Grayson hadn't seen Alison for days ever since that day. Cora, Gabriel, Rupert, and Mason had all left Boston, but there was no mention of Alison leaving too.
Before leaving for his flight, Grayson made a quick visit to Harvard, hoping to see her, but she was nowhere in sight. Her name was gone from the student records, just as he expected. The IT teacher, the only one who remembered her as Grayson's partner, mentioned they failed their IT assignment. Grayson accepted the "F" and didn't argue; how could he explain that their project had gone up in flames, along with his hotel room, all thanks to Mason Valentine, America's top-selling author? He couldn't.
Leaving Harvard, Grayson was filled with a sense of déjà vu, reminding him of the day he first met Alison, only this time he was leaving without her.
As he headed to the private airport, Alison's words played on a loop in his mind throughout the journey: "Grayson, please don't go." She rarely used his name, but that day, she repeated it in nearly every sentence, and it held a special meaning for him. He wasn't one to apologize easily, but he wanted to make things right with Alison.
He couldn't deny that he was somewhat relieved not to see Alison again, as he wasn't sure he could face her, but it bothered him that their last meeting had been when they were both on the brink of breaking down.
The flight back to Texas was uneventful, yet Grayson found it hard to get comfortable in his seat. He let out a sigh of relief when it finally came to an end. Upon arrival, he was discreetly picked up by one of Oren's security team members, who took him to one of Avery's luxurious hotels without her knowledge.
To his surprise, Xander awaited him in the lobby, standing there alone.
"What a surprise," Xander grinned, his tone laced with amusement. "Nice of you to join me, Gray."
"Hello, Xan-"
"YOU LOSE." Xander, along with Grayson's brothers, were probably the only ones who could cut Grayson Hawthorn off mid-sentence. "I won't spill the beans on how I know, but I'm aware you flunked your IT assignment and haven't set foot in any IT classes since your first day at Harvard," Xander blurted out, his forehead furrowing to suggest raised eyebrows, though they were hard to spot after he'd burned them off. "I know you're not one to back down from a challenge, Gray. You might get sidetracked, but you never stop playing. You never lose."
Grayson noticed the familiar mischievous glint in Xander's eyes, just like Jameson's. He hoped that Xander was the only one who knew about his eventful time in Harvard, and her, which Grayson assumed Xander had already uncovered. Therefore, his next sentence didn't faze Grayson.
"This girl, Alison Emrys, seems to have captivated you. And when you're captivated, it means something." Xander locked eyes with Grayson, giving him a slow, knowing smile.
Just as Xander was about to say more, his phone blared loudly, startling him. He quickly checked the screen, his face shifting from a grin to a worried frown. "I gotta take this," he mumbled, glancing back at Grayson.
With a subtle nod to Xander, Grayson slipped away and made his way up to the hotel's rooftop pool, hoping to find no one waiting for him.
The pool area was quiet, not a soul in sight. Grayson stood by the edge, his clothes neatly folded on a nearby sun bed. He took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the cool water.
As he reached the pool's end, he hung onto the edge, took a deep breath, and let himself float on his back, his gaze fixed on the clear, blue sky.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly as he lay there, lost in thought. He wondered what Alison was doing at this very moment. Was she still in Boston, or had she made her way back to West Virginia? What was she going to do for a living now? Perhaps writing? The uncertainty gnawed at him, and he wished he had a chance to say goodbye properly. He wanted her to hug him, the kind of hugs she gave him when he had vanished for those three days. He wanted to eat ice cream with her, trying to guess her choice of flavours. He wanted—
Grayson couldn't deny that he had a strange, painful but pleasurable sensation in his chest whenever he thought of Alison. It was a feeling he'd never experienced with Emily or Avery. It puzzled him, and he chose to set those thoughts aside. It was time to call it a night.
Tomorrow was Avery's birthday, and he looked forward to seeing her. He had prepared a special gift for her—a leather book to write down her plans. Though Avery wasn't a Hawthorne by blood, in a way, she was a part of the family, and Grayson would be there for her whenever she needed support.
"You're not broken," Avery had once told Grayson, but he couldn't quite believe it. "You're not broken," Alison had echoed those same words, and perhaps, just perhaps, he was starting to believe it, if only a little.
For once, Grayson decided to go with Alison's advice, even if it could kill him, and he knew it would. He knew it was time for him to turn the page into the next chapter of his story...