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Isolated Love Ch. 02

By: GiveMeLove



Grayson couldn't believe himself. He was just complaining about how his heart was broken and in his mind, told himself that he vowed to never even speak to another woman because of it. Yet, here he was. Getting ready to take some random gas station girl for coffee. He contemplated backing out of it, but felt that he'd owed it to her due to the way he was blatantly disrespected her. He had never disrespected a woman so openly and he wasn't going to start, but maybe he'd figure out a different way to make it up to her. Taking her for coffee wasn't really ideal for him right now.

As he was making this decision, his cellphone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the number before twisting his face in confusion. Who's number was this? 

He answered. "Yes?"

A soft, feminine chuckle came through the other end. "Is that how you greet everyone? Yes?" Arabeth asked and in turn, Grayson found himself cracking a smile. 

"Sorry, I wasn't really expecting a random number to call..." he stated but then immediately regretted it. She shouldn't have been a random number but he'd forgotten to save her number when she wrote it down. He could hear the dry laugh and it made him feel guilty.

"Random number, huh? That's okay.. now you have even more of a reason to take me out for coffee. So what time did you wanna meet?" she questioned.

Grayson sighed deeply before running his hand down his face. He pulled his mouth away from the phone before letting out a groan. "Look Arabeth, I'm really sorry but I have to cancel. I-uh.. My mom. She's sick. And I need to go visit with her for a while. I'm really sorry because I know you may have been looking for-..." he tried to finish but was interrupted by an exasperated sigh. 

Arabeth should have seen this coming because men like Grayson were always too good to be true. She would know from personal experience. The good-looking ones were always entertained with a bunch of lies and drama. "It's fine. I hope your mom gets better. Bye." she said brutishly before hanging up.

Grayson let out a long, hard breath before setting his phone down on the table next to the couch. He plopped down on the sofa and tilted his head back as he closed his eyes. 

You're doing the right thing. 

"Am I?" he said aloud to no one in particular. He'd already been incredibly rude to her before and now, he had just canceled their date. 

Woah, shit.. hold on. Date? No, no.. it wasn't a date. It was.. an "I'm sorry"... date? Fuck!

No wonder she sounded so curt on the phone with him. She'd probably thought that's what it was. But she couldn't have, could she? They'd only just met and he'd told her about his bad breakup. She couldn't have expected him to jump back in the sea so quickly...

Damnit!

He grabbed his phone and unlocked it, going straight to his recent calls. He saw her number and immediately saved it. He didn't know why, but he felt the strange urge to keep her number just in case he needed her for something.

Something like what?

"I don't fucking know.." he answered, again to no one in particular. Something. 



Isolated Love Ch. 02



"Turn around you pervert!!!" she yelled at him, trying to get herself together, pulling her pants up and getting to her feet.

He did as he was asked and it was then that he remembered her face. "Arabeth?" he said, turning back around, not really caring whether or not she was decent.

"Yes, Arabeth, who the fu-.." she said as she finished buttoning her pants, looking up at him, the sentence immediately dying on her lips. "Grayson?" 

"Well, this is a surprise..." he said, shocked that he would run into the one girl he was most anxious to see again. 

"It is." she replied, trying to sound as casual as possible while she gathered her breath. "What are you doing here?" 

"What am I doing here? This is my party sweetheart.." he answered, noting the rise and fall of her chest. 

"Your party? Alex didn't mention-..." she started but was cut off by a slight laugh.

"Alex? You know Kidd?" Grayson asked.

"Kidd? No, I know Alex." she said, confused.

"Sorry. I meant Alex. Everyone I know calls him Kidd. But yeah... you know Alex? What a small world.." 

"Actually, I don't know him. My roommate does. They're screwing around." she said, not meaning to sound so bitter, but it sort of made her jealous that her friend was getting all the action.

Grayson let out a hearty laugh. "Ohh, you're that girl..." he said. 

"That girl? What girl? What did he say about me?! He's talking shit?!" she fired questions at him, ready to go down there and turn into the neck-rolling, south side girl. 

"Calm down honey, nothing bad. He just said that he thought he broke up a friendship because of some argument you and your roommate got into. Jesus, you're feisty." he finished. Arabeth scoffed.

"Yeah well, I've had a pretty bad couple of weeks. Anyway, I should get going... actually no. You should get going. I have to pee. Unless you wanna stay and watch.. seeing as how you came bursting in here to begin with." she said coolly. Grayson raised his eyebrow and smirked at her.. This girl.

"First off, it's my house dear. I go where I please. Second, I'll go, but only because you need to pee. Third... Well, there is no third, but.. yeah. I'll go. Enjoy your time on the Grayson Toilet Express. We hope you choose to urinate with us again." he said, laughing at the color rising in her cheeks. Without letting her say anything, he left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. 

"Pervert." Arabeth said, but even she had to laugh at his sense of humor.





Isolated Love Ch. 03



Hello all you lovely readers! 

I'm sooo so so glad you're digging the story so far! I know, it'd be much better if I had an editor buuuuut I'm gonna focus more on getting the chapters out rather than just waiting for an editor to show up. I know exactly what I have planned for these characters so the story should flow smoothly, let's see. Also, from this point on, the chapters are expected to be longer and longer chapters means more time.. So don't be mad at me if it takes a while. Just know, I'm never done writing. I'm glad everyone hates Benji as much as I do by the way... he literally makes me wanna throw shit around the room. 

[Thanks to my babies Kahlil, Curtis, Katie and Alea for pre-reading for me. Love you guys. ♥] 

-ERC 

xx 

** 

After she'd finished, Arabeth left the bathroom and went to return to the slowly accumulating "get-together". She'd gone downstairs and noted that more people had arrived, some she knew and some she didn't. Halley had found her again and they quickly went to find a spot to sit in so that they could chat and get to know each other since they both shared a mutual hatred for a certain prick. Arabeth had just finished telling her about the time she and Ina got caught in the art building late at night when a tall figure approached the two ladies. 

"Enjoying yourselves?" the smooth, masculine voice asked. Of course he was coming to bother her some more. After what had happened in the bathroom, why not? Grayson waited until Halley finally spoke up. 

"It's cool, could be better but hey, who am I to judge right?" she said easily, and was rewarded with a playfully grin. It made Arabeth uncomfortable the way he was standing there so nonchalantly as if he hadn't just barged in on her trying to use the bathroom. Grayson quickly turned his attention Arabeth who was trying hard not to stare up at him. In fact, he noticed that she was looking everywhere but at him. It made him feel a little bad... but not too bad. "What about you?" he asked, which finally got her to slowly raise her head to meet his awaiting eyes. 

"It's fine." she said timidly. She really didn't want to be doing this right now. She was still embarrassed and wanted him to go away. Even though she found his sense of humor charming, she was almost certain that he'd seen her most intimate lady part and could help but shake the feeling that he was going to goad her about it. 

Grayson didn't like where this was going. Was she mad at him for barging in? Sure, it was his house but maybe it really upset her. Well, she did call him a pervert... maybe she didn't want to talk to him? "Just fine? You sure? I'd say our little meeting in the bathroom should have lightened up the mood a bit sweetheart." Immediately, Arabeth felt her body tense. Oh god, no.. he saw it. Oh my god, oh my god I have to leave... 

'No you don't. Don't leave. He's just trying to ease the tension. Relax...' 

Arabeth stood up, ignoring what her mind was telling her and quickly brushed past him. Even as she continued to walk, she felt it. When she moved past him, her chest bumped into his arm and it immediately sent waves of pleasure through her. It was like a fire slowly building, sending a deep aching within her loins. The feel of his body against hers, even for a split second, made her want to go back and jump into his arms. She was almost to the door and was certain that she was going to leave but halted in her tracks when she remembered that Alex had driven them there and she'd have to walk back to the room. She turned around and noticed that Grayson had been on her tail the entire time, trying to catch up with her. That only made her want to leave more. 

She felt herself lean back against the door as Grayson finally closed in on her. She couldn't handle this. She couldn't handle another man being close to her, especially a man she'd had fantasies about. They were standing face to face now, neither one of them saying a word. Arabeth was looking up at him as he stared down at her, his 6"3 frame easily towering over her 5"4. Why was he so close? Didn't he know what he was doing to her just by standing there? Arabeth could feel the heat radiating from him as he continued to look upon her, his breathing harsh. Her breaths were coming out short and much like him, she was awaiting the minute one of them would break the silence. God, he smelled so good. Like mint and expensive cologne with a little bit of Jack Daniels thrown in. His piercing blue eyes were eating away at her and she didn't know what to do. She didn't even kn 

ow this man and already, she'd felt like they had a history together. As if they were a broken up couple waiting to get back together. Grayson, who was having trouble keeping his composure, raised his hands to place on either side of her head against the door and leaned his mouth towards her ear. Arabeth shivered as she felt his breath tickle her skin. 

