by Tia Lewis
I had been right the other day. It had been an impossible two days as I waited for the party to roll around. I had meant to tell Alana and Madeline about the date so they would know I was bringing someone, but I couldn’t. Every time I tried, my throat closed up, and my head swam with a fogginess that left me dizzy. I knew they’d have a million questions that I wasn’t ready to answer. But now, standing in front of the door, it seemed ridiculous. How could I not warn them? They were going to kill me.
I stole a glance—Grayson, looking fine in a thick scarf that matched the new beanie he tugged over his head keeping him warm. He didn’t even look a bit nervous, which I supposed made sense: what about going to a small, family birthday party would be nerve wracking for a movie star? This night probably wasn’t even a drop in the ocean of parties he’d been to. It was just one more thing that we didn’t have in common.
His teeth sunk into his bottom lip and he glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. His lips were quirked, not quite a smile, and my chest warmed at the sight. His smile widened, and I thought that his cheeks were warming, too.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said. He rolled his eyes immediately, having heard me say this at least a dozen times since we’d met at the diner at close. He hadn’t once suggested he didn’t want to be there, but I knew he was probably just pretending to be polite. He was an actor, after all. It couldn’t have been that hard to pretend like he wanted to be somewhere he didn’t. “I really don’t mind.”
“Well,” he raised his hand, bending his fingers into a fist before letting it hover above the door, poised to knock. “I do. We’re going.”
I had to check one last time. “Are you sure?”
He laughed, knocking on the door three times before turning to face me more fully. “Positive.” He grinned, eyes twinkling. “I’m looking forward to their stories about you.”
My mouth fell open. I hadn’t even thought about that. What was I getting myself into? I groaned as Alana threw the door open.
“Jade!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I thought for sure you weren’t going to—well, hello.”
Alana’s eyes were comically wide, her expression just shy of panicked. I knew the feeling. I wondered if I’d end up sitting in her pantry, too.
Grayson looked between us, a frown pulling at the lines of his face. I offered him a one shoulder shrug. Alana blinked, hard. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body, tilting my head toward Alana, trying to convey my exasperation as subtly as I could.
She whipped her head toward me, jaw still dropped, and then looked back at Grayson. Her brow furrowed as she considered and then, swallowing hard, smiled tightly.
“Who is this?” she asked, slowly. Grayson smiled.
“Hi,” he reached for her hand, holding it between his briefly, smiling. “I’m Grayson. You must be Alana.”
The sound that rushed from her was nearly a squawk. “I—yes.”
I was impressed. I didn’t think my cousin had it in her to not immediately scream his name. Of course, she’d handled herself in the diner that day he’d been in, and the second time, too. But surely there was some unspoken rule about being normal when celebrities were your customers that didn’t apply when they showed up on your doorstep with your cousin.
Thankfully, Alana, though looking close to fainting, was holding her own. She even pretended not to recognize him. I’d have to give her a day off next week to thank her.
No one had spoken since Alana’s squawk, so I cleared my throat. They ignored me, though Grayson did drop his hands from Alana’s. She continued to stare, and I nearly grabbed Grayson by the scarf and dragged him away. The wind picked up a bit, and I shivered. I cleared my throat again, this time more pointedly.
Grayson shot me a look before turning back to Alana pleasantly. “Thank you so much for having me. I know this is a family event.”
“Oh!” Alana leaned against the doorframe, though it seemed more out of necessity than to be casual. “It’s—of course, yes.”
I’d had enough. “Can we come in?” I asked pointedly.
They both looked at me with sharp stares, and I would have laughed if I wasn’t so cold.
“Sure, sure,” Alana finally got out of the doorway, opening the door wide enough for us to pass her. “Come on in.”
Grayson passed her first, murmuring a “thank you” as he took his beanie off. This one was a dark gray. It wasn’t my favorite, but it looked stylish, which I supposed Grayson might have been going for. Grayson walked down the small entryway, eyes flickering around as he paused to look at the photos that adorned the wall. I went to join him, shuffling past my cousin, but her hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist.
