Isolated Love Ch. 03

Grayson smiled his straight, disarming smile and she rolled down the window. "Hi."

Hi? Is he serious?

"Hi." she replied, unimpressed with his attempt at keeping things casual. This brought a small chuckle from Grayson.

"What're you up to?"

Arabeth really wasn't in the mood for small talk, not that she had anything better to do. It was just his presence that caused her to become so uneasy. Somehow, he'd managed to pull feelings from deep within her that only one other person could.

No, don't think about it. Don't think about him...

"Nothing, just got off work. Trying to figure out something to get in to." she said absently, she was trying to make herself look as if she was uninterested in any conversation with him, even though part of her knew deep down she wanted him to keep talking to her. She couldn't figure out why, but Grayson managed to make her feel a copious amount of emotion without even trying. She barely knew him and already, she felt like they'd been old lovers for years.

Grayson picked up her trying to hold a distraction and it made him nervous. He knew part of the reason was because of what had happened the previous night, but he just wanted her to look at him. "Go out with me." he more so told her than asked, but it got her attention. Arabeth stopped looking at her phone and immediately looked up at him. Dammit, why did he look better every time she saw him. He'd shaved, so his face was bare which gave him a boyish look but it didn't look any less captivating. His hair was pulled out of his face into a ponytail and he was wearing glasses. He looked like he'd just finished studying for something in his sweatpants and loose-fitting shirt.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." she said, not really responding to his request.

"That's because you don't know me. Go out with me." he said once again.

"Why?" she asked, immediately regretting it once she saw the semi-hurt look in his eyes.

Grayson let out a deep breath. "Because... I wanna know you. And I want you to know me." It was as simple as that. No other explanation behind it, no other explanation needed. Arabeth thought it over for a second, debating on whether or not to accept even though he wasn't really asking, but telling. Seeing that he wasn't going to go away, she nodded and he smiled even wider. "Great, is now good? I need to change first but that should only take a few minutes."

"I have to change too."

"Cool well, go home. Change. I'll come pick you up." he was practically about to jump out of his skin with excitement.

Without another word, Arabeth rolled up the window and drove off, not really sure how to take his constant attention.

**

Shit, shit, shit!!

Arabeth was having the hardest time finding something to wear in such a short amount of time. Once she'd arrived home, she made a quick dash for the shower. Once finished, she checked her phone and noticed that Grayson had called her. When she called him back, she'd informed him that she'd need at least an hour to get ready since she'd just gotten off work when her approached her. He agreed and told her he'd give her until 6:30 and then he'd be on his way. It was now six and she'd only taken a shower and rubbed down her body, still wrapped in a towel. She was standing in front of closet when she heard the door open and turned to watch Ina walk in. "Hey beauty, what are ya up to?" Ina questioned suspiciously.

"I have a... date? I think it's a date. Not really sure."

"Oooh... Grayson? I knew you guys were going to-..." Ina started but Arabeth quickly cut her off.

"Woah, hold on. How do you know it's with Grayson? It could be with..."

"Grayson." Ina finished her sentence, telling Arabeth that she'd never been a good liar. They both smiled at each other. "When's he coming?"

"In about.. 30 minutes." Arabeth said, turning back towards her closet.

"And you're not fucking dressed?! What are you doing you lazy bitch?! Move.. move!" Ina shoved Arabeth slightly as she went through her closet. Immediately, she picked out an adorable summer dress that Arabeth almost never wore. Dresses weren't really her thing. "This. Put it on." Ina said, throwing the dress on Arabeth's bed. "And don't even think about arguing with me.. he'll be here soon and you need to be ready."

"Why are you pushing this so hard? You don't even know the guy. I don't even know the guy!" she scoffed, even though she was already putting the dress on. Once she'd smoothed the dress out, she walked over to the full length mirror and studied her appearance. The dress was actually nice, despite never wearing it. It was floral flush body-con dress that accentuated her curves nicely. It was modest in a way that it didn't allow any cleavage to escape, but still showed off her full figure. It came just above her knees and was one of Ina's favorite styles. Of course it was, Ina had picked it out. Turning to the side, she noted that the dress made her butt look absolutely firm and alluring. Her classic black sandals added a "pretty summer girl" look and her outfit was complete.