"You really shouldn't stand there, darlin'... Someone might knock you over trying to come inside. You do.. want someone to come inside, don't you?" he asked, and they both knew exactly what he meant. It was the way he said it that made Arabeth let out a whimper that she couldn't control and close her eyes. It was a very low, husky whisper and it burned her. What the hell was he doing to her? She felt it deep in her stomach and it traveled through her entire body. She could feel the moisture rising in between her legs and wanted nothing more than to grab his shirt and pull him closer, grinding her aching womanhood against his leg. 

Grayson could feel himself about to do something he knew he would regret later, but he just couldn't help himself. She was so... tempting. And she looked so good tonight. Her hair was down, but styled in a very exotic looking curly afro curving around her face. Her makeup was done lightly and enhanced her already beautiful, soft features. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans that fit her curves nicely and her shirt, a low cut v-neck framed her upper figure just right. He had to stop himself from looking straight down into her shirt, otherwise he was afraid he'd scare her off, if he hadn't already. The pregnant pause between them would have been disturbing, if not for the fact that they both knew what was happening. 

"Well well, I see you move on fast..." 

No.. fucking no. Not right now. Not here and definitely not now. 

Grayson stood up straight, willing himself to look away from the beautiful creature in front of him and turn to the direction of the voice. Of course, it was Benji... Fucking Benji. Who the hell invited him to this? Didn't he know it was by personal invitation only? And what the hell was he talking about? He was always deeply disgusted when Benji came around because it meant his cocky attitude and stick figure, uptight girlfriend were usually following. Grayson sized Benji up before turning back to a tense Arabeth who looked like she was damn near about to cry. He looked back and forth between the two and immediately put two and two together. 

"I need to go." she said, the edge in her voice giving her away. Without another word, she turned towards the door and opened it, rushing out and not even caring that she would have to walk back to campus. 

** 

"Y'know... you walk awfully fast hun, I don't think my car can keep up. " Grayson joked as he drove along side Arabeth. After he gave Benji a quick shove that sent him sailing into the nearest wall, he went after her. That kid should have known he was unwelcome in his home. Fucking bastard. He immediately went after Arabeth to discover her marching her way down the street. He could have easily run after her, but felt it better to hop in his car and convince her to get in so he could drive her home, even if it wasn't that far. He wanted to be near her. He wanted to apologize for blowing her off. 

Arabeth scoffed and kept walking. "Awfully fast for a big girl, right?" That hurt him. It hurt him because he could tell that she was the kind of girl, that although beautiful, had self-esteem issues. It cut him to the core because she was absolutely stunning and should know it. He didn't find her big by any means, she was the perfect size to him, curves in all the right places and a beautiful face to match. 

"Arabeth, please get in the car. It's dark out here and it's late.. and no offense honey but you're way too attractive to be walking around at night. This is a college campus..." he pleaded. 

"I can handle myself. And attractive? No. I'll be fine... you can go now." she hated to admit it, but the only reason she wasn't getting in the car was because she was afraid that he'd want her to finish what they'd started back at the house and she wasn't ready. Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed Grayson stopping his car and turning it off. She stopped walking only to watch Grayson get out of the car and lock the doors. "Wha-.. You can't leave your car right there! They'll tow your shit!" she chastised him. 

"And I'll go pick it up in the morning. I don't want you walking around here at night and I'd be responsible for you if anything happened." he replied casually, stuffing his keys in his pocket. 

She could laugh at his boldness. Responsible for her? Who the hell did he think he was? She was a grown ass woman.. she didn't need him trying to walk her home. She also didn't want him to know which dorm she lived in... Okay so the real reason she didn't want him walking her home was because she was afraid he would try to invite himself inside and... She sighed dramatically and it caused him to laugh. "Grayson..." 

"Arabeth..." he said, mocking her tone and dodging a blow to his arm. He couldn't help it, she was cute when she was frustrated. "Look, I just wanna make sure that you get home safely, ok? Now, we can make this super difficult and I could easily stuff you in the trunk, or you could just get in the car?" he offered, cocking an eyebrow and waiting for her response. 

"If you put me in the trunk, how are you going to get me home jackass? Hmm? I'm not telling you where I live." she replied defiantly crossing her arms. Did she just roll her eyes at him? Well shit... 

"Are you ticklish?" he asked, completely changing the subject. 

"What?" 

"Are. You. Ticklish?" he repeated, adding a stress to each word. He could tell by the look on her face that she was and he knew he had her. 

** 

"How old are you?" Grayson asked. They were sitting outside of her dorm in his car and he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. Of course, it hadn't taken them long to get back to her dorm, it was only right down the street but it settled him knowing that she was safe in his car instead of walking the streets at night. 

Arabeth sighed. She just wanted to go in her room and go to sleep. The night had ended on a bad note with Benji showing up and on top of that, Grayson was constantly pushing her for conversation. "Twenty." she answered. Grayson was hoping that she'd talk more about herself but then again, he'd just asked her a close-ended question. 

"What's your major?" he continued, resting his head in his hand that was leaning on his knee. He was watching her curiously, wanting to ask her about what had happened back at the house, but decided against it. If she wanted to talk about it to him, she would. 

"Look, Grayson... I really just wanna go inside and sleep. It's late, I'm tired and quite frankly... I'm uncomfortable with just sitting in your car. No offense, you seem nice but I don't really know you and you kinda blew me off two weeks ago and I never heard from you. So this is to say that I don't really wanna just sit here and try to make convers-..." was all she had time to finish before Grayson was instantly on her. He'd leaned over to her side, causing her to push herself up against the door. This made him smile and it caused her stomach to flutter. His smile was killer and it was doing a number on her sanity. She shouldn't even be in the car with him still, but she was and now he was so close to her face, she wanted to melt into the interior. He was almost like a lion stalking his prey... a very attractive, dominating lion. Just the thought of him between her legs was causing her breathing to come out short and choppy, she was trapped. She should have been more afraid of whether or not he was a serial killer but instead, she found herself wondering what his favorite position was. Arabeth had to squeeze her thighs together in order to settle the painfully arousing ache between her legs. He wasn't even doing anything, just leaning over her, staring into her deep brown pools, staring into her soul it felt like. "Do I make you nervous?" he asked, but it sounded forced, as if he was trying to keep some sort of restraint. 

And he was. 

This girl just didn't understand what she was doing to him just by sitting in his car. Her smell was invading his deepest thoughts and causing him to want her now more than ever. She smelled like vanilla and roses and it made his dick stir. He'd been trying to get her to have mindless conversation with him just so he could hear the smoothness of her voice. He wasn't sure why exactly he'd leaned over her, but it was comforting to know that she was attracted to him. Even if she tried to deny it, it was evident. He could hear the way her breath was coming out short and the rapid rise and fall of her chest only further confirmed what he believed. When she didn't answer him, as uncomfortable as it was for his body, he leaned closer to her, their faces now only inches apart. If either one of them moved, their lips would touch and he was hoping that she'd try to move her face closer just so he could capture her lips in a searing kiss. 

"Hmm? Tell me Arabeth, what was happening back there? Before that asshole showed up, something was going on inside your head. Does me being this close to you make you nervous?" he asked again in a voice so low, she felt herself about to swoon. His tone was dangerously suggestive and she couldn't help but bite her lip in response. Her eyes had become hooded with desire and she was waiting on him to make another move. She should have been trying to climb her way out of his car, but something about him made her want to stay a little longer. "Y'know... you really shouldn't bite your lip like that..." he continued, only to move his lips to her ear like he had before in the house, "It does things to me, sweetheart." 

Arabeth let out a breathy moan just before he'd moved his face back to hers and captured her lips with his. She didn't even try to stop him as his lips claimed hers, theirs mouths moving in a passionate synchronization. His lips were hot on hers, fueling both of their passions with fire. When she felt his hand on her leg, she nearly jumped out of her skin but that didn't stop him. He took it as a sign of encouragement and just being caught off guard. He slowly moved his hand in between her burning thighs and was surprised when she broke the kiss. Their breathing was heavy as they ended and Arabeth felt herself slowly starting to regain her sense. Kissing him felt like pure ecstasy and although she wanted nothing more than to continue... she just couldn't do that to herself. 

"I'm sorry..." she was surprised when he spoke first. He'd moved back to his seat and threw his head back, running his hands through his dark, shaggy hair. "I'm really sorry about that. I-I don't know... I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen." he turned to her and noticed that she was still sitting in the same position, her back still against the door. "You okay?" 

