"Was I this bad at drawing when I first started?" Parker mumbled to herself. She was hunched over her desk and hadn't noticed the sun going down behind the wall of windows to her right. She'd been grading the first batch of assignments of her teaching career and should have been celebrating, but introductory art was almost never any good; she herself hadn't shown a scrap of talent until her senior year of high school.
"I know I was." Grayson's voice behind her made her jump and she whipped around. They hadn't spoken much in the last week, since he'd burnt the humiliating sketch of her.
"You do that on purpose." Parker eased back down in her seat and rubbed her temples. Now that she'd been distracted, she realized how much her head hurt. "What are you still doing here?"
"You first." Grayson's hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his hair just as messy and falling in his face as always.
"I didn't mean to stay this late." She glanced over at the darkening sky outside, a tinge of pink still swiped across the horizon. "I should probably head home."
"Yeah, they're going to lock up soon. Wouldn't want to be stuck in here together all night." He smirked and winked at her. Parker busied herself with gathering up the rest of the drawings so he wouldn't see her blushing. "C'mon, I'll walk you out. Wait, are you taking that stuff home with you?"
"I need to finish grading it. Why?"
"Because, you little goody two-shoes. You've already been at it for hours and I think your students can wait another day." Parker hesitated. The actual teaching part could be draining, but she actually enjoyed grading the work. Grayson sighed loudly.
"Fine, nerd. Come on." He put a hand on her back and all but pushed her out into the hallway. The door shut and echoed loudly off of the tile. They walked slowly through the school toward the parking lot. It took Parker a minute to notice Grayson's hand still on the small of her back and she turned her head away to smile.
"Now that I think about it, you're right." Though his tone had been gentle, Parker nearly jumped as he broke the silence. "Grading should be a priority."
"You didn't know that until I came around? Jesus. What would you have done if they'd hired someone else?" Grayson ignored her.
"In fact, I'm going straight home to finish grading those containers the juniors made. I know I'm not supposed to take them home but come on, they really want me to stay here for hours and grade when I can do it from the comfort of my couch?" He gave Parker a significant look.
"Um, good?" Other than criticizing her work ethic, she didn't understand the point of his speech. After a few seconds Grayson rolled his eyes and stared at her.
"Would you like to join me, Parker?" he asked. Parker glanced over at him, open surprise on her face. He didn't wait for her to answer before continuing. "I know that for me, it'll go faster if I have someone to chat with. Well, it may not go faster, but it'll definitely go better. I may even hand out a couple of A's." His chatting had given her time to recover, probably as he'd intended.
"You don't live with your mom, do you?" She pretended to look him over, as if his mom had dressed him. "You look the type."
Grayson laughed and it changed his whole face. "You're finally coming around, I love it. So what do you say?"
"Alright, as long as you have food. I'm starving. If not I'm going to stop on the way."
"I have a frozen pizza or two, if that's healthy enough for you." She nodded and they fell silent again as they pushed open the doors and went out into the parking lot. Theirs were the only two cars left in the lot. "So just follow me in your car. I live a couple of miles away." He opened her door for her and winked as she sat down.
Parker was shaking as she watched him get into his own car and as she turned the key, she realized she was nervous. She wasn't going on a date, but the thought of being alone with a man after what she'd gone through . . . Pushing away the negative memories, she gritted her teeth. She couldn't let those old, shitty memories taint her new ones. Besides, it was just grading papers with a colleague. Nothing was going to happen. She followed Grayson's black car out and onto the main road.
Though she'd resolved to be in a good mood and not nervous, her hands still shook on the wheel. Grayson led her a few miles down the main road and then onto a side road. She knew there was a gated community not far down the street and was wondering if he could possibly live there when he slammed on the brakes and turned into a driveway. Parker nearly rear-ended him, and a slew of curses left her lips as she pulled in next to him. When she got out she could see he was beaming.
"You asshole," she seethed. Grayson shut his car door with a hearty chuckle. Parker stopped glaring at him long enough to glance up at his house and she was surprised to see that it was well cared for. Given his casual appearance and that ever-untidy hair, she'd expected overgrown grass and dirty shingles. Instead his two-story was clean and, well, normal. Wicker seats framed the front door and there was a row of bushes under the living room window.
"Not what you thought it would be, huh?" Grayson had been staring at her staring at his house and when she glanced over at him, something like pride colored his expression. He hopped up the front steps and unlocked the door for her, ushering her in. She stood in the dark for a few seconds while he bolted the door and then turned the lights on. They were standing to the side of the living room and directly ahead was the dining room. Parker took off her shoes and looked around.
It wasn't messy per say, just cluttered. A metal sculpture dominated the wall behind the dining room table, climbing up to the ceiling and melding into the corner. The table itself was covered with newspaper and a half-exposed lump of clay, surrounded by little models of whatever he was trying to make. The living room was littered with books and movie cases. Parker nodded, smiling.
"This is what I thought it would be," Parker said, turning to Grayson. His proud expression was gone, replaced by one she didn't recognize. He turned away and peeled off his jacket.
"I know there's a lot of madness in here, I just—I like it this way." He was trying to explain himself and it made Parker want to hug him.
"Hey, it's fine. I know I say that a lot, but this time, it is. It's fine. It's nothing like my house which probably means it's normal." Grayson's lips curled up into a brief smile and he waved the subject away.
"Let me go put that pizza in. I'd say make yourself at home, but . . ." He trailed off and disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. Parker picked her way over to the living room, not wanting to knock over any of the pottery that was either perched on a pedestal or just sitting wantonly on the hardwood floor. Grayson returned as she was clearing a spot for herself on the couch. "Shit, maybe this was a bad idea." He helped her move his books and began clearing off the coffee table.
"Grayson, really. Don't worry." He paused at her words, his head cocking to the side.
"That's the first time you actually said my name." Parker thought for a moment. Surely she'd said his name at some point. The look on Grayson's face said otherwise. "I like it."
"What, that I waited two weeks to say it? 'Cause I don't. I mean, you saved me from a half-crazed teenager and let's face it, you're kind of my only friend right now. I must have said it at some point." And why does it even matter? Parker thought to herself.
"That isn't what I meant, but let's focus on that one part for a second. I'm your only friend?" Disbelief laced his words. "That's not possible."
"Oh?" Parker wasn't sure why anyone would be surprised by that news. She was a private person and she'd been told that her resting facial expression was off-putting.
"What, did you just move to Ruwake for the job?"
"I'm from here. I lived in Eugene for four years while I went to the university, but other than that . . . Yeah. Here." Silence followed and Parker started getting nervous again. Her cheeks warmed and she cast around for a new topic, her eyes landing on a shelf above the television. A row of colored jars stood there and she got up from the couch to examine them. On the front of each was a different, intricately detailed etching.
"The Four Horsemen. You have no idea how long those bastards took to make. I had to completely remake that last one because the original cracked in the kiln." Parker's gaze slid to the jar in question. It was black, the image on it difficult to make out. She leaned over the TV and squinted. The image was shown from over the shoulder of a cloaked person, looking down on a field that stretched too far into the distance. The field itself was almost completely hidden, however, by dozens of dead bodies. Each face had its own unique expression of horror and even with the gruesomeness, Parker was impressed.
"I wish I could do that," she whispered, more to herself than to Grayson. When she turned around they looked at each other and it was clear he'd heard her. "I mean, I can draw, but I'm no good with ceramics. I remember the first time I threw on the wheel. My teacher had to sit behind me like in those cheesy romantic comedies and literally hold my hands through the whole thing. It was humiliating."
Grayson smiled and put his feet on top of the coffee table, pushing aside a stack of books. "What about now? Any better?"
