speak now | grayson dolan

chapter eighteen: august

grayson

A weird sense of deja vu washes over me as I walk through the doors of Adam and Jade's house. The party unrevealing before me is just as crazy as the one they had two months ago. Ethan squeezes through the sea of people in an effort to spot our best friends.

The music is blasting, allowing the house to shake and rattle due to the loud bass. I turn my head to see Kenzie trailing behind me. She didn't want to walk too close to me for obvious reasons. Her soft brown eyes meet mine before I face forward. I extend my hand out behind me and she quickly grabs onto it.

I pull her through the crowd and squeeze onto her hand for as long as I can until I have to drop it. The warmness of her touch evaporates when she lets go of our connected fingers.

The party is packed and seems to have a larger crowd than the last one. I don't know how that's possible, but I guess Adam keeps meeting new people. He's like the mayor in this town and would spark up a conversation with anyone.

I see Ethan walking over to the deck, so I follow his lead. Kenzie runs a hand through her hair as her eyes roam around the party. We both glance toward the living room before quickly looking at each other. We had our first kiss in that spot. I can't believe that was two months ago.

We've both changed so much this summer. Kenzie is no longer that shy girl who sat alone at lunch. She's more confident and sexy than ever before. She's always been headstrong and fierce, but for some reason it seems like she's finally coming into her own now.

I hate to be a cocky bastard, but I definitely helped with that. I changed her perception on life and she changed mine, too. Kenzie made me realize I have to enjoy the small moments. Spending time with her this summer was eye-opening.

It's not just because we've been having endless amounts of sex, but because we know every inch of each other's skin now. We see each other in a new light.

When you're naked with somebody, they can see every aspect of you. There's no hiding or covering up. Kenzie and I have that unspoken connection now.

We take a step onto the deck and see Adam and Beau having a beer chugging contest. Ethan is already over there hyping them up. I look back at Kenzie and she lightly laughs.

"Adam for the win!" Another teammate yells as everyone begins to clap and scream.

"Let's go baby!" Adam throws the beer can onto the ground and jumps up and down. He spots Ethan and rushes over to him. "Dude, you made it."

"Yeah just in time to beat you." My brother smirks and nods toward the cooler of beer.

"You think you can beat me? Who do you think you are? Grayson?" Adam steps closer to me and pats my shoulder. "The king of drinking has arrived."

"I had to make this party better somehow." I tease him with a smirk.

"Oh shut up." Adam rolls his eyes before focusing in on my best friend. "Mackenzie, looking gorgeous as always."

She wraps her arms around him to give him a quick hug. "Thank you. This party is insane."

"Better than the one two months ago?" He raises an eyebrow up.

"I can't determine that yet, we just got here." My best friend giggles.

"Where's your sister?" I ask Adam while looking around.

"Last time I saw her she was flirting with Emmett Kelland." Adam tightly clenches his jaw.

My eyes grow bigger at the sound of his name. "And why aren't you throwing fists right now? Emmett is a douchebag."