She nodded slowly and cleared her throat. "I'm fine." 

Grayson nodded once and leaned forward, putting both hands on the wheel and resting his head there. "That shouldn't have happened. Dear lord, I wasn't supposed to do that." he kept saying, more to himself than her. "Look", he started, sitting up to face her again, "I'm not gonna lie. That was probably the best kiss I've ever shared with someone. And don't think for one second that I regret kissing you, even as I'm saying it shouldn't have happened, I'm glad it did. I just... we both seem to be in a really bad place right now." 

Arabeth couldn't speak. 

"I'm sorry for blowing you off. I was just.. I wasn't ready to talk to another girl after her. You're very attractive and I really just..." he stopped and turned to her, noticing for the first time that tears were falling from her eyes. "Arabeth?" he asked, his voice laced with worry that he'd hurt her somehow. 

"I really should go..." she said, wiping the fallen tears from her face and turned to let herself out. Grayson didn't try to stop her. 

** 

The next day, Arabeth found work to be the perfect distraction from the previous night's encounters. She worked the day shift, so it was easy for her to busy herself with customers and such. Anything to get her mind off of Benji, Grayson and that kiss... She shivered just thinking about it. 

"Cold in here, mami?" Only one person was allowed to call her that. Armando Alvarez was working beside her today and she couldn't have been more grateful. His goofy personality and upbeat perspective on life always added to her smile. She glanced over at him and tried not to give anything away but before she knew it, he was going on. "Ahhhhh... don't even try not answering me skank! You and I both know it's not even cold... Spill. What'chu you thinkin' about hmm? I pray to God it's not about the shrimp dick pendejo..." he rolled his eyes and Arabeth laughed. In the time she'd known Armando, she always found his uncensored ways in speaking very comforting. It was nice knowing that not everyone always tried to keep things so sugar-coated. 

"No, it's not him Manny." she said, putting an end to his approaching rant about how she was too good for him. "Thanks, come see us again." she told the customer who was easily interested in their conversation and wasn't ashamed to do a little eavesdropping. 

"What'chu staring at, huh? You got something gluing ya feet to the floor?" Armando all but yelled at the customer. Nosy people were not his thing. The customer, seeing that he was not wanted there anymore quickly gathered his things and left. "Nosy fucking fucking... ay!" he raved in his thick, Dominican accent. Arabeth couldn't help but chuckle, one of these days.. Armando was going to be fired. "Don'tchu even gimme that look, ok? I ain't gonna get fired because Donald wants to fuck me and he don't wanna let go of his eye candy." he winked at her and Arabeth nearly lost her shit. It was sort of true though, everyone knew their boss, Donald, was gay.. except Donald. Armando was the only one who could push his buttons without getting talked back to and it pissed the other co-workers off to no end, minus Arabeth. 

"I'm just sayin' Manny, one of these days... Donald is going to get real sick of your shit." Arabeth said, busying herself with a magazine. 

"He'll have to eat it first in order to get sick of it... He can start tomorrow." Armando retorted, causing Arabeth to burst into a fit of laughter. Yes, she absolutely loved working day shifts. 

** 

"See y'all later!" she hollered as she made her way out the back door. She checked her phone and it was only 4:07pm. There was still time to kill in the day, but she had no idea what she wanted to do. She could easily call Ina and tell her to drag her ass away from that fine specimen of a man Alex, but she didn't. Ina deserved some happiness in her life after all the shit she'd put up with the last couple of semesters. Arabeth reached her car but not before dropping her keys and having to pick them up. After she retrieved them, she unlocked her car and eased her way inside, closing the door. She didn't want to start the car until after she'd decided where to go, gas wasn't cheap and she wasn't rich. She scrolled through her phone, looking for someone who'd want to hang out and keep her busy. She settled on calling Halley, her new friend. Maybe they could get together and go see a movie or something. Her thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on her window. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was. 




Isolated Love Ch. 03



Grayson smiled his straight, disarming smile and she rolled down the window. "Hi." 

Hi? Is he serious? 

"Hi." she replied, unimpressed with his attempt at keeping things casual. This brought a small chuckle from Grayson. 

"What're you up to?" 

Arabeth really wasn't in the mood for small talk, not that she had anything better to do. It was just his presence that caused her to become so uneasy. Somehow, he'd managed to pull feelings from deep within her that only one other person could. 

No, don't think about it. Don't think about him... 

"Nothing, just got off work. Trying to figure out something to get in to." she said absently, she was trying to make herself look as if she was uninterested in any conversation with him, even though part of her knew deep down she wanted him to keep talking to her. She couldn't figure out why, but Grayson managed to make her feel a copious amount of emotion without even trying. She barely knew him and already, she felt like they'd been old lovers for years. 

Grayson picked up her trying to hold a distraction and it made him nervous. He knew part of the reason was because of what had happened the previous night, but he just wanted her to look at him. "Go out with me." he more so told her than asked, but it got her attention. Arabeth stopped looking at her phone and immediately looked up at him. Dammit, why did he look better every time she saw him. He'd shaved, so his face was bare which gave him a boyish look but it didn't look any less captivating. His hair was pulled out of his face into a ponytail and he was wearing glasses. He looked like he'd just finished studying for something in his sweatpants and loose-fitting shirt. 

"I didn't know you wore glasses." she said, not really responding to his request. 

"That's because you don't know me. Go out with me." he said once again. 

"Why?" she asked, immediately regretting it once she saw the semi-hurt look in his eyes. 

Grayson let out a deep breath. "Because... I wanna know you. And I want you to know me." It was as simple as that. No other explanation behind it, no other explanation needed. Arabeth thought it over for a second, debating on whether or not to accept even though he wasn't really asking, but telling. Seeing that he wasn't going to go away, she nodded and he smiled even wider. "Great, is now good? I need to change first but that should only take a few minutes." 

"I have to change too." 

"Cool well, go home. Change. I'll come pick you up." he was practically about to jump out of his skin with excitement. 

Without another word, Arabeth rolled up the window and drove off, not really sure how to take his constant attention. 

** 

Shit, shit, shit!! 

Arabeth was having the hardest time finding something to wear in such a short amount of time. Once she'd arrived home, she made a quick dash for the shower. Once finished, she checked her phone and noticed that Grayson had called her. When she called him back, she'd informed him that she'd need at least an hour to get ready since she'd just gotten off work when her approached her. He agreed and told her he'd give her until 6:30 and then he'd be on his way. It was now six and she'd only taken a shower and rubbed down her body, still wrapped in a towel. She was standing in front of closet when she heard the door open and turned to watch Ina walk in. "Hey beauty, what are ya up to?" Ina questioned suspiciously. 

"I have a... date? I think it's a date. Not really sure." 

"Oooh... Grayson? I knew you guys were going to-..." Ina started but Arabeth quickly cut her off. 

"Woah, hold on. How do you know it's with Grayson? It could be with..." 

"Grayson." Ina finished her sentence, telling Arabeth that she'd never been a good liar. They both smiled at each other. "When's he coming?" 

"In about.. 30 minutes." Arabeth said, turning back towards her closet. 

"And you're not fucking dressed?! What are you doing you lazy bitch?! Move.. move!" Ina shoved Arabeth slightly as she went through her closet. Immediately, she picked out an adorable summer dress that Arabeth almost never wore. Dresses weren't really her thing. "This. Put it on." Ina said, throwing the dress on Arabeth's bed. "And don't even think about arguing with me.. he'll be here soon and you need to be ready." 

"Why are you pushing this so hard? You don't even know the guy. I don't even know the guy!" she scoffed, even though she was already putting the dress on. Once she'd smoothed the dress out, she walked over to the full length mirror and studied her appearance. The dress was actually nice, despite never wearing it. It was floral flush body-con dress that accentuated her curves nicely. It was modest in a way that it didn't allow any cleavage to escape, but still showed off her full figure. It came just above her knees and was one of Ina's favorite styles. Of course it was, Ina had picked it out. Turning to the side, she noted that the dress made her butt look absolutely firm and alluring. Her classic black sandals added a "pretty summer girl" look and her outfit was complete. 

"I don't know the guy, but I know his friend and from what I hear... you two found each other at the right time. Now come on girl, you've got less than 20 minutes until he gets here. Let me see that hair." Ina said, coaxing Arabeth into a chair so she could work her magic. 

15 minutes later, Arabeth was standing in the living room awaiting his arrival. Ina had curled her hair and adding a little volume to it, gave her a nice summer appearance. He'd be there in five minutes and she was anxious. She'd been on dates before, but she was sure Grayson would be nothing like those. He seemed to be more experienced at dating and it scared her. What if she wasn't good enough for him? Too inexperienced with... 

knock, knock, knock... 

