Gray eyes met her black eyes
1037 Words
Rain hammered against the windshield.
*2:34 a.m.*
The streets were empty. Only the sound of tires on wet asphalt and her own breathing filled the car.
_*Fifth and Monroe. Under the bridge.*_
Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white.
_*What if this is a trap? What if he's lying? What if he really did kill someone?*_
_*God, what am I doing? I should've stayed home. I should've ignored the call.*_
The heater was on, but she was still cold. Cold inside. Cold outside.
She pulled over. Ahead, the bridge loomed dark and wet. Water dripped from the concrete above. Every drop sounded like a ticking clock.
She got out. The rain hit her hair and coat instantly, cold and sharp.
_*Where is he?*_
She looked around. No one was under the bridge. Just silence. The kind of silence that freezes your blood.
Anger rose in her chest.
_*Did he lie again? Did he play with me again? Even after 9 years?*_
_*I trusted him. I came all the way here. Risked my job for this.*_
Her eyes burned. At this hour, everything was silent. Even the rain sounded like it was chasing her.
She closed her eyes hard, then opened them.
And that's when she saw him.
In the corner, in the dark. Slumped down, arms wrapped around his knees, head lowered. Like the world had beaten him. Like breathing was too hard.
Her heart stuttered. She walked toward him slowly. Her footsteps made soft __splash__ sounds in the puddles.
Gray lifted his eyes. _*His storm-gray eyes met her black ones.*_
For one second, time stopped. Nine years disappeared in that one look.
She was here because of one call from him.
Even standing in the dark, soaked by rain, she looked like she was glowing. He could feel the softness of her face from where he sat. Her black hair was plastered to her cheeks and neck, making her features sharper, clearer.
Gray looked at her helplessly, like he couldn't believe she was real.
She stepped closer. Her legs were shaking.
There were wounds on his face. Blood on his hands. So much blood on his shirt, sticking to his black hoodie, wet and dark.
He was just staring at it, like it wasn't his.
The coldness was gone from his eyes. The cruelty. The mockery. He looked pitiful. Broken. Like a kid.
*"Gray?"* Her voice trembled.
He let out a broken, humorless laugh. The sound disappeared into the rain.
*"I knew you wouldn't come, Black."*
She froze. Nine years. Nine years, and he still called her that.
_*Don't feel sorry for him. Remember what he did to you. The locker. The hallway. The crying.*_
But her feet moved anyway. She stepped closer. Rain, blood, and that familiar scent hit her all at once. The scent she'd tried to forget for 9 years.
*"What happened?"* She forced her voice to stay steady. *"Whose blood is this?"*
Gray looked down at his hands like he was seeing them for the first time. Like he didn't understand what they were.
*"Mine,"* he said quietly, softer than the rain. *"Most of it."*
When he shifted, she saw it. A deep cut along his side. The fabric torn. Blood still flowing, mixing with the rain and dripping to the ground.
_*s**t. s**t. Shit.*_
*"We need to go to the hospital,"* she said immediately. Panic crept into her voice.
*"No hospitals,"* he snapped. Then his voice broke completely. *"Please. They'll find me."*
_*They? Who? The cops? Someone else?*_
*"You said you killed someone,"* she whispered, her heart pounding. *"Did you?"*
His jaw clenched. He wouldn't look at her. From shame? Or pain?
*"I didn't mean to,"* he said. *"It was self-defense. I swear to God, Black. I didn't mean to."*
The rain kept falling, dripping from her hair.
_*I swear to God.*_
The boy who lied to her every day was swearing to God now.
*"Then why are you here?"* She asked, her voice hard but her hands shaking. *"Why did you call me? Was there no one else in the world?"*
Finally, he looked up. Straight into her eyes. And for the first time in 9 years... he looked broken. Real.
*"Because you're the only person I trust,"* he said. *"Because I knew you'd hate me for it. But I also knew you'd come. Only you."*
Her chest tightened. She couldn't breathe.
_*He's right. I hate him. I really do. I hate him.*_
_*So why am I on my knees in the rain with him? Why is my heart beating for him?*_
Before she could stop herself, she reached out. Her fingers brushed his. Cold. Shaking. Like ice.
*"Let me see,"* she whispered.
She lifted his hoodie slightly. The wound was bad. Deep. Blood was still coming out. This was beyond her.
_*If he dies here, it's my fault. Because I was late.*_
*"You need help,"* she said, pulling herself together. *"Real help. Fine, not a hospital. But my apartment. I have a first aid kit. Cleaning supplies."*
Gray stared at her like she was crazy. Or like she was an angel.
*"You'd do that? After everything?"* There was hopelessness in his voice.
_*After everything.*_
After the rumors. After the locker. After the hallway. After the crying. After dropping out.
*"I don't know why,"* she admitted. The truth slipped out before she could catch it. *"But I can't leave you here bleeding out. I'm human, Gray."*
She stood up. Her legs were shaking. And held out her hand.
For a long moment, he just stared at it, like he was deciding.
Then, slowly, so slowly, he took it.
His hand was ice cold. His grip was weak. But he didn't let go.
And as she pulled him to his feet, one thought screamed in her head:
_*Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life? Or the right one?*_
He walked beside her in silence.
Under the soft glow of the moon, their shadows stretched and finally became one on the wet ground.
Somewhere far away, the trees rustled and swayed, as if they were humming a quiet, forbidden song just for the two of them.
The rain was still falling.
*To be continued...*
- Writer