"I don't know the guy, but I know his friend and from what I hear... you two found each other at the right time. Now come on girl, you've got less than 20 minutes until he gets here. Let me see that hair." Ina said, coaxing Arabeth into a chair so she could work her magic.

15 minutes later, Arabeth was standing in the living room awaiting his arrival. Ina had curled her hair and adding a little volume to it, gave her a nice summer appearance. He'd be there in five minutes and she was anxious. She'd been on dates before, but she was sure Grayson would be nothing like those. He seemed to be more experienced at dating and it scared her. What if she wasn't good enough for him? Too inexperienced with...

knock, knock, knock...

Her thoughts were interrupted. "What?! No, he's early!" Arabeth said, trying to make a mad dash for her room, but Ina easily blocked the doorway.

"By two minutes, get your shit together and go answer the door." Ina said, leaving no room for arguments.

Arabeth glared at Ina before trying to make another attempt at getting past her in which Ina popped her on the forehead. "You look too good to stay in this fucking dorm with me all night, now go..."

Arabeth sucked in an agitated breath, but turned around and walked to the door. She slowly opened to find a smiling Grayson leaning against the door frame, ready to knock again. "I was worried you were going to back out, honey." he said in a low whisper. His eyes roamed her body once before he looked back up into her awaiting eyes. She was biting her lip again. Grayson could feel himself stirring, but before he could get another word out, a determined looking Kidd brushed past him and stood before Arabeth.

"Damnnn girl... Maybe you call me later and get rid of this bum, eh?" he suggested jokingly as he walked into the dorm. If Grayson had something to throw at him, he would've. He knew Kidd was only joking, but it unsettled him to have any other man thinking about her that way. He wanted her, and badly. And no man, not even Kidd was going to fuck this up for him.

"Uh.. the fuck? Hello, you flirtatious asshole..." came an annoyed Ina from the bedroom doorway. She'd crossed her eyes and was waiting for Kidd to make his way over to her.

"You know I'm kiddin' baby. I've only got eyes for you.. now why don't you go ahead and speak some of that Swahili that I love so much.." he said as he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. It took only 10 seconds before Ina melted into his arms and let out a playfully squeal as he kissed her neck.

Grayson and Arabeth knew when it was time to go. "Alright, gross.. we're leaving. Let's go." she said, grabbing Grayson's hand and leaving the two lovers standing in the doorway.

**

"So, where are we going?" Arabeth asked him, genuinely curious as to what he had in store. She hadn't done a lot of going out since...

No, don't do that to yourself...

"To the middle of the woods where no one can hear you scream..." he replied darkly. Arabeth felt the color drain from her cheeks and Grayson laughed. "Damn girl, I'm only kidding... Lighten up. You know I wouldn't do shit like that, Ina and Kidd would both have my ass." he said, trying to ease the tension.

"You don't joke about shit like that!! What's wrong with you?! Girls get kidnapped all the time and I read this one time.. a girl was-..." she was about to give him a long speech about safety but was interrupted.

"Relax honey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, ok? The more you get to know me... you'll find I've got quite a different sense of humor. But to answer your question... We're going... out of town." he answered, glancing over to see her face twist up in confusion. "Cincy honey, we're going to Cincinnati." he added. Arabeth felt herself relax, they weren't going that far away.

She nodded and relaxed against her seat. "Mind turning on some music?" she asked, hoping he wasn't one of those people who liked to ride in silence.

Without answering her, Grayson turned on the radio and allowed her to pick the station. Arabeth quickly found her favorite station and sat back.

♪ I can lift you up

I can show you what you wanna see

And take you where you wanna be!

You can be my luck!

Even if the sky is falling down

I know that we'll be safe and sound.♪

Not realizing that she was singing louder than usual, she continued and Grayson found himself enamored with her confidence. She had a beautiful singing voice and he was getting to experience it first hand. "So you like music then?" he inquired.

But Arabeth wasn't listening, she was busy dancing in her seat, eyes closed and throwin' down to one of her favorite songs. "We're safe and sound!"