Her thoughts were interrupted. "What?! No, he's early!" Arabeth said, trying to make a mad dash for her room, but Ina easily blocked the doorway. 

"By two minutes, get your shit together and go answer the door." Ina said, leaving no room for arguments. 

Arabeth glared at Ina before trying to make another attempt at getting past her in which Ina popped her on the forehead. "You look too good to stay in this fucking dorm with me all night, now go..." 

Arabeth sucked in an agitated breath, but turned around and walked to the door. She slowly opened to find a smiling Grayson leaning against the door frame, ready to knock again. "I was worried you were going to back out, honey." he said in a low whisper. His eyes roamed her body once before he looked back up into her awaiting eyes. She was biting her lip again. Grayson could feel himself stirring, but before he could get another word out, a determined looking Kidd brushed past him and stood before Arabeth. 

"Damnnn girl... Maybe you call me later and get rid of this bum, eh?" he suggested jokingly as he walked into the dorm. If Grayson had something to throw at him, he would've. He knew Kidd was only joking, but it unsettled him to have any other man thinking about her that way. He wanted her, and badly. And no man, not even Kidd was going to fuck this up for him. 

"Uh.. the fuck? Hello, you flirtatious asshole..." came an annoyed Ina from the bedroom doorway. She'd crossed her eyes and was waiting for Kidd to make his way over to her. 

"You know I'm kiddin' baby. I've only got eyes for you.. now why don't you go ahead and speak some of that Swahili that I love so much.." he said as he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. It took only 10 seconds before Ina melted into his arms and let out a playfully squeal as he kissed her neck. 

Grayson and Arabeth knew when it was time to go. "Alright, gross.. we're leaving. Let's go." she said, grabbing Grayson's hand and leaving the two lovers standing in the doorway. 

** 

"So, where are we going?" Arabeth asked him, genuinely curious as to what he had in store. She hadn't done a lot of going out since... 

No, don't do that to yourself... 

"To the middle of the woods where no one can hear you scream..." he replied darkly. Arabeth felt the color drain from her cheeks and Grayson laughed. "Damn girl, I'm only kidding... Lighten up. You know I wouldn't do shit like that, Ina and Kidd would both have my ass." he said, trying to ease the tension. 

"You don't joke about shit like that!! What's wrong with you?! Girls get kidnapped all the time and I read this one time.. a girl was-..." she was about to give him a long speech about safety but was interrupted. 

"Relax honey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, ok? The more you get to know me... you'll find I've got quite a different sense of humor. But to answer your question... We're going... out of town." he answered, glancing over to see her face twist up in confusion. "Cincy honey, we're going to Cincinnati." he added. Arabeth felt herself relax, they weren't going that far away. 

She nodded and relaxed against her seat. "Mind turning on some music?" she asked, hoping he wasn't one of those people who liked to ride in silence. 

Without answering her, Grayson turned on the radio and allowed her to pick the station. Arabeth quickly found her favorite station and sat back. 

♪ I can lift you up 

I can show you what you wanna see 

And take you where you wanna be! 

You can be my luck! 

Even if the sky is falling down 

I know that we'll be safe and sound.♪ 

Not realizing that she was singing louder than usual, she continued and Grayson found himself enamored with her confidence. She had a beautiful singing voice and he was getting to experience it first hand. "So you like music then?" he inquired. 

But Arabeth wasn't listening, she was busy dancing in her seat, eyes closed and throwin' down to one of her favorite songs. "We're safe and sound!" 

Grayson, figuring she was too far gone, allowed her to continue as he continued to drive. He'd bring it up later. 

** 

"So, you've never had calamari?" he questioned. 

Arabeth shook her head and continued to eat her Cajun chicken pasta. They were seated in a comfortable booth in a not-so-upscale restaurant. Grayson figured that she wasn't the type of girl to want to get all dressed up and go somewhere super fancy. He was pleased when she told him that it was one of her favorite places to eat whenever she and Ina were in Cincinnati. "Eating squid is disgusting." she added. 

Grayson shook his head and popped another piece of fried calamari into his mouth. "You don't know that because you've never had it." 

Arabeth shrugged. "Gross." she countered, laughing at his inability to keep from dropping crumbs on the table. 

"Nah, you just don't know how to dine the proper way, darlin'." he said, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He couldn't stop looking at her. She looked absolutely stunning, even more so than before. "So tell me", he started up again trying to get her to look at him, "You're 20, live on campus with your best friend and roommate Ina, who just so happens to be screwing my best friend and roommate Kidd", Arabeth let out a choked laugh. She shouldn't have been surprised at his vulgarity, but she was. Nonetheless, he kept going. 

"You've never eaten fried calamari, which I still think is twisted. You're an only child, you love music, you love to write, in your spare time, you catch yourself Netflixing all day, which I think is nuts, that's too many shows in one day..." 

"Okay, no. Netflixing consists of watching one series for hours at time, not different shows throughout the day..." she interjected. 

He laughed and continued, "My point being... you spend a lot of your time watching Netflix. Your favorite color is green because it's the color of the leaves on the trees and you love nature. Yo-..." he was going to finish but she held her hand up, cutting him off. 

"Alright, ok mister know-it-all.. You've got enough information on me. Now it's your turn. Deal?" she asked, not really meaning it as a question. 

Grayson smiled genuinely and nodded, resting his hands in his lap. "Shoot." 

"How old did you say you were again?" she started with something simple. 

"I didn't." 

Arabeth rolled her eyes, "Well how old are you, smart ass?" 

He chuckled lightly and answered, "25." 

She nodded and continued. "What's your major?" 

"Elementary Education." 

"So you like kids?" she asked. He nodded simply. 

"Have any brothers or sisters?" 

"I do. Two brothers and three sisters." 

Arabeth's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Wow... your parents weren't playing around. Well actually, maybe they were." she joked and Grayson couldn't help but laugh at that. She was funny, he liked funny. 

"They were playing around alright, a little too much." he joined in on her joke. Arabeth continued to smile and asked their names. 

"Let's see... There's Donna, she's the eldest at 33, married with two kids.. Then there's Jackson, he just turned 30 and is dreading every second of it-.." he said and Arabeth felt herself becoming more and more interested in his big family. "Gabriel, he's 26 and much like myself, is attending grad-school. Ashley, 21 and Melinda who's 19 and is going to school back at home." he concluded. 

"And where's home?" 

"Lexington." he said and Arabeth noted the way his face edged in disgust. She had to admit, going to school in Lexington was not something she was fond of and by the looks of it, neither was Grayson. 

"Sounds like you've got a nice family." she said, feeling the sadness creep upon her. 

Grayson noticed the change in her tone as her smile faltered slightly. "What's wrong, sugar?" 

Arabeth shook her head, "Nothing. I just wish my family was as big as yours." she said, sagging her shoulders a little. 

Grayson nodded and called the waitress over. "We're ready to go if you wouldn't mind getting the check please?" he turned to Arabeth, "Dessert?" She thought it over and declined. "It'll be all then." he said, dismissing the waitress whose eyes had been roving over him the minute he walked in. This night had turned out great for him, but he wasn't done yet. He had another place to take her and hoped she would like it as much as he did. 

"So, are we going home? Or..." 

"Nu uh, nope. Not just yet, princess. I've got somewhere else to take you and then we'll see about going home." he replied. Arabeth nodded, assuming he meant the "we'll see" part as a joke. She was hoping that he did, she still didn't trust herself. 

"Oh yeah? Alright, well then let's hit it!" she said, trying to bring some excitement back into her voice. Grayson grinned as they started to ready themselves. 

** 

"This is beautiful..." she said in awe. They'd taken a trip to The Banks in Cincinnati and Arabeth was simply enthralled with the colors of the fountain and the peacefulness of it all. It wasn't unusually crowded and they found a bench to sit on. Grayson was sitting with his arm resting on the bench behind her and was watching her unmistakably as she watched the fountain. "Have you ever thought about.. I don't know, where you'll go after you finish school? I mean.. I know that you have like.. a life and everything already set up but.. is there anything that you've always wanted to do before you go out into the real world? Not saying that this isn't the real worl-..." she turned to face him and gasped at how close he was. His face was inches away from hers and he was staring at her admiringly. "Hi." she smiled, trying not to let his closeness phase her. But shit, if he wasn't so damn fine... 

