GRAYSON
"Kade, did you tell Grayson the good news?" Jenny asks, setting her wine glass down on the table.
Kade beams, his face lighting up. "Father Matthews remains in remission."
Patrick laughs, wiping the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
I smile. "That's great, Patrick. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Grayson. We are too."
"Life is good, man," Kade grins.
At least it is for someone. And I'm happy it is for Kade. He deserves it.
I finish up the last of my dinner as the doorbell rings. Jenny asks Kade to get it, and I sip on the rest of my wine. Jenny offered, and I wasn't going to say no.
I'm almost twenty-one, anyway—only two more months to go.
"Grayson," Kade starts, standing at the dining room entryway. "Someone's here to see you."
I push out of my chair and follow Kade to the front of the house. I find Layla, her eyes meeting mine as she stands in the grand foyer.
Layla. I haven't seen her in three days. I slowly move across the foyer as she stands there, nervously wringing her hands like always.
Then I sweep her up in my arms, thanking god that she's here and I can see her again. Feel her again.
She wraps her arms around my neck just the way I love, and I practically inhale her sweet scent.
"Should I give you two a moment alone?" Kade asks.
I set her down, but she keeps her hands on my shoulders.
"I can't stay long," she says. "Iris and her boyfriend are waiting outside, but I had to come see you."
"Don't go," I plead softly.
She looks at the door and then back at me, hesitating.
"If you need a ride later, Layla, I'd happily give you one. And if you want to ... I don't know ... spend the night? That's fine also," Kade says.
She clicks her tongue, unsure of what to do, her gaze flicking from the door to me again.
"Stay," I breathe. "Please? I need you."
I need her desperately. I need her near. I need her touch, and I need to hear the way her voice sounds when it turns into an almost whisper when she's sleepy. I need her in my arms.
"Yeah ... I should not be here right now." Kade walks off, his footsteps growing quieter the farther he goes.
"Grayson, you know I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"Things are hard at home. Hale is fraught and close to calling the police about the whole situation. Everyone else is on edge, and Grandpa says I'm not allowed to go far alone anymore."
"I'll drive you home myself if you want. Just for a few hours?"
She thinks about it for a moment. "Okay."
I feel relief swarm me and hug her again. I've missed her so goddamn much. I never knew I could feel this way about a person.
She pulls away as the front door opens.
"Layla, we have to go. Hey, Grayson." Iris waves at me.
I give her a small smile, tucking my hands into my pockets. "Hey, Iris."
Layla turns around to face her cousin. "I'm going to stay for a while. Could you cover for me? Just say I'm at Camila's."
Iris immediately smiles. "I got you, girl. See you later." I see her wink as he slips out of the door.
I wrap my arm around Layla's shoulder as we turn around. "Are you hungry?"
She opens her mouth to respond but stops. I look up to see what has caught her attention. Kade stands there, dumbfounded.
"Who was that?" He asks.
"Oh, that was my cousin, Iris. Sorry I didn't get to introduce you to her."
Kade stands there, eyes slightly wide. "Wow, she's ..."
"She's taken. Sorry Kade," Layla laughs.
"Not for long," Kade says under his breath as he steps next to me. When I look at him, he smirks, which makes me laugh.
Layla eats dinner quickly, chatting with Jenny and Patrick, who, of course, love her. Once she's done, Kade takes us downstairs to watch a movie.
"Grayson told me you're a movie girl," Kade says, leading us through his basement.
Layla shoots me a look. "Yeah. I've probably seen hundreds of movies. I'm actually doing a minor in Film and Media studies in the fall."
I didn't know that.
"Why do you like movies so much?" I've always wanted to ask her.
Layla tucks her hair behind her ear, looking at me. "Every Sunday night growing up, my dad and Grandma Esther would gather by the TV with me, and we would watch a movie. Nate always thought it was lame and would get out of it, but I started to love it so much. It was like I could be somewhere else for a while, and there was no limit on where I could go. Eventually, I grew up, Grandma Esther passed, and my dad left. But ... I never lost my love for movies."
"Well." Kade smiles back at us. "You're going to love this." He continues down a secluded hallway, framed movie posters lined up on the walls.
She gasps when she sees the theatre room. "Can I live with you too, Kade?"
Kade and I chuckle.
Layla plops down onto one of the recliner chairs, excited, and Kade looks at me with a smirk.
I shake my head. "Don't look at me like that," I say quietly.
He leans closer to me, speaking by my ear. "You know, maybe I should leave you two alone."
I grab him by his shirt and drag him into the room. "Sit your ass down."
Layla shoots a confused glance our way.
"It's okay, Lay-Lay. Grayson knows how much I love being manhandled."
"Fuck you," I chuckle, shoving him into a recliner chair. I drop down next to Layla.
"What would you guys like to watch?"
Layla smiles, and I'm so happy she's here. "I know exactly what I want to watch," she says.
— — —
Kade clicks off the screen with a few buttons, and silence welcomes us in the home theatre.
"Point Break is a good old classic," Kade says into the silent room. "You guys want tea or something? Ice cream?"
Layla raises an eyebrow at Kade. "What kind of ice cream?"
