Temporary [H.S. || A.U.]

Chapter 26

"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop being so proper and call me Greg." He quips, folding up his newspaper and laying it down on the kitchen island. He then takes off his reading glasses, setting them on top of the newspaper before patting the barstool next to him. "Come take a seat, son."

Nerves instantly flood my body. Is it time for that interrogation he kept mentioning that he would give me?

Last time I had a father grill me, I was forced to memorize a script beforehand. Lindsey told me how to answer all the questions that her father would ask me so that I wouldn't embarrass her. Grayson didn't prepare me for this or tell me what to say. I don't want to embarrass her or have Greg not approve of me.

Yeah, we aren't really dating and this shouldn't be that serious. But I still would like for Grayson's family to approve of me and like me. If Grayson really does like me then we could possibly date in the future and her family's approval would be important to her. I know how close she is with her family.

Fuck. The thought of even possibly dating Grayson in the future has my stomach doing flips.

I can't mess this up.

While mentally giving myself a pep talk, I walk over to take a seat next to Greg. "So, Harry," Greg says when I sit down, folding his hands together and turning to look at me. "I wasn't planning on doing this now, but seeing that you're not with Grayson, this is as good a time as any for me to do my fatherly duty of interrogating the boyfriend."

"Okay," I trail off nervously. "Ask away."

"Well I've already gotten to know you on the surface level, since we have talked a few times. So I just want to ask you a few things that are less surface level. I love my daughters and want to make sure that they're in good hands. Especially Grayson, since she is my youngest and I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"That's understandable. And I want to make it clear that I won't ever intentionally hurt your daughter. I really like her, like a lot." I assure him.

"Good. Now, I'm going to run through some things that have posed as issues in the past. And I want to hear your honest responses to what I say. Because, like I said, I don't want to see my little girl hurt again. She acts all tough and like her mom and I don't know that she struggles with relationships...but just like all of us, she just wants to be loved."

"Trust me, I get it." I quip with a laugh. He really doesn't know even the slightest bit how much I relate to that. All I want is to be loved and be in love. And it sucks that Lindsey, my ex, made me truly believe that I'm not worthy of that. But I know I'm capable of loving someone. I just don't know if I'm capable of being loved by someone in return.

"Okay, so you're twenty-five, correct?" Greg asks me, his tone becoming more quizzical instead of soft.

"Yes. I'm twenty-five. My birthday is in February, so about six months away."

"Grayson is older than you then. Is that a problem for you?" He asks.

"Not a problem." I answer instantly. Because, why would it be? "I think age is just a number. It's all about how you carry yourself. Also, age is just a trivial thing that I don't consider to be a huge factor in a relationship."

Greg looks deep into my eyes, probably to determine if there's any dishonesty in my answer. But he doesn't find any and moves on to the next question. "Grayson is in a very high position at work and you work under her as one of her employees. Do you see that becoming an issue, you know, her being in higher ranked job than yours?"

I furrow my brows, starting to become confused with his questions. He told me that he was going to ask me questions based off of problems in Grayson's past relationships. The fact that her age and her job have been a problem for people blows my mind. "Absolutely not. I have a lot of respect for Grayson. She runs the company very well and clearly works very hard. I'm proud of her and her accomplishments, and very proud to be one of her employees. Her being my boss is not a concern of mine."

"Speaking of Grayson working hard," Greg hums. "She does work very hard and puts in a lot of hours. Is that a concern of yours? Because she doesn't always have a lot of free time."

"That's not a concern of mine either. I work very hard as well and put in a lot of extra hours just to make sure that my work is satisfactory and the best it can be. Any free time of hers that she grants me, I'm happy with."

Greg gives me a satisfied smile, calming some of my nerves I had going into this conversation. But the conversation isn't over, so I'm still nervous. The possibility of me fucking this all up is still very much there. "So, what made you interested in Grayson?"

Where do I even start? A memory of when she interviewed me for the position at Saxton Technologies flickers in the forefront of my mind. I can see the bright smile that she greeted me with when I entered her office so vividly. "Her smile is the first thing that peaked my interest. Her smile and her whole spirit is just so bright. She has the ability to make the bad days feel good just by her smile alone." I answer truthfully, feeling myself blush.

"But I find new things that I like about her every day." I continue. "I like how she finds joy in the little things life has to offer. I like how passionate she is about her admiration towards Snoop Dogg. I like how important her family is to her and how close she is to all of you. I like her drive, how hard she works at her job. I like how she is unapologetically herself, not worrying about hiding her true self and living in fear of judgement of others." I hum. "It's hard to find something not to like about her, Greg. You raised an amazing woman."

"Thank you, Harry. I'm glad that she met you because I can tell that you're a genuine guy." Greg says. "But don't get me wrong, you hurt my daughter and I'll break your neck." He adds sternly.

"Oh, uhm, yes sir. Message received, loud and clear." I stutter, feeling a bit intimidated now.

"Also," Greg adds before I get the chance to get up from my seat. "I'm not naïve. You two are adults. Just keep the hanky panky safe, got it?"

I practically choke on air and feel my entire body start shutting down and turning on panic mode in reaction to his words. "Got it." I blurt out, my voice shaking slightly.

"Good." Greg nods.

"I-I'm just gonna," I stutter, pointing back over my shoulder towards the hallway. "I'm gonna go now. I gotta run to the store." I add, tripping over my feet slightly when I get out of my chair and turn to start walking out of this now awkward situation.

"Ope, here!" Greg cheers, gaining my attention once again. Just in time too, because when I quickly turn around to face him, I see him tossing me what I presume to be his car keys. "Take my car."

I'm surprised at myself and my reflexes when I catch the keys. "Thank you, Mister Sax-" I start to say before I cut myself off. "I mean, Greg."

"No problem! Just make sure you drive on the right side of the road." Greg cheers with a wink.

I reply with a nod before walking down the hallway towards the front door to leave the house and head to the store. I hope that conversation went well. But more importantly, I hope this date goes well.