"Hi." he said before he leaned down and captured her lips in a scorching, passionate kiss. She wanted to stop him, but this was only the second time they'd kiss and she could tell that she was becoming addicted to his taste. The hand that wasn't rested behind her reached up to cradle her face as the kiss deepened. Grayson, who was fighting the urge to rip her dress off and take her over the bench, decided to test the waters and licked her lips, begging her to give him access. And she did. As soon as Arabeth opened her mouth, his tongue delved inside, licking and tasting the inside of her mouth with fever. His hand found its way into her locks and she moaned at the contact. Grayson lost it. He removed his hand from her hair, their passion causing wandering eyes from other patrons to meet them, but neither of them cared. His hand found its way to her legs and he sensually rubbed her skin, never breaking away from her lips. Arabeth in turn, scooted as close to him as she could get and rested her hand on her arm, not to push him away but to encourage his motions. Noting her approval, Grayson decided to get a little more bold and grabbed the hem of her dress, not pushing it up but playing with it. Seeing that she wasn't going to stop him, he decided to put an end to the raging fire that was burning inside of them both and broke the kiss. He couldn't afford to get arrested for public indecency, nor did he want anyone else seeing what he was going to lay claim to. 

Arabeth had never felt anything like that in her life. The chemistry between them was not something she was used to and it made her feel... good. It made her feel wanted. Being kissed in public by someone who could actually stand to be seen with her. This was new, it was different. They stared in silence at each other, not caring who or what was around them. They were just lost in each others passion a moment ago and she would give her left leg and a breast for it to continue. She bit her lip and watched him for a few more seconds before speaking. "That was...", her voice was low and laced with a need to be satisfied right then and there. 

"Everything I imagined it to be and then some..." he finished for her. She nodded and they both smiled, never wanting to leave that spot. "I should probably get you home..." he added. She nodded, even though she really wanted to tell him to take her back to his place, but she knew now wasn't the time. 

** 

As Grayson pulled up to the circle in front of her dorm, he was still trying to figure out ways to let her know how serious he was about this. About her. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to move on with her, but something told him that she'd be the girl for him for a long time. Maybe it was the way she reacted to his jokes, or the way she always seemed so cool about things. It could have been a number of things but Grayson just knew he needed to keep her around. 

"I had a great time." she said, interrupting his longing thoughts. He turned to face her. 

"So did I. You're... amazing." he said, reaching his hand over to brush the hair out of her face. He smiled when he felt the heat in her cheeks and she looked at her lap. His hand moved to her chin as he guided her face back to look at him. "Don't hide yourself from me. You're perfect. You're... Wow." he said, at a lost for words. No girl had ever done that before, not even his ex and he sure as hell knew that Arabeth was something special. 

Arabeth smiled meekly before undoing her seat belt and opening the door. "Thanks... for all of this. This night.. the date.. it was... amazing." 

Grayson could feel his smile widen as he nodded his head. "I'd love to do it again. Do you need me to walk you to your door?" 

Arabeth chuckled and shook her head. She told him that she'd be fine just making it a few steps to her room, but hoped to hear from him again soon. It seemed like they were moving a little fast, but something in her said that maybe he was worth a shot. 

"Have a goodnight, princess." 

"And you as well, Grayson." she said, stepping out of the car and shutting the door. He rolled down the window and watched as she blew him a kiss and walked away. He could feel the flutter in his stomach as she did so and knew that there would be many dates to come. 




Isolated Love Ch. 03



** 

Grayson had made it back to the apartment safely and after calling Arabeth to make sure she'd made it in safely, he decided to get ready for bed since work would be coming early morning. 

♪ I say high, you say low 

You say why, and I say I don't know, oh no 

You say goodbye and I say hello...♪ 

Just as he was settling into bed, his phone went off and he grabbed it from the bedside table. Not even bothering to check the I.D., he answered. "Grayson." 

"Hi, it's me... Can we talk? I miss you... so much." 

**



Isolated Love Ch. 04 Pt. 1



So, it finally happened. Someone was willing to be my saving grace and go over my story for me. I think I may have a permanent editor, HOPEFULLY I do because if I do, that'd be great. I just need to clear this up; guys, I stated in the very first chapter that I did NOT have an editor at the time and I was hoping that you all may have been able to appreciate the story even without the editor. Most of you have and to you I say, thank you so much. When I said I craved constructive criticisms, I didn't mean constantly nagging me about getting an editor.. I was working on it! But now I have... actually I think I have three editors LOL. This chapter is going to be split up because I didn't wanna lump the past and the present. Someone mentioned wanting to know why Arabeth put up with him... Here you go. So anyway, I'd really appreciate more comments on what you think of the STORY itself and not so much misplaced/misspelled structures. Shout out to IronDragon and Black_Dragon_Princess for their constant support and words of encouragement :) You guys are seriously awesome. Anyway, you guys are great, I appreciate you reading my story and all of you and your continued support.

Special thanks to Les, Alea & Glo for their editing skills. :)

And another thanks to Katie, Curtis, Erin and Kahlil for their pre-reads. I appreciate you guys. :)

Kuma nina- mother fucker (Swahili) 

-ERC





Isolated Love Ch. 04 Pt. 1



"Hello, ladies," he said brightly, and Ina rolled her eyes. Benji noticed, but didn't say anything. He wasn't here for her anyway. "Arabeth, mind if we talk?" 

But Arabeth wasn't the one speaking, it was Ina, "Uh, yeah. She does. We both do. We're having lunch. So excuse yourself from the table, yes?" She all but barked at him. She was having none of this foolishness today, not while she was enjoying lunch with her friend. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I was talking to you..." he replied, his tone harsh. Ina rolled her eyes again and looked at Arabeth who was just sitting in her chair, trying not to laugh. 

"But I was talking to you, kuma nina," she retorted, and watched as the smug smile disappeared from his face and was replaced with disbelief. "Now, I'll make you this offer once more... excuse yourself from the table." 

Benji couldn't believe this little freshman, "Or. What?" he challenged, amused by her bold demeanor. 

"Or I'll excuse you myself... cool?" challenge accepted, motherfucker. Benji's eyes flitted back and forth between the two young women and he caved. He didn't really want to be bothered with Arabeth's friend, so he let it go. He waited for another 20 seconds before his eyes rested on Arabeth. 

"Meet me at the amphitheater around 8pm, okay?" he offered, waiting for her to accept. Ina was still glaring at him and the tension was so thick, it could probably break someone's skull. Arabeth nodded and Ina sucked her teeth. Without another word, Benji was off.

When they were both sure he was gone, they stared at each other before bursting into fits of laughter. "Ina! That was so rude!" Arabeth said, trying to catch her breath as their laughter slowly died down.

"Pshh, please Arabeth. Wait... you're not actually going to meet him are you?" Ina questioned. Arabeth shrugged nonchalantly and continued eating her food. "No... no, no, no! Do not go meet him!" she begged. 

"Why?" 

"Because! He's still with that fucking girlfriend of his and I don't want you getting caught up!" Ina had dropped the bomb. They were still together? But he told her... fuck! Noting the way Arabeth's face was twisted up, Ina decided to get it all out. "Look, I saw him and some girl the other day... they were walking to his car, I think, and he grabbed her hand. I'm only telling you this because..." 

But Arabeth didn't let her to finish. "I know why you're telling me... thank you," her glum reply came. She was hurt. If what Ina was saying was true, then Benji was playing her and she was falling for it. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought that she was just going to fall to her knees, attractive or not. Arabeth had lost her appetite, and so had Ina for that matter. They decided to go to Starbucks and then go their separate ways. 

Around 7:50, Arabeth found herself pacing back and forth in her room, debating whether or not to show up. If she did, she'd have to confront him about having a girlfriend and lying to her... and if she didn't, it'd be a solid 'Fuck you' to him... which he truly deserved. 

"Why don't you just.. not show up?" Arabeth turned to face her roommate who was sitting at her desk. She'd told Antoinette what was going on and, of course, she had some pretty not nice things to say about him. "He's obviously playing you... Now you can't be pretty and dumb, okay? I won't allow it. Just don't go," she concluded. Deep down Arabeth knew she was right, but something in her told her to go meet him and clear this all up. Maybe if she went to see him she could finally get him off her back, and then her life would be back to normal. 

Who are you trying to convince? You like the attention... and you're only going to be near him because well, you're an idiot. 

Her conscience was doing it again, calling her names. Making her feel like her ideas were always wrong. But she knew that there was no one to put the blame on but herself, after all... it was inside her head. She tried to ignore it and forget that she knew it was right, but it didn't matter. Like the attention? Hell, she loved it! But why? He wasn't even the best looking guy on this campus and she was certain that she could do better, but the fact that he'd put so much time and energy into trying to get her attention made her feel special... But Ina and Antoinette were both right, this was stupid. She should just not go and make him look like the fool, waiting there all lonely and hurt... but that wasn't her. She wasn't the person to just leave well enough alone. She knew that eventually this could turn ugly, but for some reason she didn't care... 

