Page 40 of The Afterthought

"You're an asshole for calling me this early. You know that, right?" I flip the lighter shut and slide it back into my pocket.

"It wasn't my choice. Knox gave me a list and told me to make the calls immediately."

"That fucker never sleeps.” I sigh. “It's fine. I have a stop to make, and then I’m coming home."

I hang up, annoyed that the call could have waited. I could have woken up next to Ava. I hate that I have to leave her to wake up alone after how vulnerable she was with me last night. I want to make sure she knows it meant something, so I drive to the coffee shop in town and order her go-to drink. I remember because she used to have me get the same thing for her at least once a week all those years ago. It’s engraved into my brain.

I walk up to the counter and order two large caramel iced lattes with oat milk, a splash of brown sugar syrup, and an extra shot of espresso. She always used to tell me that espresso makes a difference, and she's right. Before the cashier rings me up, I have her add a blueberry muffin to the order.

Once I secure the caffeine and baked goods, I drive back to her house. She's still sleeping when I slip inside and place the coffee and muffin on her kitchen counter. I look around for a minute before I find something to write on and leave her a little note.

I scribble: One chance is all I'm asking for, little shadow. - Grey

I'm half tempted to go back into the room to lay back in bed with her until she wakes up, but there are things I have to do before meeting everyone at the garage later. Kicking Kai's ass is one of them. Reluctantly, I make my way back to my car and to my house, enjoying my very own iced latte along the way.

Chapter 19

Avalynn

The days begin to meld together as I fall into a routine with Chloe. My head has been a bit of a mess after telling Greyson about David. I hate how vulnerable it makes me feel now that he knows the truth. I also don’t know how to feel about him continuing to be so sweet to me. I’m confused, so I've been trying my best to avoid him while I process everything. He managed to get my phone number, though, and has been calling and texting me nonstop.

My heart almost exploded when I woke up last week and saw the coffee and muffin on the counter. I'll give him credit. He's been trying his best to show me he cares. Since then, I've woken up to that same coffee and muffin on my kitchen counter every day. I'm going to ignore the fact that I go to bed with the door locked, and yet, somehow, he still manages to get in. I'm almost positive he had a copy of my key made for himself.

It's a thoughtful gesture, but I'm still guarded. He expects me to just crawl back to him with open arms and forget about everything that we went through. I've thought about it a lot this week, I'm not going to lie, but I'm struggling. He isn't going to ever leave the Crimson Rose, and I don't want to be a part of that life. Letting him in would just end with both of us being hurt in the end.

Part of me feels like telling him about David and my near-death experience with him was a mistake. It's not like he can go back and change anything that happened that day. The other part of me feels relieved to finally be able to tell someone about it. It’s changed me a lot. I never brought it up to Wrenly because she was halfway across the country, and I didn't want to feel like a burden.

I trail my hand down the center of my chest from the outside of my shirt. Most people see the scars and ignore them. They wanted to avoid the awkward conversation, like I would have told them anyway. Greyson saw them and wanted to know about them.

Things between Chloe and I have gotten better. A few nights ago, she talked to me about her mom for the first time. It was the first sincere conversation we've had since that night after Greyson's birthday party. I know it was likely prompted by the visit back to her house to grab some more things, but I'm glad she is feeling comfortable enough to start opening up.

We decided that moving forward we are both going to make a conscious effort to get to know each other better. Graduation is only two months away, and I'm really hoping she and I are able to keep building our relationship even beyond that. Maybe at the end of it all, she will decide to leave Dune Valley with me. Do I still want to leave Dune Valley?

My phone dings and I glance down to find an email. It’s someone reaching out for PI work. I open it up, intrigued, and read through the message. It's from an older lady who goes by Mrs. Myers. She wants to see if I can track down her son, whom she hasn't seen in a few weeks. The cops won't do anything about it because he's a grown man who has a history of gambling and other nefarious activities. The cops are convinced he is laying low somewhere until the sharks get off his back.

I consider whether this is really something I want to devote my time to. It could be true that her son is just a piece of garbage who got mixed up with the wrong people. I almost turn it down, but I notice how much money she's willing to offer me to do the job.

Money from PI work means fewer days at Temptations. I've been trying to be cautious about how much I've been working there because of who Alec is. He's been up my ass lately, too. Every time I go to work, he finds a reason to pull me into his office to "talk.” All I wanted to do was have a meaningless fuck before coming back to Dune Valley, but of course, that's not how it went down. Somehow, I ended up sleeping with someone who is at odds with Greyson.

Greyson hates that I work there, mostly because he can't get to me while I'm inside the club. That's Cobra territory, and him walking inside would likely end up with someone getting shot or stabbed. I think the only thing that's stopped him from actually physically restraining me and keeping me from going to work there is the fact that he is still trying to win me over. I'm not sure how much longer that will last, though.

One thing is certain, I won’t let him tell me what I can and can’t do. I don’t particularly enjoy working there, but I’m not ready to give in and admit that it’s wrong—even if deep down, I know it is. I've been keeping my shifts to just weekends. The tips have been really good lately. I’ve been making so much that I’ve even been able to put a bit away in savings.

Today, I've been lounging around on the couch all day, waiting for Chloe to come home. We are going to hit up the movies tonight. It’ll be the first time I've been there since I was eighteen. Thoughts of the tattoo Greyson has over his heart fill my mind. When did he do that?

Curiosity gets the best of me, so I march to my bedroom and pull open the top drawer of my desk. The stack of ticket stubs is in the corner where I left them. I grab the stack and look through them, trying to find the one with the words "I love you" on the back.

I don't even remember the movie that was playing that night because I was so wrapped up in him and the perfect moment between us. He looked into my eyes and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear before he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I thought I would melt right there, but when I smiled at him, he told me he loved me.

My heart skips a beat when I finally find it. I'm not really sure what I expected to see when I pull it out, but what's noted takes me by surprise. Below the words "I love you" is another set of words. My heart aches at the sight of them—three words that mean more to me than most people.

Tears well up in my eyes as I read them: "Forever my heart.” That's what he would tell me every day, and I would respond with "Forever my always.” It was our own little cute saying to each other, something unique to us. Chills spread through my body, and I let a bit of my wall down. I pull out my phone and snap a picture of the ticket before sending him a text.

Me: I need to ask you something.

Grey: Hey, baby, ask away.

I roll my eyes at his excessive use of ‘baby’ when he talks to me. He’s pretty much decided that we are back together even though I've told him we aren't. He just tells me that I'm being moody and will accept it eventually. I send him the picture that I just snapped.

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