|2001|  

Harley and Gray's relationship progressed when Gray had reached out to her again. If he had time to come home, he wouldn't miss asking Harley out for a few hours just to spend time with her. She had forgiven him a while back and now she was longing to see him every time he came home for the weekend. They were careful with each other and the thought of an unrequited love was dividing them both. What they didn't know was that the tension was too strong whenever they were together. But, Gray respected Harley and knew that she was still in a relationship.

On a Saturday afternoon, Harley was supposed to go out with her boyfriend but Nate had a last minute thing with his family. She was supposed to bring Nate along at her grandparent's "Ballroom Dancing for Seniors" which was a weekly activity that Harley went to whenever she didn't have plans.

Harley was in a hurry, changing into a black slip dress over a striped shirt. She grabbed her backpack and raced to the front door to get onto her bike. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Gray on her doorstep, his hand hanging mid-air about to knock.

"Gray? I thought you were going to be busy this weekend."

"Oh hey, Harley! Well, yeah but I'm home for today. What are you up to?" He tilted his head in curiosity.

She huffed, trying to catch her breath. "Umm... I have this thing."

Gray chuckled, "A thing? Oh come on, you can tell me."

"It's just this dance thing with my grandparents," I told him nonchalantly.

"Oh cool, can I come with?"

"W-what?" Harley stammered, "Are you sure?"

He shrugged then gave her a warm smile, "Yeah, I mean it's been a while, you know." Remembering the first time he held her in his arms, it was a confusing time for him but he quite enjoyed himself having to feel her body closer.

Instead of riding her bike, Gray offered that he would drive them to their destination. When they arrived, people were already gathered at the center while a middle-aged woman was announcing something over the microphone. Harley saw her grandparents by the stage and greeted them. Gray looked around and was surprised that she hadn't changed one bit. She still loved making people happy with dancing.

"You guys remember Gray, right?"

Grandpa Frank adjusted his glasses so he could see more clearly, "Is that the kid from next door?"

"That would be me, sir," he answered respectfully.

"What happened to Nate?," Grandma Beth inquired.

Harley's face fell, "Something came up with his family, grandma." She was actually looking forward to today. However, she was also happy that Gray was here too.

"Okay, everyone! Find your partners! The first song is about to start in a few minutes!" The woman announced all of a sudden.

"There you are Harley!" A different voice sounded from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Alfred approaching her. Alfred was a senior citizen who was also a frequent attendee. He was put into a nursing home and this was his way of releasing some of his stress from being cooped up inside his room all day. They met because there was a time when Alfred, who was sulking in a corner, didn't have a partner so Harley offered her hand to him. He seemed to look very lonely during that time. When he looked up to see Harley smiling brightly at him, his face lit up with joy. Harley couldn't forget how deflated he looked before to suddenly dancing happily to the songs that played that day.

"Alfred! How are you?" Harley beamed at her friend.

Alfred grinned, "Good, good. I haven't seen you around, eh."

"Yeah, school's keeping me occupied."

"So is this champ your boyfriend?" Alfred blurted, eyeing him suspiciously.

Her eyes widened, immediately heating her cheeks from embarrassment. "Oh, no! He's just a friend."

He harrumphed childishly, "Unbelievable. I've been replaced!"

She laughed at his antics, "Be nice. He's a visitor. I owe you a dance, 'kay?"

Alfred just grumbled but gave her a small smile when he left to find another partner. Gray was completely confused with what just happened.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"Don't worry about him," she chuckled. "He's been a great dancing partner... quite the funny one too. Now, let's get into position. Do you still remember what I taught you?"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Gray gulped but he was finally able to hold her even if it was just for today. His body stiffened when she pulled him closer than the intended distance. Harley smiled up at him softly. Her eyes telling him that it was okay. This was a normal occurrence for her but for Gray, it was a whole new level of intimate contact with the person he loved for so long.

Woah, where did that even come from?

Are my feelings that strong to admit that I already love her?