"I'm gonna just go and get it over with..." 





Isolated Love Ch. 04 Pt. 1







Isolated Love Ch. 04 Pt. 2



Alright peeps, let me let this be known.. YES, Arabeth is an idiot. She's so naïve, she's so gullible and it makes me sick... but THAT is her character. And the more you guys complain about how stupid she is and how much you hate the story because it, the more agitated I become. Honestly, I'm not writing this to purposefully piss people off but there are some people who actually think the way she does. To the people who are sticking with the story, thank you guys so much for your constant support. I'm definitely not through with this story, and if you stick with me, you will watch Arabeth grow. Much love♥ 

Thanks to all my pre-readers and my editors Les & Alea. Much obliged, guys. 

xx 

-ERC 

** 

Grayson had made it back to the apartment safely and, after calling Arabeth to make sure she'd made it in safely, he decided to get ready for bed since work would be coming early morning. 

♪ I say high, you say low 

You say why, and I say I don't know, oh no 

You say goodbye and I say hello...♪ 

Just as he was settling into bed, his phone went off and he grabbed it from the bedside table. Not even bothering to check the I.D., he answered. "Grayson." 

"Hi, it's me... Can we talk? I miss you... so much." 

** 

"Sooo..." Ina urged, waiting for Arabeth to spill the juicy details. Arabeth giggled and proceeded to disrobe, amused by the mild inquisition of her friend. She'd only been in the house for about 15 minutes before Ina decided that she could no longer stand being left in the dark. Trying her best to keep the smile on her face hidden, she turned her back to her friend and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. 

"So, what?" Arabeth replied innocently. Ina, slightly annoyed by her friends coyness, decided she'd had enough of this 'don't kiss and tell' nonsense. Without a word she charged at Arabeth with a low growl, and before Arabeth had enough time to process what was going on they were both laughing and screaming on the floor. Ina had begun viciously tickling Arabeth until she caved. "I give! I-oh my god I'm gonna pee! I give!" she screamed in between fits of laughter.  

Ina wasn't through. "You what?" she yelled back, a victorious smile creeping upon her face. "What'd you say, you little shit?" 

Arabeth was near tears as she screamed out again, "I give! I give up!" She hollered, and finally Ina fell onto her back beside her friend. Their breathing was heavy and they were both trying to control their laughter. 

"That - wasn't even... fair!" Arabeth managed to get out. Ina chuckled triumphantly as she slowly sat up and fixed herself into an Indian style sitting position. 

"Fair? Dunno what that is... So, spill it," Ina pushed. 

For the next hour, the girls discussed Arabeth's dates, some good and some awkward. But the good generally overshadowed the awkward and they fell into a comfortable conversation. Ina sat enamored in the conversation, an occasional grin appearing on her face. She was happy for her friend, and she was extremely glad that she didn't have to put up with the melodramatic bullshit that was Benji. "So are you guys going on a second date?" she blurted out, as Arabeth bit her lip knowingly. Ina wriggled her eyebrows suggestively and Arabeth nodded. Ina squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "That's so fucking awesome, I'm so happy! For you, of course," she cheered. After she'd officially smothered Arabeth in hugs, Ina hopped up from the floor and walked over to her bed, plopping down flat on it. She took this time to stare at the ceiling. Arabeth, observing her, moved from the floor to her own bed and sat with her feet hanging off the edge. She stared at her friend curiously. 

Arabeth took this opportunity to question her friend on certain male companion that had been over a lot lately. "What's going on with you and Alex?" she inquired. 

Ina let out a soft groan before she sat up on her side, head resting in the palm of her hand as she stared blankly at the wall behind Arabeth. "Honestly? No fucking clue.. I mean, the guy is literally... so perfect! I-well obviously no one's perfect but you get it. Anyway, he's super smart, his sense of humor is amazing and he always smells like peppermint...". She was speaking as if she were reciting a poem about a magnificent loved one. "He's always dressed so like.. ugh, and his face.. UGH. I just...". She sighed in annoyance at herself and rolled her eyes. "He's being really nice to me and all I want is for him to like me for me-..." 

"I get the sense he already does Ina..." Arabeth interjected. 

"Yeah but, I don't know. I feel like.. because all we do is have sex... there's no REAL connection. Like, at the party? I was stuck to his side the entire time... by the way, sorry I didn't spend more time with you... but anyway, I was stuck to his side the entire time, right? And these... bitches kept coming up to him, talking to him. I could literally feel myself getting jealous but I had to remember that he's not my man...". Ina trailed off, her thoughts reeling her in. 

Arabeth nodded in understanding. She knew what this feeling was. Though, the difference between them was that Kidd seemed to be really into Ina, even if Ina couldn't tell. "Well, don't worry about not spending time with me... And.. I don't know, I'm pretty sure he likes you?" Ina shrugged it off and began getting herself ready for bed. "Come on, Catina!" Arabeth whined and smiled impishly as Ina shot her a death glare. Using her full name always got her to pay attention. "You guys are cute together, ya know?" Ina went back to what she was doing and Arabeth sighed. So much for that. Oh well, she'd see it eventually... 

** 

"That's not funny, you fucking prick!" Grayson yelled into the phone. His heart was racing and he was sweating. He'd thought Courtney, his ex-girlfriend, was calling and he immediately went in to panic mode. Though, when he heard Kidd's faint chuckle in the background, he was both relieved and frustrated. He didn't know if he would be able to handle talking to her right now, not after the night he'd just had. He was still on a high from that kiss and he didn't want anything or anyone to bring him down. Kidd had taken the phone from what Grayson assumed was either his sister or their friend Magnolia. 'Asshole...' 

Kidd was still laughing as he started to speak, "I'm sorry man.. I-am... Hah-aha, I am so sorry dude. That was probably a terrible thing for me to do-..." 

"Probably?" Grayson fumed. He loved Kidd like a brother, but he picked the absolute worst times to be funny. If only he knew how close Grayson was to hanging up. 

"Okay, alright...I'm sorry," he finally apologized. "I was actually calling to see how your date went." 

Grayson felt a smile slowly creep upon his face as he remembered the way Arabeth's lips felt on his, the way her body was so soft and how she tasted so sweet. "It went well, thanks for asking. Now I've gotta go." 

"Aww, c'mon man... You've gotta give me more than that. Tell me... Did you kiss her? Did you?" Kidd sounded like... well, a kid. His enthusiasm was giving Grayson a headache. 

"I've got work in the morning, but we can grab dinner or something, cool?" he offered, hoping Kidd would take the hint. He did. 

Kidd exhaled deeply before he gave in. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, then," and he hung up. Grayson chuckled before placing his phone back on the table. His thoughts were racing as he settled back into bed, imaging what Arabeth was doing at this moment. From what he could guess, she was probably telling her roommate about their date and he had hoped that he'd left a good impression on her. He was glad that he and Kidd would be able to talk about the date, but he was secretly hoping that he'd be able to take to Arabeth again tomorrow. He couldn't believe it, but he was missing her already. She was affecting him like no other girl had ever... Except... 

Don't think about it... just go to sleep. 

Grayson nodded and turned on his side, slowly letting his thoughts of Arabeth lull him to sleep. 

** 

The following morning, Grayson was busy getting ready for work. He'd woken up and went through his morning routine, finishing off with a breakfast consisting of leftovers his older sister had brought down when she was there a week ago. He scarfed down the leftover baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, and string beans. Even though he had 30 minutes until he actually had to be to work, he'd wanted to leave early so that he could just relax in the parking lot at work. Ready to go, he grabbed his keys, phone, and wallet and headed out the front door. When he reached his car his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. His car was completely covered in pink silly string and toilet paper. He walked around his car, his face red from anger and frustration as he began pulling off the trash from every inch of the vehicle. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me..." he muttered. He didn't have time for this shit. Once he'd removed all the toilet paper and silly string he checked to make sure that there was no further garbage hanging from his car. When he didn't see any he moved around to the driver's side, and before he could open the door his eyes caught sight of key marks on the side of his door. They weren't hard to miss, but he hadn't seen them under all the crap. He bent down to further inspect them and noticed that they spelled out, 'loser' and 'downgraded'. "Fucking Christ!!" he growled. Courtney. 

** 

knock, knock, knock... 

