Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
I don't think jet skiing is a hobby that I will ever take up in the future.
I kept falling off of the damn thing.
I probably looked like an idiot. But I'm just thankful that I'm back on solid ground now.
Everyone got back to the house a while ago. One thing I've noticed is that there are no fellow introverts in sight. And because nobody knows me, I feel like the last fish in a tank full of sharks. It's quite overwhelming.
In the hustle and bustle of Grayson and I running late, and the extremely nerve wracking moment of me showing her my tattoos, we didn't really get to explore the house much. But I did discover that we actually have an en-suite bathroom in our room when I went back in there to change when we returned.
After I changed and showered, I fed myself to the sharks while Grayson took a shower.
A lot of them asked just the basic questions. Like, how I met Grayson or why I moved to the states. The English accent is hard for a room full of American accents to ignore, I guess. But I'm used to that question by now, given how long that I've been living in the states.
But Grayson's aunts seemed to have way more questions.
I expect the aforementioned interrogation from Grayson's sister and father to come eventually. But I didn't expect one big group interrogation from five middle aged women. They asked a lot of questions, very detailed.
Grayson eventually got out of her shower and saved me when she found me in the kitchen surrounded by all her aunts, thankfully.
By the time everyone had cleaned up from after jet skiing, we all sat down for an early supper.
Grayson and I sat at the far end of the table next to Audrey and Davis.
I really like Davis. He's super nice and has already made me feel like I have a friend here, other than Grayson, for the duration of this vacation.
He's nice and good looking. Audrey got a good one.
Once dinner is over, all of the couples decide that they want to play a game of charades. And that includes Grayson and I. It's still weird to me that we are going to be considered a couple for this trip. But I can't lie and say that it doesn't feel good to act like one.
The rules are set up to be couple against couple. So, Grayson and I will take turns acting out something for eachother while the other guesses. Everything Grayson or I guess right that the other acts, we get a point. And the first couple to reach five points, wins.
To keep one person from knowing all the possible things to be acted out, each person wrote five things on little pieces of paper that are to be put into a bowl to pull from at random.
Currently, Grayson and I are in last place. We have one point. But I have faith that we will pull through.
It's my turn to draw a thing to act and Grayson's parents are in the lead with three points. So the pressure is on.
Getting up from my spot on the couch next to Grayson, I walk over to the coffee table that the bowl is on. Once I get there, I reach in to grab one of the folded up pieces of paper at random.
When I open up the piece of paper and see Isaac Newton written down, I can't help the big smile that finds its way onto my face. This was one of the ideas I wrote down.
I so got this.
"Okay, Gray," I start to say, putting the piece of paper down on the table and looking to Grayson excitedly. "This is an easy one."
She smiles and nods, but doesn't look convinced.
I have said that for every thing I have acted out. But she hasn't been able to guess any of them.
This one, though, I'm confident in. I know exactly how to act it out.
I wait for the signal from Grayson's father, Greg, that he has started the timer before I start.
When he gives me the go ahead, I begin by quickly pushing up my glasses that have fallen down the bridge of my nose a bit to get into the zone. I then straighten up my posture and put my hands on my hips to signal that I'm acting out a person.
"Person." Grayson says in confirmation which I nod happily to as a reply.
To convey the idea of Newton's three laws of motion, I act like I'm unrolling a scroll and studying it. I then hold up three fingers for a moment and act like I'm studying the scroll again.
Hoping that I got the law memo across, I look back to Grayson and hold up one finger. "First of three?" She questions to which I nod. "Three names?" She adds and I shake my head.
I then remember that I'm wearing a 'science rules' shirt and run my finger back and forth over the words. "Scientist!" She shouts excitedly.
I actually jump with joy that she is getting this. I knew that I would kill acting out Isaac Newton.
I hold up one finger again and act like I'm reading the scroll again. "First reading?" She questions with a corked brow.
I shake my head a few times and think of a new way to act out law. "Fuck, uhm," I mutter under my breath. My brows then raise when I get a sudden idea. With my revelation, I stick my one hand out, palm up, and form my other hand into a fist and repeatedly hitting it on my palm. "Hammer?" Grayson asks.
I raise my brows in excitement and gesture with my hand for her to keep guessing because she is close. "First hammer?" She asks for clarity when I hold up one finger and do the hammer motion, trying to mimic a judge, once again.
I decide to abandon that for the meantime, knowing we are on a time limit, and move on to acting out one of Newton's laws that he created.
Many people know the myth that Isaac Newton came up with the scientific law of universal gravitation by him sitting under an apple tree and having an apple fall onto his head.
"Thirty seconds." I hear Greg inform me, sending me into a bit of a panic.
