New Years Day by Taylor Swift

Please don't ever become a stranger who's laugh I could recognize anywhere.

I walk all the way down the street with Rachel stumbling as I hold her up and drag her. When we reach about a block away from the apartment she throws up all over me.

"Rachel." I sigh in annoyance, "Sorry." She cries. I look down at my vomit covered body and almost throw up myself.

When we get outside our house I take my keys out my back pocket and open the door, trying not to drop Rachel who has now fallen asleep on my shoulder.

I lead everyone inside with Grayson following closely behind, "You live here?" He asks sounding pretty surprised. "Yeah." I shrug. It's a pretty big house for 5 first year college students only a couple weeks into their classes.

I carry Rachel to her bedroom, everyone else digging through the cupboards of the kitchen desperate to find food. I place Rachel on her side, propped up by a pillow so if she throws up again she won't choke on it. I turn her light off and close the door behind me. I head back down stairs.

When I get back into the kitchen I find everyone snacking and making a mess as Grayson tries to clean up after them all.

Maddie is laying on the island as she eats dry cereal straight out the box, Hayden is eating an old pizza from a couple nights ago and finally Wyatt is dipping chocolate into pickle juice.

I gag when I see the sight. "What is wrong with you." I gasp. Maddie sits up and looks at me like we're having an intense staring contest, "There's no other food." She whines like a toddler.

"I'll go to the store later." I dismiss. Starting to pile them upstairs and out of the kitchen. I guide Maddie into her room alone as the guys go to bed themselves, Grayson asked to use the bathroom before he walked back.

Maddie gets under the sheets, "Hey Rooney?" She speaks quietly as I reach the door, "Mhm?" I reply. "Sorry I interrupted you fucking that guy. I think he likes you, I mean he wanted to get you home safely." She mutters drunkly. "We weren't fucking. Just a spur of the moment make out. And I don't think he likes me, he's just a really good guy." I tell her.

"Look, Paris. If that talk about losing your virginity made you feel like you had to I'm sorry. We didn't mean for that at all, we were just joking around. You shouldn't rush it if you aren't ready." Maddie mutters, before I can reply she falls asleep.

I smile to myself and leave. The guys are already in bed. I head downstairs to clean the kitchen and say bye to Grayson.

Grayson waits for me in the doorway ready to leave. "You need help with that kitchen?" He offers. "Nah I've got it." I dismiss. "It's a small mess, it'll be gone quicker if I help."

And so he does, much to my protest. We throw out pizza boxes, we wipe away pickle juice from the counter, we put away cereal. And in no time the kitchen is spotless thanks to our teamwork.

"I should head back now." He breaks the silence. I walk with him to the door but when we open the door we are surprised to see the streets covered with rain. It pours so loud you can here it bouncing on the ground.

"See you around." He smiles, walking out and already getting soaked. "I can't let you walk home in that." I speak louder than before to be heard over the rain. "It's fine, if I don't leave right now it'll only get worse." He matches my volume.

His hair begins to drop its usual volume. I watch him walk down the pathway, his full body getting soaked, his shorts and tank top not doing much protection.

I flinch when I see a bright flash of lightning, he keeps walking and making me think I was just seeing things that weren't there. But then I jump when I hear a loud crack of thunder, letting out a high pitched scream. He stops for a second and turns around with a smirk, making fun of my scream.

Back in Connecticut we experienced a lot of storms so I know a decent amount about them. I was always really scared of them but whenever I was with my Mom it was okay. In Texas there aren't many storms so we haven't had to experience them in a while but now in Massachusetts there are a lot more, thankfully I've not been present for one here yet.

I realise the time between the lightning and thunder was less than three seconds which means it's around half a mile away. "Gray!" I yell out. He stops and turns around again.

I gesture for him to come over and he jogs back. I pull him inside again no questions asked and close the doors. Flinching again when another roar of thunder shakes. "You okay?" He asks. "Yeah but you won't be if you walk back in that. It's about 0.5 miles away so if you kept walking in the direction of it you'd be fried." I reply brutally.

"How do you know how far away it is?" He asks me. "We got like weekly storms in Connecticut and I was always terrified of it so Mom made it fun by teaching us about all the nerdy shit behind it all."