"Coming!" Ina screamed. As they both had the day off, the girls were watching T.V. in the small living area. They were getting lost in episodes of 'Lie To Me' on Netflix when they heard the intrusion of a guest. "Did you invite someone over?" Ina questioned. Arabeth turned to look at her and shook her head. "Oh don't worry, I'll get it. I know how tired you must be after carrying that 30 ton rock on your back all day." the sarcasm rolled off her tongue and Arabeth threw a chip at her, giggling lightly. Ina pushed herself from the couch. 

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. 

"I said I'm coming, dammit!" she called again. When she reached the door, Ina quickly unlocked it and flung it open. 

"Pues, if you'd moved faster," Armando dragged and received a playful punch to the arm. "Invite me in, duh," he drawled lazily. When he saw Ina smirk, he brushed past her and made his way over to the couch. Ina rolled her eyes and closed the door, resuming her spot on the couch. "What are you even doing here?" she asked. 

Armando greeted them each with a kiss on their cheeks and sat down on the couch opposite theirs. "I'm off too, and my man candy is working the late shift at Walmart tonight. So... You bitches are stuck with me!" he declared giddily. "What's this? Ooh, this is my show.. you bitches knew I was coming over!" he squealed, and Arabeth laughed. Manny easily made himself comfortable as he kicked of his shoes and focused on the screen. "Tim Roth is such a hot old man," he gushed. Both Ina and Arabeth agreed. "So, what are you hoes doing tonight? This?" 

"Pretty much, unless something better happens," Arabeth answered. Truthfully, she was hoping that, by Manny making his arrival, he'd have something for them to do since all of them had the day off. 

"Arabeth had a date last night," Ina blurted out, and she laughed when Arabeth shot her a look of agitation. It wasn't that she didn't want Manny to know, but he was so nosy and she knew he wouldn't stop asking questions. He and Ina were almost similar when it came to getting information out of her. Arabeth's face turned red when she heard the expected gasp coming from a surprised Manny. 

"And you were just gonna lemme sit here? You little slut... dime! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" he pressured. Arabeth let out a groan and Ina paused the show. For the next 15 minutes Arabeth gave him the shortened version of the date, leaving out the kiss. She knew that as soon as she told him about the kiss he would be pushing for more detail, and she just didn't wanna talk about that with him. She loved him dearly, but he always made things seem bigger than they were... even though the kiss was better than any kiss she'd ever had. 

"Di que... he took you out to dinner, which was nice. Let you pick the station, even better, si? And then you guys sat on a bench?" he asked, laughing a little at the last part. He knew it was more than just sitting on a bench, but being in each other's company. When Arabeth told him to shut up he laughed harder. "I'm sorry, mami, but you know I had to get one in. He seems nice, way better than that baboso." Ina lifted her hand, and without saying a word they both reached over Arabeth and highfived each other. This caused Arabeth to roll her eyes and smile at their silent approval. "We should celebrate!" he suggested suddenly and this pulled a string of relieved 'thank god' and 'about times'. "Oh, so you were just waiting on me, huh? Okay, I wanna go out!" 

"Duh, but where?" shot Ina. Manny gave a look of disbelief at her snarky attitude. "Sorry, sorry. I just wanna get out of here!" 

Manny thought this over and decided on a plan of action that would benefit them all. "Well, how about we get in my car, drive and see where the road takes us?" It didn't take long before they all screamed with excitement and began getting ready. Arabeth was especially excited because she hadn't done a mini road-trip with her friends since the beginning of last semester. Whenever they got together for a mini road-trip one of them would drive and they would take the main road off campus. and from there they'd keep going straight until they couldn't go any further or until they were ready to turn back around. The last trip they'd gone on, they ended up in the deep part of Florence, KY, and they found a cool little hole-in-the-wall bar. Their discovery of the place brought forth a few new friends, some good bar food and a few drinks for whoever wasn't driving, which at the time happened to be Manny and Ina. This time, they'd take the opposite road and see where it lead to. 

"I'm driving, just in case you guys decide to turn up a little... but not too much, cool? I don't want either of you bitches throwing up in my car. I just got it cleaned," he warned, and they both agreed. "Let's see, it's only... 6:07 right now. That gives you both, like, 53 minutes to get ready. Vamos!!" 

** 

Grayson and Kidd were seated in a booth at O'Charley's, casually eating their food. They were talking about random things, with sparse information on the date here and there. "Yeah," Kidd started, "so the date went well, that's cool. You kissed her, even cooler," he said, and they both snickered like little children. "But what's the deal? You really like this girl. or - I'm just asking because you haven't been out of a relationship for that long..." 

"I know, Kidd..." 

"And you haven't really known her that long," he kept going. "Plus, that thing happened with your car, which I'm sorry about by the way. I feel like I should've seen her coming since I came in late last night." 

Grayson shook his apology off and told him it wasn't his fault. "The thing with my car can be fixed, and even then I still don't know if it was her. I mean, I think it was. But..." 

They stared at each other for a second before Alex decided to change the subject. "So, I was wondering... what do you know about Catina Aitken?" he questioned, wondering if he'd heard anything bad about his latest lover. 

Grayson smiled genuinely, and without answering the question he flipped the script. "You like her, huh?" 

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. 

"It's cool, dude. Even if you don't say it, I'll know it," Grayson teased, and Alex's smile grew wide. 

"I don't know. She's cool. Very beautiful, one of the most beautiful girls on campus actually, smart, funny, her attitude is so tough. I like that. She's got a great smile, super intelligent and not to mention she's fucking great in bed," he replied shamelessly. Grayson nodded in understanding. When it's true, it's true. 

"Well, I don't really know anything about her. I mean, I figure if there's anybody to talk to about her, it'd be Arabeth," he suggested. "But even then they're best friends, so of course she'll do nothing but brag about her. Maybe you should ask her out on a date, get to know her a little." 

Alex thought it over for a minute. "Nah, I don't date. You know that." 

"I do, but you just asked me what I knew about a girl I haven't even really met. Obviously, you wanna know her some more, so why not?" Grayson replied. He wasn't going to push his friend into something that he didn't want to do, but he wasn't going to become some sort of detective for him either. If he wanted to know more about Catina, he'd have to figure it out on his own. Grayson had his mind on his own woman... 

Your woman? 

As they fell into a comfortable silence, Grayson felt himself replaying what he'd just said in his head. His woman? He hadn't meant to put a claim on her so quickly, but he couldn't help it. He felt a connection with her that was completely unexplainable and he didn't want to think about any other man standing in his way. He couldn't picture her with anyone besides him, and vice versa. He knew it was probably silly, and that she possibly didn't see him as anything more than a guy she'd just went on a date with, but then again they did share a kiss that was anything but 'silly', and the thought only reassured what he was feeling. Just thinking about her lips against his was causing a fire to grow deep in his loins . He'd almost forgot that he was out to dinner when he saw Alex snapping his fingers in front of his face. "W-what? What?" he shouted, but then lowered his voice as he received several stares from other people in the restaurant. 

"I said... look who's here." He mumbled just loud enough for Grayson to catch. Grayson followed his eyes to the members of the table that was two spaces away and he swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing to slits. She was here. Before she could catch him staring he turned to look at Kidd who was doing his own glaring that way. Grayson didn't want to wait for her to notice him and Kidd was in the same boat. "Let's go," he said darkly, and Grayson nodded. The bill had already been paid for, so they quickly gathered themselves and headed towards the exit. Not before Courtney spotted them. 

"Well, well, look who it is," she sneered, and Grayson immediately went on the defense. His feet halted even as Kidd urged him to keep walking, but he wasn't going to let this go. He had questions, and the only person that could answer them was sitting right in front of him along with her air-headed friends. "How're you, Grayson?" she asked sweetly, but Grayson wasn't buying it. This girl was a lot of things, but sweet wasn't one of them. 

"Cut the bullshit, Courtney! What'd you do to my fucking car?" he hissed. He was becoming aggravated just by her sitting there with that smug look on her face. Oh, she'd done it alright. He could tell just by the way her friends were laughing. 

Courtney's smile disappeared and was replaced with unconvincing hurt. She was never a good actress. "Why, Grayson! I have absolutely no id-..." 

"Will you please cut the fucking act? I know it was you.. you're the only one psycho enough to key a man's car... after you broke up with him. You crazy bitch, if you ever come near me or what's mine again... It'll be the last time you ever get to see straight. Got me?" he warned. His tone was menacingly brutal, and it left the table wide-eyed. All except Courtney. She was busy eyeballing a pissed off Grayson with an arrogant smile on her face. If he knew, why'd he have to ask? 




Isolated Love Ch. 04 Pt. 2



Courtney decided to play a little. "Listen babe, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sorry if you're still upset over us breaking up, but using this as an excuse to talk to me is just pathetic. I'm trying to have..." 