The music started playing through the speakers and Gray immediately was dumbfounded when he felt her hips sway graciously to the beat. His heart was thrashing everywhere and the tender stare she was giving him made him go weak in the knees. He mentally gave himself a slap to the face, this was just Harley, he kept repeating over and over. She guided him all throughout the song and when the first song ended, she chuckled, "Don't be so nervous! You're too stiff."

"You know I can't dance," he grumbled.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Then why were you so adamant in joining me today?"

He scoffed and avoided eye contact, embarrassed by the fact that he wanted to spend more time with her. It was quite ironic that the roles have reversed this time. Gray didn't answer her when he just pulled her closer, breathing in her powdery scent. Subtle but it was something he wanted to look forward to every morning when he woke up from the bed. He immediately felt her stiffen but he didn't care anymore. This was the only chance he was getting in which he wanted to savor.

"W-what are you doing?" She questioned, a nervous laugh escaping from her lips.

"Shh, just let me hold you like this." Gray closed his eyes and held her the way he wanted. Her head against his broad chest. His cheek resting on top of her head and his arm wrapped around her curves. The next song was playing with an upbeat tune this time but he could care less about it. They just moved smoothly through the dancefloor and felt everyone around them disappear. Harley stayed quiet but deep down she relished his touch. She shivered when she felt his hand glide down her arm and as he reached for her hand, he intertwined their hands together.

The warning bells were blaring through Harley's head. She internally whimpered at how perfect this was. Yet somehow, she felt that this would be the last time she would be doing this with him. She was with Nate now and he has his music career that was already waiting for him. They were bound to be apart after all.

Why now, Gray? My heart couldn't take it anymore.

  ♪ ♫ ♬  

After a few songs, a few senior citizens were staring blatantly at them, wondering why they weren't following along. Even her grandparents had questioning looks on their faces. Gray wasn't even embarrassed about it while Harley was feeling a little hot from their intimate encounter.

They let go of each other, making Harley avoid his gaze all throughout. He had a smug look on his face, basically trying to hide his huge smile. People started dispersing from around them, signaling that the event was over. Harley went to get some water from the dispenser, located alongside the stage. Her heart could no longer take the intense pounding. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to try and focus, stopping whatever it was that she was feeling.

Gray stared at her longingly as she went to grab some water. Life was indeed brighter whenever she was around. However, it wasn't the right time yet, he figured. The small smile he had left his face when the reality of it all sank in. Momentarily, he felt pleased with himself when Harley didn't push him away.

"Hey, do you have plans after this?" Gray asked Harley when she came back from drinking some water.

She shook her head, "Not really."

"Would you like to get some food?"

She nodded, agreeing to come with him. They walked out of the building together. But before leaving, Harley said her goodbyes to her grandparents. She knew that they wanted to ask her about what just happened a while ago but that would be for another time when Gray wasn't around. She didn't have an answer to it either. Gray was acting weird these past few weeks, she noticed. Something was up, she knew but didn't want to pry any further. Harley would just enjoy the company while it lasted.

Gray drove to a drive-thru, ordering some soft-shelled tacos and a box of nachos. He wanted to bring her to the studio and show her what it was like to produce music. The drive took some time but they finally reached their destination.

"Where are we?" Harley tried to ask again. He wanted to surprise her and the only way to avoid answering her inquisitive questions were to change the topic. Grabbing the bag of food from the back seat, Gray led Harley to the small building that has a brick wall exterior. A neon sign that read "Bates Record Studio" was hanging above the entrance. They went inside and Gray just nodded to the girl in acknowledgment who was sitting at the reception. Harley guessed that everyone already knew who he was. She took careful steps, following just behind him as they walked towards a dim hallway. They reached a black door and when Gray opened it and turned the lights on, Harley's eyes widened, immensely impressed with the setup. It was just a small area that held a control room, a studio, and a small isolation booth to keep out external sounds and keep in the internal . All the instruments were neatly arranged and they were shining brightly for Harley to gush over. She couldn't contain her excitement, "Oh my gosh! Gray, this is amazing."

"Pretty cool, huh?" Gray's eyes flitted over the room. He never thought he was going to get this far, making it seem all but a dream.

Harley could only nod, eyes still wandering around the place. She took the time to study the control panels and basically just relished the feel of being inside a recording studio.