Grayson, figuring she was too far gone, allowed her to continue as he continued to drive. He'd bring it up later.

**

"So, you've never had calamari?" he questioned.

Arabeth shook her head and continued to eat her Cajun chicken pasta. They were seated in a comfortable booth in a not-so-upscale restaurant. Grayson figured that she wasn't the type of girl to want to get all dressed up and go somewhere super fancy. He was pleased when she told him that it was one of her favorite places to eat whenever she and Ina were in Cincinnati. "Eating squid is disgusting." she added.

Grayson shook his head and popped another piece of fried calamari into his mouth. "You don't know that because you've never had it."

Arabeth shrugged. "Gross." she countered, laughing at his inability to keep from dropping crumbs on the table.

"Nah, you just don't know how to dine the proper way, darlin'." he said, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He couldn't stop looking at her. She looked absolutely stunning, even more so than before. "So tell me", he started up again trying to get her to look at him, "You're 20, live on campus with your best friend and roommate Ina, who just so happens to be screwing my best friend and roommate Kidd", Arabeth let out a choked laugh. She shouldn't have been surprised at his vulgarity, but she was. Nonetheless, he kept going.

"You've never eaten fried calamari, which I still think is twisted. You're an only child, you love music, you love to write, in your spare time, you catch yourself Netflixing all day, which I think is nuts, that's too many shows in one day..."

"Okay, no. Netflixing consists of watching one series for hours at time, not different shows throughout the day..." she interjected.

He laughed and continued, "My point being... you spend a lot of your time watching Netflix. Your favorite color is green because it's the color of the leaves on the trees and you love nature. Yo-..." he was going to finish but she held her hand up, cutting him off.

"Alright, ok mister know-it-all.. You've got enough information on me. Now it's your turn. Deal?" she asked, not really meaning it as a question.

Grayson smiled genuinely and nodded, resting his hands in his lap. "Shoot."

"How old did you say you were again?" she started with something simple.

"I didn't."

Arabeth rolled her eyes, "Well how old are you, smart ass?"

He chuckled lightly and answered, "25."

She nodded and continued. "What's your major?"

"Elementary Education."

"So you like kids?" she asked. He nodded simply.

"Have any brothers or sisters?"

"I do. Two brothers and three sisters."

Arabeth's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Wow... your parents weren't playing around. Well actually, maybe they were." she joked and Grayson couldn't help but laugh at that. She was funny, he liked funny.

"They were playing around alright, a little too much." he joined in on her joke. Arabeth continued to smile and asked their names.

"Let's see... There's Donna, she's the eldest at 33, married with two kids.. Then there's Jackson, he just turned 30 and is dreading every second of it-.." he said and Arabeth felt herself becoming more and more interested in his big family. "Gabriel, he's 26 and much like myself, is attending grad-school. Ashley, 21 and Melinda who's 19 and is going to school back at home." he concluded.

"And where's home?"

"Lexington." he said and Arabeth noted the way his face edged in disgust. She had to admit, going to school in Lexington was not something she was fond of and by the looks of it, neither was Grayson.

"Sounds like you've got a nice family." she said, feeling the sadness creep upon her.

Grayson noticed the change in her tone as her smile faltered slightly. "What's wrong, sugar?"

Arabeth shook her head, "Nothing. I just wish my family was as big as yours." she said, sagging her shoulders a little.

Grayson nodded and called the waitress over. "We're ready to go if you wouldn't mind getting the check please?" he turned to Arabeth, "Dessert?" She thought it over and declined. "It'll be all then." he said, dismissing the waitress whose eyes had been roving over him the minute he walked in. This night had turned out great for him, but he wasn't done yet. He had another place to take her and hoped she would like it as much as he did.

"So, are we going home? Or..."

"Nu uh, nope. Not just yet, princess. I've got somewhere else to take you and then we'll see about going home." he replied. Arabeth nodded, assuming he meant the "we'll see" part as a joke. She was hoping that he did, she still didn't trust herself.

"Oh yeah? Alright, well then let's hit it!" she said, trying to bring some excitement back into her voice. Grayson grinned as they started to ready themselves.