I raised an eyebrow, and she narrowed her eyes. Through clenched teeth, she called toward Grayson. “Jade’s going to help me in the kitchen for a minute.” Alana tore her eyes from mine, breaking our eye contact, to glance at Grayson. “You don’t mind, do you?”
He waved us away. “Of course not. I’ll just, you know.” He gestured around noncommittally. Alana nodded and tugged on me until I followed.
We passed Todd and the boys, but Alana kept her hand on my arm, refusing to let me stop to say hello. She only released me when we pushed through the kitchen door, and even then, she only released me to spin around, tiny fists on her hips as she glared.
“That is Grayson Sparling,” she hissed, eyes darting toward the door as if he’d hear her. I straightened my shoulders, trying not to sigh heavily; it’d only make her angrier.
“Yes, it is.”
“And when, exactly, were you going to tell me that you were bringing Grayson Sparling?”
She looked furious. I had to steel my body to suppress my wince. “I wasn’t, I guess.”
“You weren’t going to. That’s right; you just brought him!” Alana stomped her foot, throwing her arms out. “You just brought a celebrity to my house!”
I crossed my arms, my face pinching in frustration. “You told me I could bring a date.”
Alana scoffed, turning to the fridge and grabbing the wine. She poured herself a glass and took a long pull of it, all while shooting me undecipherable glances. After the glass was nearly empty, she sat it down and sighed. “Since when do you date celebrities?”
“I don’t,” I replied. “I date—well, I don’t even date him. I’m just—tonight—”
Alana froze. When she thawed, she pounced on me, standing so close I had to lean back so I could see her face. “This is your first date?”
I nodded slowly, my expression making me wince preemptively.
Alana opened her mouth, potentially in shock or to yell at me, but the kitchen door swung open before I could figure out which.
“Guys!” Madeline bounded into the room, grabbing my hands to spin me toward her. “You won’t believe who’s in the living room!”
Dryly, Alana raised an eyebrow and said, “Grayson Sparling?”
“No, it’s Grayson—” Madeline dropped my hands and blinked at Alana. “How the hell did you know that?”
Alana handed her the glass of wine, and Madeline drank the rest of it. “It’s my house, Madeline. I answered the door.”
“Oh,” Madeline deflated a bit, pouting. “That’s right.”
“Also,” Alana shot me a glance, and I tensed. “He’s here with Jade.”
Madeline turned to me quickly, the glass nearly slipping from her grasp. I grabbed it and set it on the island, glaring at Alana.
“Alana,” I said sharply. She shrugged unrepentantly, folding her arms across her chest.
“It’s true.”
“Well,” I looked between them, deflating a bit. “Yeah.”
Madeline stared at me, expression softening until it was completely blank. “How the hell are you here with Grayson Sparling?”
I shuffled my feet, shrugging. Alana rolled her eyes. “He came into the diner a while back, you know. I told you about it! Jade didn’t even recognize him.”
“You’ve
been seeing him since then?” Madeline demanded.
“No,” I said a little defensively. “Tonight is technically the first time we’re seeing each other.”
“Outside of the diner,” Alana supplied.
I felt my face heating up under their scrutiny. “Well, no. I mean, we bumped into each other outside of the diner. At, um, well, outside your place, Madeline.”
Madeline made a protesting sound with her throat. “You bumped into Grayson Sparling outside of my store, and you didn’t even introduce us?”
I scratched at a sore spot behind my ear. “Todd’s probably boring him. I should, you know, rescue him.” I gestured toward the door that led to the living room, backing away from my very angry cousin and roommate. They were quite a pair, always had been, and I knew they could rip me to shreds if they wanted. Together, they were a combined force to be reckoned with.
“Fine,” Alana growled. “But this conversation,” she made a sweeping motion between the three of us, “is not over.”
