‘Or?’ Grayson had been slowly deflating in his seat with each word Lorelai said. Now, he was sitting upright again.
‘Or I should have listened when my instincts told me I could trust you. That maybe you’d understand me when no one else really has. Other than Joanie, of course.’
‘Well, of course.’ Grayson absentmindedly traced circles in the condensation on his glass. ‘So you’re going to stop running away from me? Because I really can’t deal with any more of that. I’m not one for playing games. I don’t do all of that. Treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen, playing hard to get. It’s all such a waste of time, and I don’t see the point in any of it. I just want good, upfront honesty. So, no more running, no hiding and no games.’
‘I get that and I don’t like that stuff either, but there’s still a lot about me you don’t know.’ Lorelai fiddled with the napkin underneath her glass.
‘I’d like to get to know you, though.’ His voice was so earnest it made tears spring to her eyes.
‘And I want to get to know you too, I really do, but you have to understand that my secrets aren’t like normal-people secrets.’
‘You haven’t murdered anyone, have you? Because I do draw the line at hiding dead bodies.’
Lorelai tried to keep her voice light. ‘No, no murders.’Butplenty of dead bodies. ‘I want to tell you the truth, Grayson, but it’s hard. These are things I’ve never told anyone.’
‘Other than Joanie, of course.’ Grayson rolled his eyes gently and smiled softly.
‘She knows now, but I didn’t even want to tell her initially. I kept it from her as well at first.’
Grayson raised his eyebrows, the smile fading. ‘OK, so thisisserious, then?’
‘It’s very serious and not the kind of thing I would tell someone without knowing I can really trust them first. I know I ran away from you, and that this is a big ask, but I need to trust that you won’t run away from me.’
Grayson placed a calming hand over hers to stop her from ripping her napkin to shreds.
‘You can trust me. On both counts. I promise you can. Cross my heart and hope to die.’
Lorelai turned to face Grayson properly. Her knees brushed against his and instead of jolting away, as though she’d been burned, she leaned into the heat between them instead. She looked into Grayson’s eyes, and took in his hopeful-looking face. Could she trust him?
‘There is something I want to try first, and then I’ll explain everything to you.’ Lorelai slid her arm along the bar and gently touched his thumb with her finger. He responded by taking his hand away from his glass and letting his fingers intertwine with hers. Her whole body was aflame.
‘Is it… is it something you might…’ she began, breathless, leaning in closer.
‘I might…’ Grayson responded, closing the distance andmeeting her halfway. He paused just before the tips of their noses touched. She could feel his hot breath on her face. Or was it her breath? They were so close now, she couldn’t tell. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and her head felt light. Her body was heavy with longing and if Grayson didn’t press his lips to hers soon she felt like she would explode. ‘Are you sure?’ he whispered against her mouth, and she answered by closing the gap until their lips were touching.
Finally.
Grayson’s lips were soft and full, and Lorelai squeezed her eyes tight, falling hard into their kiss. The other kisses she’d had didn’t compare to what she was feeling now. Every movement, every touch, felt like a lightning bolt through her heart. They were standing now, arms wrapped around each other, pressed together so tightly no air could pass between them. They were one.
‘We have breaking news just in from Heathrow Airport.’
The sound of the news reporter’s voice was faint in Lorelai’s ears, and it took her a moment to realise what was happening and focus in on the words.No, not now.Please. Just let me have this.
‘A plane containing over three hundred passengers has crashed on the runway after two of its engines failed and one quickly caught fire. We don’t yet have confirmation on how many passengers were injured or if there are any fatalities…’
The voice faded away but Lorelai knew there was more to come. Her arms were still locked around Grayson’s neck but the joy and desire she’d felt just seconds before had disappeared. Now, in her mind, she was on the plane.
It was chaos. Shouting, screaming, people moving and pushing, the sound of fire crackling and blazing, smoke alreadychoking her lungs. Among it all was Grayson, barely any older than he was now. He was in the middle of a crowd of people who were by the doors in the middle of the plane, in front of the wing, desperately clawing at the giant red handle to get the door open. A steward pushed through to help but before Lorelai or anyone else on the plane could call out to tell them to stop, the door was open and the flames from outside were upon them. The steward was claimed first. The passengers tried to outrun the fire, but it moved faster than the bodies scrambling up the aisles and climbing over seats. They were ablaze. Lorelai didn’t want to watch but she had no choice. Grayson was clambering over seats, pushing people towards the back of the plane, his voice carrying over the hellish sounds of people screaming. But he just wasn’t fast enough. In his attempt to undo an elderly woman’s seat belt, the last thing he could do was shield her from the fire as it claimed them both. Grayson was gone.
‘Lorelai?’ Grayson’s voice brought her back to now.
Her eyes flew open and she saw him, alive and well. Unharmed. But it brought her no solace. He wouldn’t be this way for long. Lorelai’s throat had closed, and she couldn’t sob or speak. All she could do was shake her head and avert her gaze as she stumbled back, tripping over the bar stool. Of all the deaths she had seen, this was by far the worst. It wasn’t justhowGrayson had died, but how she had felt watching it play out. In that moment, Lorelai’s heart and soul had shattered into a million pieces and there was no way to put it back together. She was destroyed, devastated, inconsolable.
‘Lorelai, you’re freaking me out… what’s going on?’
‘I have to go,’ she mumbled.
‘No, not again.’ Grayson gently took her hand. ‘You need to explain to me what this is or—’
