Griffith's 'Prune': A Short Story

"Prune."

"What?"

"It is like, the most offensive term in the book on offensive terms," Griffith responds. I laugh so hard that I have to gasp for air.

"Prune? Really? That 's going to be your substitute for cursing?" He shrugs and grins.

"So, when does Bay get here?" Griffith asks.

"When she finds out that this was a set up, I 'm dead, so I 'm hoping never." I check my phone for messages. "She says she 's almost here."

"Look, thanks for doing this, Rowan. She won 't respond to any of my texts, or calls. I have no idea how I fu- pruned up." I laugh.

"I am so glad that you decided to substitute 'prune ' for cursing. You curse a lot so this will be interesting," I say. My phone buzzes, and I check it. "She 's here. I 'll go open the

"It 's what you didn 't do; what you haven 't done! And you 're always surrounded by all of these girls, laughing and smiling."

"Is that it? You 're jealous?" Griffith gently caresses Bay 's small face in his big hands, and their noses nearly touch. I try not to look. I want to leave, but that would just ruin the moment a lot more that I am ruining it now.

This is awkward. Moment officially ruined.

"Bunny, you 're the best thing that has ever happened to me," he whispers.

"And yet you still haven 't done it...you haven 't said it. I told you more than a week ago. I 've tried not being that girl, but I am that girl. We 've been together for a while. I just want to know that you love me; that you 're in love with me and no one else," Bay explains. Griffith shakes his head.

"I wish you could understand, but this just isn 't the time."

"What could you possibly be waiting for? I have given you every part of me. I have given you everything."

Griffith touches his nose to Bay 's. "I 'm just not ready," he whispers so quietly that I can barely hear him.

Bay lowers his hands from her face and holds them in hers. "And I don 't want to feel like this -like you 're not in love with me. I want some time

"Wait!", she says. He turns around and she practically runs into his arms, and hugs him tightly. He hugs her back, and kisses the top of her head.

"Bye, Bunny," he whispers in her ear. He let 's go, and leaves.

❁❁❁

Bay and I lay on my black furry carpet, in our pajamas, watching Frankenstein.

"Thanks for letting me stay the night, Rowan."

"Of course. Like I was going to let you go home after that...sorry by the way. For-"

"Parent-trapping me?"

"Yeah, something like that," I say. She chuckles.

"I 'm actually glad you both did that. I feel a little bit better." She chewed a piece of licorice, and turned on her back to look up at the ceiling.

"So...why didn 't you tell me that you told him you love him?" She gulps.

"Well, I was going to, but that conversation would have went south real fast. Like, 'O-M-G, you told him you love him! Did he say it back? ', 'Oh, no. He didn 't say it back. He just smiled, and kissed me so that he wouldn 't have to, ' -that would have been just awful," Bay explained.

"Okay, I get it...and I do not say 'O-M-G '."

"Just did."

Damn.

I throw an m&m at her, and she kicks her leg up, nearly kicking me in the face.

"Oh, sorry! But come on, you know I 'm a ninja.