He smiles a little. "You can just stay the night." I offer. "No, you've got enough people living in this house, it's fine. I can just wait a little until it dies down. You go to bed, I'll be fine." He dismisses.

"Don't be stupid. It's not going to die down any time soon. Just stay, tommorow is Saturday so you won't be late for school or anything." I argue.

I grab his wrist and pull him upstairs with me. I lead him into my bedroom and sit him down on the end of my bed. I open the closet as he looks around confused but still wearing that smirk.

I consider every option in my closet of what would fit and what wouldn't. I remove a few things and lay them on the bed. "They might be too small but they're the best I've got so.. suck it up?" I smile innocently.

He starts trying out a couple things, getting a few giggles out of me when I watch him pose in my cropped t-shirt, showing off almost all of his abdominal with the skin tight material that looks on the edge of ripping.

He settles for my oversized hoodie that fits him perfectly and some joggers that are a little tight on him but look and feel fine.

I put away the clothes that didn't fit as he folds up his other wet clothes. "You want me to sleep on the couch?" I offer. A selfish part of me hopes he says no and let's me sleep in my bed with him.

"No, it's okay. I'll sleep down there." Grayson pushes his hair back with one hand as he stands. As he leaves the room, our laughs and chatter leaves with him, making the room dead silent. I squeal again at the loud bang and flash that pokes through my curtains.

Suddenly I'm 7 again. Hiding from the thunder under my covers. 

9 years ago.

I squeezed my nails into the palm of my hand when I heard it again. The loud noise that shook the whole ground. Every time it happens I had my Mom to help. She would hug me until the storms passed or would play games to take my mind off it. 

But this time I was home alone. Mom and Avery had gone out for emergency grocery shopping and left me alone for only ten minutes. When I first heard it I ran as quickly as I could up to my bed. I pulled the covers over my body and shook with fear. 

With each boom, i dug my nails deeper into my aching skin. I could feel blood coming from the cuts I indented. 

My breathing was shaky and uncontrollable as I sobbed. I couldn't quite understand why I was so frightened. I didn't exactly love the thought that it could kill me or anyone I loved with only a flash. I also wasn't too fond of the loud noise it made in the dead silence of the nights. 

But that night when Mom got home she made me my favourite dessert, she let me sleep beside her and she put bandaids on my hands pretending they weren't there. She sang to me and let me help with dinner. She placed my hair in braids and cuddled me all night as the loud booms continued, but in her hold I immediately felt safer. Like nothing could reach me when I was with my Mom.

"Paris?" Grayson asks quietly, now magically standing in front of me worriedly. "Yeah?" I ask, clawing my finger nails into my palms once again. I looked up at him and felt a tear roll down my cheek, I quickly wipe it away hoping he never saw it. 

I know he did, because he is standing right in front of me. But just like my Mother he ignores it and pretends everything is fine. Like my hands aren't bleeding.

"You should get changed, you smell like vomit." He laughs, taking my two hands in his to stop me digging them in. I snicker at his honesty, picking out pj's for myself.

He pretends not to be helping me as if he's just talking to me normally but he's distracting me from the storm brewing outside, which is more helpful than if he were to try and help me out. 

I face the wall as I get changed but it doesn't matter because when I turn around again, I see him covering his eyes with his hands like a kid and facing the opposite side of the room. 

I get myself into bed and he starts leaving. Fuck it. "Hey Grayson.. would you sleep in here?" I ask. Then I hold my breath until he answers.

He turns around and I see him trying to bite back the grin forming on his face. "Yeah, sure." He agrees. 

He goes to the other side of my bed and lays down beside me. I turn onto my side so we are looking at each other. I smirk, my heart races. 

"I was glad when I saw your face at that party." I whisper simply. He grins, "Yeah, me too." He speaks just bellow a whisper, sounding gravely. 

And in that moment, nothing more needs to be said. He gently takes my hand in his and we keep it that way until slowly we fall into a deep and comfortable sleep. 

The storm outside can't reach us in here. Not with my hand in his. Not when I can hear his soft breathing. Not when I can see his chest rising and falling as he sleeps.

(a/n. Cute little Grayson chapter. Sorry to all my Jamis fans, I swear they'll be more of him later but for now it's Grays time to shine. Hope you liked.)