All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Sixty-Eight

        Grayson and I couldn't sleep.

        Sure, we were tired. There was no problem there. Honestly, after the kiss, I felt content and cozy and devoid of trouble and feelings. It was nice. Perfect for going to sleep.

        The problem? Having Clay and Kylie as housemates.

        It was two in the morning before we'd bid our goodnights. We'd left the living room and kitchen a mess, all of us swearing that we'd clean it up tomorrow (probably a lie). After a night of partying and staying up late and having Tay over, you'd think that we'd all be prepared to pass out as soon as possible.

        That was not the case.

        Clay and Kylie, our beloved best friends, were still awake, being loud. Oh, and they weren't talking. Yes, it's as mortifying as it sounds.

        Grayson and I were pretending nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the fact that we both had our pillows clamped over our ears. It was very normal. So normal that we were close to falling asleep.

        Was I closer to falling asleep the more I told myself I was?

        "That's it," Grayson grumbled, rolling over to the edge. He slapped an open palm against the wall and yelled, "OI! Pipe down in there!"

        It got quiet and I drank in the beautiful, clean, airy silence. Slowly, I took my pillow and put it back under my head, wary of how long it would be quiet for.

        "Thank you," I mumbled, eternally grateful to Grayson.

        He shook his head, angrily flopping down on his own pillow. "Disgusting. It's not even their house, y'know?"

        "Plus we need to sleep. We've got a hard weekend coming up," I grumbled.

"Yeah. Night, Jackie," he sighed, curling up around me.

        To my utter relief, it was quiet until we woke up the next morning. I also noticed that Grayson dragged Clay away from the breakfast table by the ear. Kylie and I kept eating while a heated whisper match took place in the other room. When they returned, Clay was scowling and rubbing his ear. Grayson looked much more pleased with himself, sitting down next to me and kissing my cheek. I smiled brightly, then tried wiping it away. Enjoying those kisses meant I'm one step closer to a crush, which is very bad news.

        "Okay, is everyone packed?" Grayson asked, assuming the role of 'dad.'

        Kylie snorted. "I never pack until three hours before departure."

        "Well, good news, that time is now," he replied coolly, still annoyed from last night.

        Everyone else paused. "I thought we weren't leaving until tomorrow," I said.

        "We have to leave today to avoid the press and make dad's retirement party," he explained. "I just said tomorrow so that in case we were overheard or if anyone found out, that would be a concrete fact."

        "You shouldn't be this good at avoiding paparazzi, you know," I remarked sadly, taking a spoonful of cereal.

        Grayson gave me a sad smile. "Part of my job. So let's get packed up and head to the airport."

        The next couple of hours were chaotic. Clay and Kylie packed relatively fast, since they'd only been here a week and had come with almost nothing. They offered to help us pack, but oddly enough we were strongly compelled to refuse their kind offer.