Very much.God, I did. I knew what he was talking about now… “Maybe a little.”
“You didn’t expect that, did you?” His eyes twinkled, telling me that he’d already known what I was feeling.
If he wasn’t correct, or if he wasn’t being too cute for his own good… “You have an hour, Edwards. Do you really want to spend that on talking?” I loved sparring with him best of all; I also liked the fact that this guy didn’t annihilate me on the spot.
The night was young. So were we. I wished time would stand still so I could keep feeling like this—like I was floating on air—with no one around, except Grey and his intense, fiery eyes looking down at me as if I was his only purpose in life.
* * *
So far our secret had mostly remained between the two of us, although I was almost certain that Jet knew because the man gave me a knowing smile each and every time our paths crossed. Then there was Josie… Well, she was my bestfriend. It wasn’t like I could hide anything from her.
As for Liam, I had sent him a message stating that I wanted to live my life without restrictions. That when the time came, if he allowed it, I would love to see him when I got to Sydney and speak to him face to face. He had known, of course, without me trying to break it down to him, however I refused to lay it out for him without explaining myself thoroughly. He deserved my full explanation—that was if he was willing to see me in six months time. I hoped then all things would be clear and maybe, just maybe, we could even be friends.
The holidays came and went, and we spent a cozy foursome singing Christmas carols, watching holiday films and enjoying family time. All the while, Grey pursued me relentlessly in the background.
Things progressed quietly.
Inside, we were more consumed with one another, though. My veil of bliss lived on for two months. Naïve that I was, I thought I could possibly go through this scar-free, but alas, real life intervened and gave me a big wake up call.
I had just gotten out of my class, heading towards my locker, when the wicked witch of San Fernando Valley came looking for me in the form of Edith; former best friend and severely obsessed with Greyson Edwards. She was flipping her hair from side to side, as if that should intimidate me. It didn’t, though she held a threat that would inevitably drive me away.
“You think you’re all that smart, don’t you? Well, guess what, bitch? I’m on to you!” she sneered while leaning in a bit so she could whisper her next words to me. “If you’re gonna keep on being a dumb slut, watch out, ‘cause I won’t hold back next time. You get that, don’t you?”
I did. I fucking did, but she was so arrogant that it rubbed me the wrong way. “What the fuck are you going to do, huh? That was decades ago. Get over it!” I hissed back, not wanting to be around her. I wanted to leave, yet the witch’s claws dug into my skin, holding me down.
“Think about your mom. Do you think that Brett Edwards, if he knew about this, would stick around? He’d leave her in a heartbeat. Besides, you fucking promised that Greyson was mine!”
Brett, how had I forgotten about him? Even if what Edith said wasn’t true, it might embarrass him enough that he would leave my mom. Those two had been in their crazy honeymoon phase in the relationship, but if news broke, was his love enough to keep them together?
Glaring at Edith, I tried to settle the sinking feeling in my stomach. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I hissed, departing in haste.
I heard her laugh. “You wish, bitch!”
For the rest of the day, I tried to focus on my classes, but it didn’t work. Edith’s threats gnawed on me. It wasn’t just about Greyson anymore. This was about Mom and Brett, too.
I had four more months until I left for Sydney. How the heck did I go about this without hurting anyone; Greyson most especially?
CHAPTER28
Liv
Greyson:Where are you? Are you up for movies tonight? I want to take you up on that date night.
Shit. I had been in my room after rushing back from school in dire need to think. He had been heading out with Jet after school, but time and time again, he always surprised me with little treats, like this one.
Me:Sorry, lover boy, have a lot on my plate. Rain check?
People at first wondered where the playboy in him had gone, but as the time went on, people were saying that he was trying to woo me. Little did they know that he had captured me, hook, line and sinker.
At one point, my mom had given me a little pep talk about Greyson. She said if there was something going on, I should let her know. She didn’t have anything against him, however she had wanted to make sure I was fine. I didn’t fully admit that there was really something between Grey and me, but I did tell her that Grey had treated me like a queen so far. After I had said that, she’d trusted my decisions, and if I was ready to tell her, she was always going to be there whenever I did spill the beans.
She wasn’t slow, she had known something was up, but she was being gentle at her approach about the subject, and I greatly respected her for that. She was perfectly aware there were several things going on in my life. There was my major move to a different continent coming up, finishing school, and different sorts of boy problems to top the cake.
Greyson had been patient, understanding that I didn’t want a label, nor did I want to discuss anything that dealt with the future. I liked to live in the moment, and he was happy to comply for the time being.
I went to sleep, thinking and hoping that I would know how to solve my current problems. No matter how great Mom was willing to be about Greyson, I wasn’t sure of how Brett would react, and that weighed on me heavily.
The next thing I knew, I had woken up, sweating as if I had a fever. Reaching for the bottled water on my nightstand, I tried to think and breathe rationally, but my heart rate failed to decline. It was thumping against my chest as well as ringing in my ears while I tried to rehash what I had just dreamt about.