like I was floating and not falling at all. I open my eyes to see Gray has pulled the cord of the parachute. The trees and green grass get larger as we slow down to a more leisurely decline.

As we touched the ground, a wave of emotions I couldn't describe rush over me, leaving me feeling overwhelmed.

That skydiving experience was the best two minutes of my life.

We take off the jumpsuits and parachute, handing them over to the man who had jumped with us.

The man waves at us before walking in the opposite direction. Gray and I walk on the fields- holding hands- in comfortable silence with the soft breeze blowing in our faces.

The evening sun was setting, a purple and pink hue shade stood just above the horizon. I feel the soothing breeze, become consumed in the music of birds, letting the gentle energy of nature wash over me.

Just when I was about to say something, I notice a picnic set up in the distance. My eyes nearly pop-out of my eye socket as we walked closer. The entire set up comes into view, and I gasp, covering my mouth with my hands.

My eyes swell up with tears, and I turn to hug Gray. He jerks back from my sudden jump, but holds on to my waist, his big, strong hands embracing me equally.

"Do you like it?"

Are you kidding me?

"Yes, I do."

"I've also got something else for you," He grins and walks towards the forte.

He raises a pillow and grabs something from underneath it, tucking it behind his back.

I wondered how he could get all these things here. A projector projected the words Netflix, unto a white screen opposite the forte.

My eyes glaze over the picnic basket-

"Kelch?" Gray says, and I raise my head to stare at him, my eyes wide with anticipation.

He clears his throat and holds my right hand. "The first time I saw you, I knew I wanted you to be mine. But after getting to know you, I wanted to be yours."

"I am in love with everything about you. The way you talk. The way your eyes tell more than you speak. The little indentation that appears at the side of your cheeks when you smile. Your confidence. You're kind and mean at the same time- my type of perfect."

I feel my eyes brimming up with tears again, yet I laugh at his last sentence.

"I love how loving you makes me feel. I can't describe it, but it feels good. You make me feel good. I want you, Dove Kelch, to let me be your boyfriend," He says, a smile on his face as he shows me what he's been hiding.

I could recognize that rose gold bracelet anywhere. The rose gold bracelet I didn't want him to buy for me. The bracelet he said he'd hold on to for me.

Now, it became clearer that he was talking about himself.

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

I nod my head repeatedly and hold out my hand for him. He wears the bracelet on my hand and carries me up in a swirl.

"Yes?" He asks, gently placing me on my feet.

"Yes," I giggle through my tears.

I lean in closer to kiss him. Just as our lips are about to connect, the shrill ringing of his phone disturbs us.

He tries to ignore it, but I place my hand on his chest to stop him. "Pick it up. We have all night."

My phone rings and Gray finally releases me as he picks up his phone.

A message pops up, and I click to open it.

I freeze as I read the words written. It wasn't a message, but a list.

JAY DEACON ❌

AARON BAKER

ZYAIR SMITH

ASHLEY HILLS

FAWN WELTS

ELLIOTT MANN

The name Jay Deacon had a red x emoji next to it.

Gray's phone call ends, and he turns to look at me, his face crestfallen and pale.

"Jay's dead."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

QOTD- What was the last thing you ate?

>> I had noodles.