"Talk to you? You spoke first, you arrogant little... You know what, let's go." He gestured to Kidd they left without another word. He knew she'd done it, and the conversation was going nowhere. He probably shouldn't have done it in public, but he couldn't stop himself. 

Alex was glad that they were out of there. He couldn't watch his friend continue to torture himself by talking to that ice queen. He'd never really liked Courtney, but put up with her for the sake of his friend. But keying his car? Completely fucked up and unnecessary. He was sure that Grayson wasn't going to let it go, he could only hope that it wouldn't get in the way of what he had going with Arabeth. Focusing too much on the past could potentially destroy the present... and even worse, the future. 

** 

"? Un soberbio rendido! Sin su amor ya yo no puedo continuar! ,Ahora entiendo que el amor no tiene precio! Con fama y mi dinero si quisiera no la puedo comprar!?" Armando was singing loudly with the music playing in his car. He always did this. Whenever he drove he felt the need to blast Bachata. Arabeth and Ina never complained because a lot of the music was catchy, it was just that they didn't understand any of it. Sometimes they'd make a game out of trying to catch words they knew, and this would eventually cause Manny to turn it off and put on something that was on the radio. Tonight wasn't any different as Manny quickly cut the music and turned on the radio. "You hoes... ugh," he complained. Arabeth and Ina laughed. 

They had been driving for the past 45 minutes and had no idea where they actually were. Thank God for GPS, or they'd probably never find their way back. Still, it was nice to get away, and they all made it clear that there were no cellphones to be involved unless it was family calling. Arabeth wasn't even allowed to text Grayson back. She hoped he wasn't mad at her for not answering him. 

"Ay dios mio... Just fucking text him," Manny blurted out, noticing how Arabeth had been glancing at her phone every five minutes. 

"What? I'm not... okay." She smiled, not even trying to hide the fact that she was happy to be given permission to text him. She opened her messages and read them. She quickly replied, and Ina, who was in the backseat, rolled her eyes. They could hear the speedy clicking of her buttons as she messaged him back, and Manny made a gagging noise. "Shut up!" 

"Seriously, you were just waiting on one of us to say it was okay, hmm?" Ina quipped from the back. Arabeth ignored them both and sent her reply. 

"I just wanted to let him know that I was out with you guys and not to worry if I didn't text him back! Give me a break, huh?" 

They continued driving, the girls singing to the radio while Manny let the windows down and smoked his cigarette. They were enjoying this quality time. With their work schedules, they almost never had an opportunity where all three of them could get together. 

? Ain't it fun 

Livin' in the real world 

Ain't it good 

Being all alone? 

"Livinnn' in the real worrrrld!" the girls sang in unison. Manny was always amazed at the way they seemed to harmonize so well and even suggested to them that they join some of the organizations that focused on singing and music. Though they never took him up on his suggestion, they still sang almost everywhere they went. 

"Hey chicas, look!" he said and they immediately ceased singing and looked out the windows. They noticed a lone building sitting in a lot that wasn't too terribly packed, but contained a decent number of cars. "I think it's a club..." Manny said more to himself than them. 

"Well.. let's check it out! Duh!" Ina shouted excitedly. She was ready get the night started, especially since she didn't have to work until later the next day. Arabeth and Manny gave each other a sideways glance before he made a sharp turn onto the road that would lead them to the lot. What the hell, they were young and had nothing better to do. What was life without a little trouble to get in to?! Once they'd arrived, Manny quickly found a parking space that was away from most of the cars and then shut the car off. No one made a move to get out. 

"Well?" Ina said, but even she could hear the nervousness in her voice. They'd never been to this location and it'd seemed pretty secluded... They all knew why they were being so hesitant. 

This wasn't the most LGBT-friendly place on earth and they weren't sure how anyone inside would react once they found out that Manny was gay. 

"I-um..." Manny started. 

"Me either." Arabeth chimed in. They were both thinking the same thing. They weren't sure about this. "What if they don't take to newcomers? I mean.. not only do we have a gay man with us but, we're away from campus and this is a predominantly white area... Not that there's anything wrong with that but you remember me telling you about my cousin? The one who went to school here a couple of years ago? And how they.. well, you know." she fidgeted nervously in her seat. Not just for herself, but for Manny. 

"Maybe we should..." 

But Manny was suddenly cut off by a movement in the distance. His eyes cut between the girls and the outside figure... make that, figures. 

"What is that?" Ina questioned, her eyes trying desperately to roam through the darkness. The three of them continued to stare, Manny's hand resting on his keys ready to turn them in case they needed to make a quick getaway. When the figures moved closer, Arabeth let out a loud shriek of delight as she quickly opened the door and jumped out of the car. "Arabeth!!" 

"Wait!!" 

But she wasn't listening. She'd run up to one of the figures and threw her arms around them. Manny and Ina looked at each other quizzically before slowly following her. 

"I'm so sorry! I'm just so glad it's you and not a bunch of creepy people!" Arabeth was rambling. It turned out that the figures that were making their way towards the car were people she knew, well one person she knew. It was Halley! Arabeth didn't mean to bombard her with a brutal hug but she couldn't help it. Her nerves inside the car were terrible and she was just glad that they wouldn't have to put up a fight. 

Halley smiled and began explaining, "It's quite alright, hon. We were just coming back to see who this car belonged to. We were standing at the front when Clara noticed you guys pull in but nobody got out, we thought you might have been here looking for someone or to cause trouble so we were gonna come on over to see what was happening. But, turned out to be you guys!" she beamed and Arabeth nodded in understanding. It did take them a little while to get out of the car, so she couldn't blame them. "Guys, this is that girl I was telling you about, Arabeth. Arabeth this is Luna, Clara, Pete and Chyanne." she introduced them in the order they were standing in. Arabeth nodded her head and greeted them. 

"Oh, these are my friends Armando and Catina." she introduced and Manny stuck his hand out. 

"Manny. Nice to meet you." he said, relieved that they had a mutual connection. He was so worried that they would have to fight for their lives for a second. 

"Hi, please don't call me Catina or I'll never speak to you..." Ina joked as she too stuck her hand out. They all laughed as they finished their greetings. "So, what type of place is this?" 

Luna spoke first, "My daddy's place. It's a bar. I bring my friends here all the time 'cause we can get free drinks. Y'all comin' in?" 

"Ohhh pleaseeee..." Halley whined as she grabbed Arabeth's hand and started to pull her towards the entrance. "We'd love y'all in here!!" 

"Where the hell did that country accent come from?" Arabeth asked as she let out a cackle, this wasn't the Halley that she'd met. 

"Honey, you'd be surprised at how much crap I get talkin' like this.. in Kentucky of all places. Naw, I just tend to keep my country roots at bay when I meet new people. But ya ain't new no more, so let's hit it!" Halley screamed and they all made their way to the front. Manny locked his car and gave Ina a knowing look. Just because they'd made a couple of acquaintances didn't meant they were off the hook that easily. 

** 

The inside of the building was nicer than they'd expected. There was a bar of course, but it was huge and covered the entire wall with expensive looking stools seated in front of it. A couple of people were sitting in them, but it wasn't too full because mostly everyone was either on the dance floor or sitting in the booths surrounding the place. Arabeth noticed that there were more women than men there and that made her feel a little more comfortable. The bar decorations were simple, but very suitable. She noted that there was a DJ who was wearing a cowboy hat, he seemed right at home. 

"Drinks?!" Halley yelled over the music as they made their way to the bar. Manny declined, as he was driving, but everyone else was on board. 

"Actually, no thanks," Ina declined, "I've got work tomorrow." Halley nodded and looked to Arabeth expectantly. 

"Uhh, well if they're not drinking... I guess I won't either. I mean, I don't wanna be the only one of my friends, ya know?" she smiled apologetically at Halley and turned towards her friends. They were giving her a look of affirmation. 

"Well if you guys aren't gonna drink, might as well dance!" Pete shouted unexpectedly and everyone agreed. They quickly made their was to the center of the dance floor while the DJ was playing 'My Cowboy' by Jessie James. Ina and Manny had never heard the song before but Arabeth had and it didn't take long before she was moving to the beat of the song with Halley behind her doing the same. Everyone was crowded in a small ground and having a great time. Eventually, Manny and Ina paired up and started to move to the music, causing Arabeth to shout and holler words of encouragement. They were moving, grinding and having the time of their lives. Arabeth couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a fun night out with her friends, even with people she'd just met but they seemed like a pretty exciting bunch of people and for that, Arabeth was thankful. Drama free was the way to be. 

Should have told yourself that before... 

But she shook it off. She was living in the now, in this moment and it was wonderful! She was having such a good time, that she'd missed the six calls coming through on her phone.