Gray Emmerson

Do you remember what it used to feel like going down a rollercoaster? With the strong tingles that were tickling you inside of your stomach, a wave of excitement and anxiety rolling over your skin and screaming at the top of your lungs to let go of all of your thoughts and emotions. The wind rustling through your hair, making you able to breathe a little bit more, but at the same time it took all of your oxygen away from you.

That was how it felt to kiss Elaine Bolton.

The shock of kissing my best friend overwhelmed me as I sat in the same circle we played at. At some point, the people around me seemed to fade away. It was just Elaine and me, staring at one another.

I was panting from the intense feelings that I was left with, trying to recover. His ocean eyes drilled into my soul as if he could see every inch of me and it only made my heart beat faster for him. In a way, it confused me, because I never felt this way towards anyone. But on the other side of things, my gut also told me that it was okay to feel this way because the thrill, the excitement and the intensity: it was one of the best feelings I ever had.

But there was one difference: Elaine didn't seem to have the same effect as I got from this kiss. In fact, he was able to easily brush it away.

''Not bad, Emmerson..'' Elaine laughs, playfully winking at me as he claps in his hands. ''Now, let's continue!''

And I don't know what it was but that ended up with me feeling something sting inside of me. How could he be so chill about all of this?

''I'm done with this game.. I need some fresh air'' I murmur, walking towards the front door and making my way outside as soon as I could, ignoring the words Elaine had to say after that.

I was met with the fresh cold air that consumed my body like a blanket. It felt so good that it made me close my eyes for a second, enjoying the freedom and cool air.

Sadly, it didn't make me forget about things. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about his lips on mine, the firing tingles nor the way his touches made me feel during the kiss.

''Gray, hey..'' I hear someone from behind me which makes me turn around.

''Matthew.. What are you doing here?'' I ask him confused, noticing some concern on his face. ''Aren't you supposed to be playing the game with the rest inside?''

''I.. Came here to look for you.. Are you okay? That was not cool at all..'' He steps closer to me, making me look into his grey eyes.

Matthew had this natural comfort around him. Not only his eyes but his entire atmosphere and vibe told me that it was safe to be with him. I couldn't help but smile at the twinkles in his eyes and the concern he had about me. The fact that he came outside to check on me, while he barely knows me, already said enough about the boy.

''You think so? Cause I don't want to exaggerate.. It was just too much..'' I confess, also stepping a bit closer to him to feel more of his warmth.

''You aren't! Trust me, I would have felt the same if I were in your shoes..'' He tells me, instantly putting me at ease with just some simple words.

''Thanks.. I just want to be over with the night'' I laugh soft, breaking our eye contact when it started to overwhelm me.

''Hey, I can help you with that, I can drop you off with my car'' He offers me, grabbing his car keys already.

''Are you sure about that? What about you? Then you have to survive here all on you own..'' I laugh soft, knowing he hated the party as much as I did.

''Don't worry about me, I'm used to my sister throwing party's. Now, come on!'' He leads me to his car and we stepped inside, unconsciously I had been smiling the entire time.

I texted Elaine that I was getting a ride home and gave Matthew my address. My anxiety dropped with each mile we got closer to my home. It was nice knowing I could grab some of my favourite tea and crawl into my warm bed.

If I could have chosen, I would have laid in my bed forever.

The darkness outside made it unable to see anything so I closed my eyes until I knew we got there. The events of earlier were haunting me by playing over and over again inside my head, not knowing why it was bothering me so much.

Elaine could be so easy about this, so why couldn't that happen to me? It drove me crazy how my insides were begging for Elaine: his touches that gave me butterflies, the extraordinary feelings he gave me and the kiss that made me long for more. I kept thinking about his piercing blue eyes that could read everything in me, the porcelaine skin that made him look so delicate and how sexy his dark hair fell over his face. Let's not even start about the body he had: he was tall, big and had some muscles which made him look not only tough but strong too.

I really had to forget about all of this. And I was planning to do that as hard as I could.

When we finally arrived I turned towards Matthew.

''Thank you so much for dropping me off.. I don't even know how to thank you, but this means so much to me'' I tell him, knowing not everyone would do this for me.

Honestly, the only friend I had was Elaine.

''Don't thank me silly..'' He laughs. ''God, you're really cute when you ramble like that..''

My eyes widened as the blood rushed towards my cheeks, making me feel a bit shy at his words. The smile never left my face as I watched his amazing eyes.

''Hey, I got an idea! Why don't you stay with me inside? Until it's time for you to get home'' I ask him, for some reason really hoping that he would say yes.

''Yes, I'd really like that Gray..''