Page 50 of The Catalyst

"Seriously, tell me. I didn't tell you my name at the match. As a matter of fact, no one said my name and yet you already knew it. Are you stalking me or something?" I roll my eyes and laugh. "Of course. Why else would an entitled rich boy like you be at thegrocery storeof all places?"

Nigel is going to kill him if he figures that out.

"To answer your second question, I am, in fact,notstalking you. I'm here because Casey asked me to pick up a few things. She's on her period and is in a lot of pain, so I thought I'd help out. I just happened to see you and thought I'd say hello. However, if our first…interaction slipped your mind completely, I won't be the one to ruin your perception."

Our first interaction?

"We met before that fight?" I ask, making sure I'm catching what he's putting down.

He nods. "Just once, but yes."

Impossible.

I remember thinking when I first saw his face at the fight that he had the kind of looks that were hard to forget. He may be a jackass, but he's also really hot and that smile… that would be enough to make half the town swoon.

"Where?" I press again, but he just smirks at me.

"If you don't remember, maybe it's best to leave it in the past, huh, little rabbit?"

Leave it in the past?What the hell does he think happened when we met before?

He turns to walk away and the color drains from my face as a realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

No.

No, no, no.

It can't be.

I pull out my phone and scroll to a contact I never thought I would click. Holding the phone to my ear, I watch Martin come to a complete halt as the phone in his pocket screams.

I feel completely lightheaded as I pull the phone away from my face and look down at the contact name.

M.G.

Martin fucking Gray is M.G., the guy I hooked up with the night I blacked out…two weeks before I moved to Grove Hill.

He looks at his phone before smirking, turning around to face me. "Hempstead area code? I guess this would be you."

"That was you?" I approach, fully prepared to rage on him.

Maybe he was right. It would've been better to leave this in the past, but hindsight is twenty-twenty.

"Are you that surprised?" He tilts his head much like I did a few minutes ago.

No. Actually, I'm not surprised that I would hook up with him in a drunken state. I hadn't moved to Grove Hill so I didn't know Martin in any capacity. Also, from my limited experience, he can be charming when he's not being a douche. He's charismatic and is friendly. Not to mention, hot as can be.

Yup, I can definitely see myself following him into the back of his car and banging it out like Teigan and Delaney said I did.

"Wha—what the fuck were you doing in Hempstead? Why didn't you say anything?" My heart speeds up as it all comes tumbling down on me. "You know, if Nigel finds out what happened, he's going to kill you, right?"

He shrugs. "Then, don't tell him. Problem solved."

"The problem is not that easily solved and stop doing that smirk thing you're doing. This is serious." The entire time I've been talking, he has been smiling like he finds all of this to be hilarious.

"What smirk thing?" he teases, his eyes squinting from how much he is smiling and those dimples…

Focus, Beth!

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