“So not over,” Madeline muttered in agreement.
I nodded quickly. Anything to end this for the time being, when my noisy brother-in-law and celebrity date weren’t a few feet away, probably listening. I slipped out of the kitchen and into the living room before they could rethink letting me leave.
As expected, Todd sat on the couch, talking lowly with Grayson. Grayson’s head shot up when I entered the room, a bright smile blossoming on his face. He lifted a hand, wiggling his fingers a bit, before turning his attention back to Todd.
Todd, it seemed, didn’t care that the random date I had brought to his birthday celebration was a celebrity. I heard the distinctly boring conversation of the insurance business wafting from the couch and almost considered going back into the kitchen to avoid listening to Todd suggest we up our coverage another time.
I sat on the arm of the couch because Grayson smiled at me again. His eyes lingered, and his eyes rolled just a little, enough to tell me he was trying to be polite. Todd continued the story, and Grayson nodded, pretending to care. I absently thought that he really was a good actor.
“How’s your birthday going, Todd?” I cut into their conversation. I couldn’t take it. I really didn’t care about fraudulent claims, and I’m sure Grayson didn’t either. Todd blinked, pushing his glasses up on his nose, and looked at me for the first time.
His smile was a bit tight, but then, mine probably was, too. “It’s going well, thank you.”
Madeline and Alana came from the kitchen; heads huddled as they muttered to each other, with drinks for the five of us. Alana sat on the couch next to her husband while Madeline threw herself into the chair across from us after passing a drink to me. She tugged on her skirt, pulling it down a bit, before giving me a look I couldn’t decipher. Madeline rolled her eyes when she realized I didn’t know what she was trying to say.
“It’s been great,” Alana argued with a smile. She gave Todd and Grayson their drinks before throwing an arm around her husband. Then she turned to Madeline and wiggled her eyebrows. “More than great.”
Todd blushed while Grayson and Madeline laughed with Alana. I fought to not roll my eyes.
“So, Grayson,” Alana turned her attention to my date, painting a politely interested smile on her face. I could still see the slight hint of over exuberance in her eyes, giving her a little bit of a crazy look. I knew she was trying, though. “I assume you’ve been introduced to my husband here.”
Grayson nodded, his smile hitting politely interested much more genuinely. I wondered if he was ready to leave yet. Hesitantly, I dropped my hand to his shoulder, squeezing softly. His head whipped around to look at me, his expression gleeful before relaxing a bit. He leaned into my touch before looking around the room again.
“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of your acquaintance, however,” he said to Madeline.
Madeline, for potentially the first time, seemed to be at a loss for words. She opened and closed her mouth several times. Grayson frowned.
“That’s Madeline,” I took pity on her. “She’s my roommate.”
My voice seemed to snap Madeline awake. “Yes, hi, I’m Madeline. Designated best friend.”
Alana scoffed as her eyes flashed in anger. “I think I get that job.”
Madeline waved the thought away dismissively. “You’re family, doesn’t count.”
I held my hands up to stop them from arguing further. “No need to fight, I like you both equally. Which is to say, not at all, at the moment!”
Everyone laughed, the tension broken. Grayson took a sip of the drink, settling back into the couch a bit. My fingers brushed against his neck, and we both smiled.
“So, I know what Jade and Alana do,” Grayson said, looking around at all of us. “And I’m well-versed in Todd’s job, I would say.” He nudged Todd, who guffawed loudly. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I couldn’t believe we were all getting along. “What is it that you do, Madeline?”
Her eyes glazed over a bit when her name fell from his lips, but she quickly shook her head. “I manage a bookstore in town. The Bookies. It’s mostly college kids and older people who haven’t figured out eBooks yet, but it’s nice. I do okay.”
I scoffed. “More than nice. It’s the best bookstore in the state; I’m positive.”
“Sure, Jade,” Madeline brushed off the compliment but preened a little anyway.