Quickly, I start to act out me reaching up to pick a fake apple. "Johnny Appleseed!" Grayson shouts excitedly.
To remind her, I point at the words on my shirt again. "One of three, scientist, apple picking," Grayson rambles to herself, trying to rack her brain.
I then resume acting like I'm picking the apple from the tree. But, this time, I act like I drop it and plaster and over exaggerated surprise look on my face when it falls to the ground. "Three, scientist, apple dropping..." She says again.
Time is running out and I'm feeling somewhat defeated. I thought I was going to kill this.
In a last minute decision, I decide to keep going with the gravity idea. I bring my hand up to cup my ear, "sounds like." Grayson states. I then point to myself and then my ass. "Sounds like 'my ass'!"
Thank God she got that.
Next, I bring my hand up to create a slash in the air before I draw a square in in the air with my fingers. "My ass slash something square," Grayson hums in thought. "Scientist, three, apple, my ass..." She continues and I'm getting excited because she is so damn close.
Suddenly, she jumps off the couch and screams, "ISAAC NEWTON!"
"Time!" Greg announces. But it doesn't matter, we got the point.
"Yes!" I cheer enthusiastically.
Surprisingly, Grayson runs over to me and jumps up to wrap her arms around my neck while her legs move to wrap around my torso. My hands instinctively reach up to grab hold of her thighs to catch her. "We killed that shit!" She smiles big at me before turning to face everyone that's sitting on the couch. I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment that they're all watching this. But, also, I'm overwhelmed with the fact that she is wrapped around my body right now. My skin is tingling and my heart is beating wildly in my chest. "Take that! Encyclopedia and I are making a come back!" She exclaims, her competitive side really showing.
"Hey, I'm just happy that I didn't draw that piece of paper. I would have had no idea how to act it out." Grayson's mum, Karen, states.
"Who even put that in there?" Audrey asks.
"I did." I answer sheepishly. "I thought it would be a good one." I shrug.
"It was a very good one, babe." Grayson quips and runs her hand back and forth over my hair a few times making my curls fly every which way.
The use of the pet name surprises me. But it felt really damn good to hear it, I can't lie.
The more time I spend with Grayson, the more comfortable I find myself getting.
But I have to remind myself to not get too comfortable. This whole situation really is only temporary.
Eventually, the game comes to an end. And, believe it or not, Grayson and I end up getting second place.
After Grayson acting out the film Almost Famous and me doing a, in my opinion, pretty spot on Mick Jagger impersonation, we definitely made a come back.
Our four points came up short to Grayson's parents winning five points, though.
Overall, I actually had a really fun time. It reminded me of something my family would do when we get together for holiday.
But my mood soon turned when it came time to head upstairs and go to bed. There's no couch in the room for me to sleep on this time. And I'm freaking the fuck out.
Do I sleep on the floor? Do I share the bed with her? I can't sleep on the couch in the living room downstairs or her family would think something is up.
I pretty much remain quiet the whole time the two of us get ready for bed, spending the duration of the time overthinking.
After I finish brushing my teeth, I walk out of the en-suite bathroom and back into the bedroom. Grayson seems to have turned off the main light, the room now dimly lit by the warm glow of the bedside lamp.
"I-I'll sleep on the floor." I stammer, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.
Grayson halts her movements of climbing into bed and pulling back the covers to turn to look at me with a confused expression. "What? I mean, if you don't feel comfortable sharing a bed, you can sleep on the floor, I guess. But I really don't mind."
"You sure?" I ask shyly.
"Yes, I'm sure. And if it would make you more comfortable, we can make one of those pillow walls in between us."
I really appreciate how she is trying to make me feel comfortable. But I just hope that she doesn't think that my hesitation is because I'm disgusted with her or something. Because that's most definitely not the case. It's just overwhelming to me to spend all this time with her when I like her so much. I'm constantly overthinking everything I do when she is around.
Like when she jumped onto me during charades earlier. I think my body went into temporary shock there for a moment.
Going from seeing her at work every so often to spending all this time with her is a big adjustment and fucking overwhelming as hell.
Maybe I will go for a run on the beach in the morning to try and clear my head and calm down a bit.
Anxiety really is a bitch to deal with.
"Okay." I mutter, seriously hoping she doesn't take my hesitation to share a bed with her the wrong way.
I then make my way over to the bed and climb under the covers.
I find myself tossing and turning for a few moments, almost like I was actually wrestling with my thoughts, before I end up settling with just laying on my back and looking up at the ceiling.
"Goodnight, Grayson." I say quietly breaking the silence in the room.
I then hear the click of the lamp being turned off before she replies as she gets comfortable herself. "Goodnight, Harry."