"I'll show you around after we eat. Come on," Gray chuckled at her facial expression when it was of pure amazement.

Gray took the food out of the paper bag, arranging it onto a coffee table. They started eating and made small talk about music. Gray wanted her to hear the song that he wrote for her. Instead of serenading her right now with his guitar, he kept his most kept secret in the dark a little more longer. The timing wasn't quite right yet. His heart immediately dropped with a thud when he remembered his purpose on why he brought her here.

He bought more time as he tried to eat slowly and kept Harley's attention. He tried to memorize her features. The wistful smile on her face whenever he told her a memorable story from one of their gigs. The way she would scrunch her cute button nose in distaste whenever I would mention all the groupies that tried to hang out with them every after a show in which they would end up being passed out by the end of the night. Her eyes spoke a thousand words whenever I would animatedly talk about our music. The beauty she has was incomparable.

After eating, they both cleaned up and disposed all of the take-out containers into the trash. Gray then ushered her to get in the studio so they could do some samples. He would play a few songs then just tell her, like pulling a band-aid off swiftly from an injury. It was easier that way, he hoped.

Harley was trying some instruments, examining each before she produces the sound. She didn't notice that he was fidgeting in his seat, trying his hardest to tune the guitar. It was now or never.

"Hey, Harley?" He called her out, quickly catching that there was a little edge to his voice.

She looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. "Hmm?"

"I brought you here for a reason. I wanted to tell you something important." Gray started saying.

"Go on," she responded calmly.

He tried to come up with complete sentences but it took more than a few seconds before he started, "An agent from LA, currently connected to a big record company, called a few days ago and said that he was interested in our music. Nothing is final yet but I think our music is going to make it out there, for the whole world to hear."

"Gray! Gosh! That's fantastic news!" Harley beamed excitedly, forgetting the instruments she wanted to try out. She knew this moment would come because she believed in him. The talent of having a singing voice, writing and making music, and playing musical instruments were all mixed together to form a marvelous human being; that was Gray Matthews.

Gray scratched his nape, having mixed feelings with the whole ordeal. "Yeah..."

"There's a 'but', isn't there?" Her smile faded.

He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. It was harder than he thought. He always hated saying goodbyes especially now that she was special to him. "We're leaving for LA in a few days. I don't know when I'll be back. The agent said that we have a lot of things to go through when we get there."

"What about school?" She asked.

Pacing back and forth, Gray has already decided on what he wanted to do with his life. "I'm kind of throwing everything away as of the moment and my parents went completely berserk when I told them. But this is the only chance I'll be getting to see the world. If I don't make it then at least I tried, right?" He looked up to Harley. There was a lot of hope and determination in his eyes. Harley knew that he wanted it badly. The only choice she had was to support him, even though she was selfish enough to think that he would stay with her.

A smile was making way to her face. It was a forced one but she tried to make it as natural as she could. "Go and kill it out there, Gray."

He couldn't hold his emotions any longer. Grabbing her small hand, he pulled her into a tight embrace. They stayed quiet for a while, making everything count. Her scent, her figure and most importantly the feel of her arms around him. Gray was going to miss her. As tempted as he was to tell her how he felt; he kept his mouth shut, believing that time will eventually come for them to be together. The timing was always off for them. Long distance relationships were not his thing either. Plus, he couldn't forget that she was still in arelationship. 

She didn't want to cry but for the first time, she wanted him to know how affected she was with all the change that was happening. They may have separated a couple of times in the past few years but this one was different. He may be away for good.

When he heard her subtly sniffing through his shirt, he hugged her tighter. The thought of her crying made his heart constrict in pain. They didn't need to voice out their feelings because it was clear that they felt something deeper. Others might call it love, but for them, it was beyond that. Their hearts chose to love one another even if life would get in the way. It was the kind of love that would eventually destroy one another if they were to stay apart for a long time.

  ♡ ♡ ♡  

Hello! 

I hope you enjoyed the second part of Verse 2! Last verse will be up soon. I'm not sure if I'll be separating it in parts, depends on how long it would be.

THE FEELS, MAN. I CAN'T.

Thoughts? :)

x Jovi