Eleanor & Grey(18)

“So, you’re just alone most of the time?”

“Yup. I mean, before I had Grandpa, but since he passed away…it’s just me.”

“Do you miss them?” I asked. “Do you miss your parents being around?”

“Doesn’t matter. Missing them isn’t going to make them stay. I just always promise myself I’ll be different, you know? I want to be different when I have kids someday. I would never abandon them. I’m supposed to take over the whiskey company when I’m older, but I’d do it different than Dad. I’d make time for my family. I’d show up. My grandpa was able to do both, be a parent and run a business. He showed up all the time.”

“I think people underestimate how important just showing up is.”

“It’s everything,” he agreed.

“So, you’re taking over your dad’s company?”

“Yeah. My grandpa started it. It’s a family tradition, I guess.”

“Is that what you want to do? What do you want to be when you grow up?” I asked Greyson.

He effortlessly replied, “Happy.”

“Happy?”

“Yeah. That’s all. It’s what my grandpa always told me. He’d say, ‘Greyson, listen close. You can be anything in the world, and it would be good enough. Job title doesn’t matter as long as you have food on your table, and heat on your stove. What matters the most is being happy. So, when you do grow up, make sure you’re happy. Everything else will fall into place.’ So, yeah, I just want to be happy. I don’t care what I’m doing as long as I’m happy while I’m doing it.”

I liked his answer more than I could say.

“What about you, Ellie? What do you want to be?”

“Happy,” I said, stealing his answer. “I think I just want to be happy, too.”

He smiled at me and gently nudged my shoulder with his. Then his head tilted up and he looked at the sky. “I like this place a lot.”

“Yeah. It’s a good escape from the muggle world,” I commented.

He smirked. “You’re really into this Harry Potter stuff, huh?”

“It’s only the air I breathe,” I said matter-of-factly.

I couldn’t really imagine what would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t had Harry Potter to get me through the past years. If I hadn’t, I might’ve believed the lies people told about me.

I would’ve thought I wasn’t magical, and that would’ve been a shame.

It was sad that so many people went through life without knowing they were filled with magic.

“I think it’s cool that you’re so into it,” he said. “And I really am excited for the next one to come out.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “I can’t wait.”

We sat there watching the dragonflies buzz around, and I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “Can I ask you a question? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Anything.”

“What’s the story about Stacey White? Again, you don’t have to answer, but I feel like since she was the one who kind of brought us together…”

He brushed his finger against his nose. “It’s embarrassing.”

“You don’t have to say, really. I’m just curious.”

He clasped his fingers together, rolled his shoulders back, and cracked his neck. “Well, yeah, I’d be curious, too, I guess. It’s really embarrassing, though.”

“I wear crocheted cardigans with dragonflies on them, Greyson. Embarrassing is my middle name.”

He sighed and nodded, turning to face me. He clapped his hands once. “All right. So, Stacey and I were dating for a short period, not long, and I wasn’t even sure if she was someone I should’ve dated, because, well, she’s not really my type. She’s a bit self-absorbed, but, whatever. Everything was going good with her, until she was ready to, well, you know…” His cheeks reddened, and for the first time ever, I witnessed Grey get flustered.

Finally, we were on an even playing field.

“Yeah, I know.” I nodded, trying my best to ease his nerves.

“When I told her I’d never done it, she laughed, thinking I was joking, so I laughed too, trying to play it off. But then when we went to do the act, I couldn’t…” He dropped his stare. “Well, I mean, my nerves…I couldn’t get it…up.” The last words were whispered, and I swore I’d never liked him more.

“I was just nervous, and overthinking, and I know it’s embarrassing that I’m seventeen and I haven’t—”

“I haven’t either,” I cut in.

He looked up to me, shocked, which was shocking to me. The Harry Potter-loving, cardigan-wearer was a virgin?

No way!

“Really?” he asked, clearly feeling hopeful that he wasn’t the only one of us left on the planet.

“Really, really. It’s not shocking. I’ve never even been kissed.”

“You’re wrong,” he disagreed. “That is shocking.”

I shrugged. “I think people our age make it out to be a bigger deal than it is.”

“Which is exactly what Stacey did. She laughed in my face, and mocked me, saying that the most popular guy in school couldn’t even get her off. So, I broke up with her. She didn’t take that too well and threatened to tell everyone about my, um…performance issues. I told Landon, and he handled it. He had some dirt on Stacey that she didn’t want to get out, so she shut up about it, which led to me owing Landon.”