“It sounds lovely,” Grayson offered, nodding his head as if what he said was an assurance. “I’ll have to visit it while I’m in town.”
Alana pounced on that. “And how long will that be, Grayson?”
“About two more months, right?” I answered for him, looking down to confirm with Grayson. He paused, glancing around, before nodding.
“Yes.”
The conversation flowed easily from there, the five of us chatting easily. Grayson was witty, quick on his feet, and I couldn’t help but keep my hand on the back of his neck, my fingers lightly running over the nape of his neck where his hair was soft and short. Grayson’s eyes came over to me every few minutes, the angle we sat letting me be taller than him for the first time. I felt completely enthralled with Grayson’s every breath and word.
Grayson fit easily into our quirky dynamic, something that I hadn’t even dared hope for. The four of us—Madeline, Alana, Todd and me—had been a group since high school. Even though Todd and I had always had our differences, we never had an issue being a part of the same small family. Madeline and I had occasionally brought in significant others, but no one had ever been able to make an impression on the group dynamic. It was always uncomfortable, slightly apart from what it should be.
But Grayson laughed at Todd’s stories and let Madeline read his palm and complimented Alana endlessly. He caught onto the slightly antagonistic joking atmosphere quickly and joined in, unafraid to mock and be mocked.
And, too, it looked like he was genuinely having a good time. I liked the way his head lolled back, throat exposed as his laughter spilled to mix with ours. He was beautiful, breathtakingly so, but also so right with the rest of us.
“This is so good,” Grayson moaned around a mouthful of cake. “It’s so good.”
Alana clapped, delighted. “I’m glad you think so.”
We’d just sung Happy Birthday for Todd, who unnecessarily gave an awkward speech at the end where he thanked Alana profusely. The two had kissed, and Grayson clapped while Madeline cheered.
I had served the cake, taking care to give Grayson an especially big piece. They all pretended not to notice, though Madeline had been smirking ever since.
“Tell me you’re putting cake on the menu,” Grayson said imploringly to me before shoving another forkful in his mouth.
I smiled fondly. “That’s up to Alana over here. I refuse to bake.”
“That’s true,” Alana nodded, setting her own plate down nearly untouched. Despite being a brilliant baker, she hated sweets. I would never understand it. “You should try my pies.”
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Todd started nodding emphatically. “They’re incredible, Grayson, they really are.”
Alana went on a short tangent about the different types of pies she made. Madeline and I exchanged eye rolls while Grayson watched, eyes glazed over and mouth parting.
“That’s everything,” he muttered, turning to me. “I want pie with my omelet.”
I nudged him with my knee. “That can be arranged.”
Grayson
We chatted about the different things on Kyle’s menu while finishing the cake off. When Alana and Madeline went to top off everyone’s drinks, and Todd snuck upstairs to check on the boys, I scooted across the carpet, so my head was next to Jade’s knee. She was now sitting on the couch, and I rested my head against her leg. We had moved into different sitting arrangements when Madeline was reading palms. At first, I had been bothered that we weren’t sitting right next to each other, but seeing Jade smile down at me with my chin propped on her knee, I wanted to thank her weird roommate. There was something about Jade that drew me in. I couldn’t keep my distance any longer.
“Hi,” I said softly, my cheek nuzzling a bit on her. Her breathing seemed to increase as I continued to nuzzle her leg.
“Hi,” she repeated. “How are you?”
I smiled. “Really good. I like them.”
I saw a grin break across her face as she heard my words. “I’m glad.”
I lifted my head off of her leg. “It’s—they’re just really nice.”
She nodded. “They’re my best friends.”
I looked back toward the door when Madeline’s raucous laughter broke through the room.
“I can see why,” I said.
She looked so soft. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip briefly before letting it go. The lip blushed red from the bite, and I wanted so badly to sink my own teeth into that lip.
Her hands were on her knees, and I looked at her again, lifting my hand so that our fingers were intertwined. It was so wonderful. I couldn’t help but want more.