**

"This is beautiful..." she said in awe. They'd taken a trip to The Banks in Cincinnati and Arabeth was simply enthralled with the colors of the fountain and the peacefulness of it all. It wasn't unusually crowded and they found a bench to sit on. Grayson was sitting with his arm resting on the bench behind her and was watching her unmistakably as she watched the fountain. "Have you ever thought about.. I don't know, where you'll go after you finish school? I mean.. I know that you have like.. a life and everything already set up but.. is there anything that you've always wanted to do before you go out into the real world? Not saying that this isn't the real worl-..." she turned to face him and gasped at how close he was. His face was inches away from hers and he was staring at her admiringly. "Hi." she smiled, trying not to let his closeness phase her. But shit, if he wasn't so damn fine...

"Hi." he said before he leaned down and captured her lips in a scorching, passionate kiss. She wanted to stop him, but this was only the second time they'd kiss and she could tell that she was becoming addicted to his taste. The hand that wasn't rested behind her reached up to cradle her face as the kiss deepened. Grayson, who was fighting the urge to rip her dress off and take her over the bench, decided to test the waters and licked her lips, begging her to give him access. And she did. As soon as Arabeth opened her mouth, his tongue delved inside, licking and tasting the inside of her mouth with fever. His hand found its way into her locks and she moaned at the contact. Grayson lost it. He removed his hand from her hair, their passion causing wandering eyes from other patrons to meet them, but neither of them cared. His hand found its way to her legs and he sensually rubbed her skin, never breaking away from her lips. Arabeth in turn, scooted as close to him as she could get and rested her hand on her arm, not to push him away but to encourage his motions. Noting her approval, Grayson decided to get a little more bold and grabbed the hem of her dress, not pushing it up but playing with it. Seeing that she wasn't going to stop him, he decided to put an end to the raging fire that was burning inside of them both and broke the kiss. He couldn't afford to get arrested for public indecency, nor did he want anyone else seeing what he was going to lay claim to.

Arabeth had never felt anything like that in her life. The chemistry between them was not something she was used to and it made her feel... good. It made her feel wanted. Being kissed in public by someone who could actually stand to be seen with her. This was new, it was different. They stared in silence at each other, not caring who or what was around them. They were just lost in each others passion a moment ago and she would give her left leg and a breast for it to continue. She bit her lip and watched him for a few more seconds before speaking. "That was...", her voice was low and laced with a need to be satisfied right then and there.

"Everything I imagined it to be and then some..." he finished for her. She nodded and they both smiled, never wanting to leave that spot. "I should probably get you home..." he added. She nodded, even though she really wanted to tell him to take her back to his place, but she knew now wasn't the time.

**

As Grayson pulled up to the circle in front of her dorm, he was still trying to figure out ways to let her know how serious he was about this. About her. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to move on with her, but something told him that she'd be the girl for him for a long time. Maybe it was the way she reacted to his jokes, or the way she always seemed so cool about things. It could have been a number of things but Grayson just knew he needed to keep her around.

"I had a great time." she said, interrupting his longing thoughts. He turned to face her.

"So did I. You're... amazing." he said, reaching his hand over to brush the hair out of her face. He smiled when he felt the heat in her cheeks and she looked at her lap. His hand moved to her chin as he guided her face back to look at him. "Don't hide yourself from me. You're perfect. You're... Wow." he said, at a lost for words. No girl had ever done that before, not even his ex and he sure as hell knew that Arabeth was something special.

Arabeth smiled meekly before undoing her seat belt and opening the door. "Thanks... for all of this. This night.. the date.. it was... amazing."

Grayson could feel his smile widen as he nodded his head. "I'd love to do it again. Do you need me to walk you to your door?"

Arabeth chuckled and shook her head. She told him that she'd be fine just making it a few steps to her room, but hoped to hear from him again soon. It seemed like they were moving a little fast, but something in her said that maybe he was worth a shot.

"Have a goodnight, princess."

"And you as well, Grayson." she said, stepping out of the car and shutting the door. He rolled down the window and watched as she blew him a kiss and walked away. He could feel the flutter in his stomach as she did so and knew that there would be many dates to come.