Young Lies

56 ❥ grayson hart

I'm gonna die.

"Alyssa?" I hear his voice from above me.

"Uh- uh yes?" I look up.

He's tall, he has dark brown almost black hair like me, big dark brown eyes...

He's definitely my father.

"Hello, my name is Grayson Hart." He smiles at me before sitting in the seat across from mine.

"Alyssa Phoenix but you already knew that," I mumble quickly.

"You don't need to be nervous sweetheart." He says with a lighthearted laugh.

"I'm not nervous."

"Then why haven't you looked at me?"

Fuck.

"Uh...I have something in my eye."

"Never admitting to anything...just like your mother." He laughs.

"What?"

"Your mother would rather be caught dead than be proven wrong." He explains.

Huh? I didn't know that.

"Oh. Haha." I laugh nervously.

"Gosh, I didn't realize I was that intimidating." He laughs.

Okay, Alyssa, no more nervous wreck!

Be confident like you were yesterday!

"I'm sorry. It's just...I never thought I would go through something like this. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to meet you but I also have no idea who you are." I explain.

I heard a "yes!" from the booth behind me which was quickly covered up by a cough.

Xander.

"I understand and I know it will take a while before you actually warm up to me but I want you to know that I'll be here every step of the way. I really want to get to know you." He says.

I feel a weight being lifted off of my shoulders and finally smile at him.

"So, tell me about yourself, Grayson."

"Well, I'm a cardiologist/cardiac surgeon at Memorial Hospital, and have been for 25 years now. My favorite color is green, I am extremely superstitious to the point where I refuse to perform a surgery without my lucky bracelet." He pauses for a moment before pulling down his right sleeve to show me a bright pink and green bracelet.

I laugh at the large chunky bracelet with unevenly shaped beads and a message saying "best doc ever!"

"It was a bracelet one of the children I performed on gave me. I've had it for 12 years and I have never taken it off." He says.

I show him the golden anklet on my left foot.

"I'm superstitious too. This was the anklet my mom gave me after I won my first championship in tennis. I wear it during all of my games or anytime I have an important event." I say.

"This is an important event?" He asks.

"Meeting my father for the first time...definitely," I say and he laughs.

"So, you play tennis?"

"Yes, I've been playing since I was 6. Mom taught me and Asher but Ash never really liked it. I did because it was something she and I could do together." I explain.

"You know, I'm the one who taught her how to play."

"Shut up!" I blurt.

"Oops- I'm sorry," I mumble.