Page 18 of Grayson

Save me now!

It would appear that my prayers would be answered, as that was the moment my sister texted me, the loud and obnoxious ringtone going off like a siren in the otherwise cozy and quaint cafe. Grayson chuckled as I snuck away to the counter to retrieve my simple order, while he paid.

I hurriedly silenced the text, noticing some of the looks from other patrons who must’ve been utterly disturbed by the loud screeching Stewie from Family Guy sound that played every time she messaged me.

Once I’d settled myself down in a seat and set my tray down, I pulled out my phone, hiding my own embarrassment behind the lights of my bright display.

Did you get your schedule yet?

I stare at my sister’s text, debating if I should answer. Technically, I wouldn’t get the schedule until I went into work, but she didn’t know that.

I could very easily just tell her I wasn’t available for the weekend trip she’d been begging to come on with Giselle and the rest of the party.

As if he could read my mind, Grayson sat down with his tray of food, his smooth voice penetrating my thoughts.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Grayson said, and he took a sip of his coffee, crossing his long legs.

I looked up from my phone at the fine specimen in front of me, and for some strange reason, I divulged the truth.

I seemed to do that a lot around Grayson. Drunk or not.

“It’s my sister, she’s... been up my ass about this damn Wine Fest trip coming up.”

“Giselle’s trip?” he asked, looking slightly confused.

I nodded in response.

“I wasn’t aware you were invited to that,” he said, and I couldn’t deny the words bit. I knew he wasn’t trying to be rude, but his shock at the admission only cemented my suspicion that I just wouldn’t fit in.

“Well, it’s not like I’m going or anything,” I said defensively. “Lord knows, I wouldn’t fit in with all of you yuppies anyway.” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Grayson’s eyebrows furrowed, and he had the audacity to look hurt.

Like I was the asshole.

Maybe I was. Maybe that was my curse in life—to be a grumpy, lonely old asshole struggling to find his happy ever after because everyone and everything was too good for him.

“I see,” was all he said, as he picked up his tray. “I just remembered, I have a meeting in about fifteen minutes. Guess I’m getting this to go,” he said, and my heart splintered.

I would have bet my last dollar there was no meeting, and I’d just single-handedly detonated the one chance I might have had.

Stupid, Henry!

Fuck!

I watched as he gracefully approached the counter, as the employees packaged his sandwich, and as he walked out the door without so much as looking at me or waving goodbye.

And suddenly I wasn’t so hungry anymore.

CHAPTER 12

Henry

All day I’d stared at my phone. At the conversation I’d started with Grayson. Our meeting at the cafe was gnawing at me.

I hadn’t meant my words to sound so harsh, but perhaps there was some truth to them. It was probably apparent to anyone with eyeballs that we were in stark contrast. While my sister and I had both grown up in the same house, with the same parents, she’d always been starstruck by the finer things in life. It was her mission to be one of them, and being besties with Giselle exposed her to such things. Gave her opportunities purely because she’d aligned herself with the upper echelon.

Though to be clear, she wasn’t some wealth-chaser who was happy to lap up scraps or anything. She fit in that world just as much as Giselle and her brother did.

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