“He’s hurt—I think—but he won’t say anything. It’s Greyson we’re talking about here. Give him time.”
“But he’s been absent.”Wherever I’m present, I silently added.
She gave me a tight smile. “Well, at least you can give him points for not being a clingy guy, right?”
Points?I sure as heck hadn’t been thinking about a point system. “Thanks for staying.”
She looked away before meeting me in the eye. “Well, I had another motive for staying—and I think it’s best to ask you first.”
Her question sent alarm bells.Was it about Grey?“What is it?” I rushed out, frowning.
Josie suddenly looked awkward. “You see—the other night… I, uh… ended up kissing Gavin. I just want to ask if it’s okay to go out with him.”
Gavin?“What? Of course it’s fine! At one point there I thought you were talking about Grey.” Steady my beating heart. All was safe. “He’s a nice guy. You have more than my blessing, babe.”
She grinned, hugging me tight. “God, you’re awesome. Okay, he’s waiting for me outside, but I suggest you go home. I don’t trust these people here; they’re too crazy for my taste.” She bunched up her nose as if she smelled something foul.
The crowd did look it. Crazy that was…
“I’m going home soon.” I paused, looking around. “I’m just going to try one more time.” The blinding lights made me dizzy. How the heck did they manage to dance around with it like this, like they were getting lost in the music, jumping around as if nothing mattered? I would always wonder.
Josie’s smiling face started to worry again. “If you can’t manage to make him listen, get out of here fast, okay?”
I crossed my heart. “Promise.”
After another round of hugs and sweet goodbyes, I watched after a retreating Josie. I knew my way around here, so it didn’t take me long to find Jet’s mini, adjacent residence.
The “it” crowd came to mind as I watched the women that went in and out of the place. Hot, scantily clad women were coming and going as if owning the place. Jet’s room was on the left, so Grey’s would be on the opposite side, to the right.
It was no better in the lighting department, but at least the dimmed lighting and the “space-like” ambiance made it cozy. The music was different, too. Trip-hop was more like it; it had the heavy beat of bass with the ethereal-esque sound, instead of the hectic trance-like music. There was a projector placed somewhere that had shooting stars and the rest of the universe thrown all over the room.
I was so busy taking everything in that I didn’t realize I’d bumped into someone’s chest until my nose hit the hardness of it. The scent was different.
I didn’t manage to look up until the male in question cleared his throat, as if trying to get my attention.
Jet’s curious eyes met mine. Questioning.
He probably was wondering what in God’s name I was doing here. He was Greyson’s best friend, I was sure he probably knew about, or maybe had a great idea about, —what was going on.
“Great party,” I mumbled, guilt and confusion washing over me. Apart from the lamest line I could come up with, Jet didn’t seem all that convinced at why he was seeing me here.
This guy was too good… too smart for his own good. After all, hadn’t Josie mentioned that his family was packed with lawyers? Oh, yeah, he could probably spot a huge liar in the darkened crowd. I was guilty as charged.
“Can I help you with something, Olivia?” his voice was hard, but there was an edge to it that spoke heavily of suspicion.
I just wanted to talk; that was all. “Is Greyson around?” I nervously asked without meeting his eyes.
“Maybe, but I have a feeling that he won’t be all that happy to see you.”
Finally meeting his eyes, I saw that he was dead serious. What else did he know? I wasn’t sure how their relationship worked. Grey and I hadn’t discussed much.
“Is he busy?” I asked, fully aware of how “busy” he’d looked earlier.
“Go check it out for yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.” He cocked his head to the side towards where Grey had been staying.
The door was closed, but for some odd reason, it was as if it called to me. I glided towards it with clammy hands. In the back of my mind, I was certain that I would deserve it if I went in there to find him busy with the females that had been in his company earlier. A longing side of me was hoping to find him alone, though. Maybe then I could get his attention.
After not seeing him for such a long time, I felt like it was my fault that he hadn’t been home for this long. Greyson was notorious for a lot of things, but that one week with him had showed me that there was more to him than all those rumors. There was a sweet guy underneath it all.