Kade rises from his seat. "We've got loads. Let's go upstairs."
We follow Kade upstairs to the industrial-sized fridge in the second kitchen. Sometimes I wonder why three people need a house this big.
He scoops coconut for Layla into a bowl. "What about you, Grayson?"
"No, thanks."
Kade shrugs. "Okay. Suit yourself."
"He's probably too scared to eat it because he's worried about his physique. I must imagine it's hard to keep those abs."
"—It's actually not that hard—"
"—When did you see his abs?—"
Kade and I speak simultaneously, stop, and then laugh together—Layla's cheeks flame.
"Okay, Layla," Kade says in a high-pitched tone, shooting her a look.
Layla shakes her head. "No."
We finish up and head to Kade's room. He plays us the guitar again, and I notice when Layla yawns.
"Sleepy?" I ask her, sitting next to her on Kade's bed.
She nods. "Do you think you could drive me home now?"
"It's late. Why don't you stay?"
She lets out a breath. "Fine," she agrees. "Only because I'm so tired."
"I'll show you to one of our guest rooms," Kade says, setting his guitar down.
"It's fine, Kade." I pause. "She can stay with me."
Kade stops, a stupid grin taking over his face. "Oh."
I roll my eyes and stand up. "Come on, Layla."
Layla gets up, and I slip my hand in hers, guiding her out of Kade's room.
"Hey, guys?" Kade stops us. "Just so you know, I get it. It's a big house, but please understand that the walls are thin."
"Oh my god," Layla groans, covering her face with her free hand. "You're gross."
I flip him the bird before shutting his door. The room I'm staying in is beside Kade's, so we don't have to wander the house too much.
I close the door behind us, and I walk us over to the bed with Layla's warm hand in mine. "We'll talk about everything in the morning, okay?"
She nods, yawning.
I let her go and set my bag on the bed to grab her some clothes to sleep in. I pull out one of my T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants.
"Thanks," she says as I hand her them.
"Bathroom's over there."
She nods and walks over to the bathroom, the door softly clicking shut as she steps inside.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and sit on the bed. David answers after a few rings.
"Hey, David. Sorry, I know it's late."
"Hi, Grayson. Don't worry. I'm still wide awake. What's going on?"
"Uh ... I thought I'd let you know that Layla is with me tonight and that she's okay."
"Ah. Thank you for letting me know. I did think it was odd she was with Camila when I hadn't heard about her for weeks. Well ... anyway, take good care of her, Gray."
"I will. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
I hang up when Layla opens the bathroom door, hesitating in the doorway, wearing nothing but my T-shirt.
Dear god.
"Um ... the sweats were too big for me," she says quietly.
I swallow. Fuck. "Oh. Do you want shorts or something?"
She shakes her head. "No, it's fine. It's long enough anyway."
I nod and clear my throat, my heart beating too fast. I pull the covers back as she makes her way over. I watch as she softly sets the sweats down on my bag, a hesitant look in her eyes.
"Lie down."
She walks to the other side of the bed and slips under the covers. I join her. Behave, Gray.
"How was your day?" I ask, facing her.
She's on her back, staring at the roof. "It was fine. Tiring. I helped my mom with wedding stuff all day, and then in the evening, Iris wanted me to go to their house in the city to help her clean out their garage."
I reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear.
She looks at me. "What about you?"
"I did nothing," I smile.
She smiles back. "Doing nothing is nice sometimes."
I sigh. "Sometimes. Lights out?" Before I initiate something which I know I shouldn't.
She closes her sleepy eyes. "Yes, please."
I get up and flick the lights off.
Layla nestles into my chest as I slip under the covers again. "I think Hale misses you," she murmurs. "I think he feels bad about telling you to leave."
"Does he?"
She looks up at me with her sleepy eyes for a moment before she kisses me softly. "I miss you, Gray," she whispers, brushing her nose against mine.
"I miss you too, Layla."
When she kisses me again, I know something has changed in that brain of hers because she's kissing me like she's hungry, her breathing heavy and fast. And when her hand slips underneath my shirt, I know exactly what she's implying. I'm just unsure if this is really what she wants.
"Layla," I say, pulling away from her even though I don't want to. But I need to make sure that she genuinely wants this. "Are you sure?"
She stops, looking at my lips and then back at my eyes. She shakes her head slightly in the dark, casting her gaze down. "No. I'm sorry."
I graze my thumb over her jaw, kissing her cheek. "Don't be sorry. Never be sorry for that."
She nods, moving back to rest her head on my shoulder. I hug her tight.
"You're perfect. Just the way you are. Don't ever think you have to do it with me because it's what I want."
"Is it ... what you want?"
I exhale a laugh. "Of course. But that doesn't matter. It only matters when you're ready, okay?"
"Okay, Gray," she says softly. "You're awesome."
Nothing about me is awesome. She needs to understand that I'd wait centuries for her. It feels like I already have.
After a few moments, I fall asleep with Layla in my arms. I think I fall asleep smiling.
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(Enjoy ! 😌💗 this was another fun/cute chapter. Remember to vote if you're enjoying! And thank you for 7k reads! I'm so grateful and would love to hear any thoughts you have about the story. Happy reading!)