Page 68 of Grumpy Darling

“How’d what go?”

“Uh, what else?” she scoffed. “Lunchtime. You. Damien. Grayson. Flirting. Jealousy. Drama. I missed the show, so you have to tell me everything.”

There hadn’t been much drama, and I wasn’t sure about the jealousy, but there was certainly flirting. “You didn’t miss much,” I said as calmly as I could. “But it went well.”

Bonnie gave me a look of disapproval. “Okay, I’m going to need way more details than that,” she said. “How did Damien react? Did he challenge Gray to a duel for your heart? Was he foaming at the mouth? Were any drinks spilled? Oh no. You didn’t do your nervous laugh again, did you?”

She really had no faith in me. I guess that wasn’t surprising, after my very public flirting failure with Damien. But this time, with Grayson, it had been totally different. I’d been so nervous before I entered the cafeteria, afraid the lingering effects of my dream last night, or Damien’s proximity, might throw me off. But I’d taken a deep breath and gone for it. And from the moment I sat on Gray’s lap and crept my fingers along his firm shoulders, my nerves had almost entirely melted away.

Now, when I thought about it, a smile pulled at my lips and every inch of my skin tingled. It had been so fun to flirt with Gray. My lines hadn’t been particularly original, and I probably still needed more practice, but I couldn’t stop thinking of how he’d grinned up at me when I’d told him his number was the only one I’d wear. Gray’s smiles were so hard to come by, it always left me on a high when I finally brought one to the surface. And then his response, that he would never let me go...

That comment had briefly brought the nerves back. He’d said it so firmly that it took me by surprise. I knew he was probably just giving the performance a fittingly grand finale, but I couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that there was a little more to it.

“Uh, no, my nervous laugh didn’t show its ugly face today, thank God.” I shook my head, both to answer her question and to try and cool my warm cheeks. “And there were no drinks spilled, and definitely no duel, but I think Damien took the bait.” That was what I should have been excited about. Instead, I was wondering when I’d get a chance to flirt with Grayson again, and whether he’d enjoyed it as much as me.

“And . . .” Bonnie prompted.

“And there’s not much more to say.” I shrugged. “I was supposed to be ignoring Damien, remember?”

“You must be missing something. Did he say anything?”

“Um, yeah, I told Gray he was great at hockey, and Damien said something about there being other talented players on the team.”

“Oh, that’s definitely a good sign,” she said, nodding in approval. But she tilted her head as she watched me. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s pretty much it.”

“Paige, what aren’t you telling me?” Apparently, she wasn’t satisfied with my answer.

“What? Nothing.”

She tilted her head further and raised an eyebrow.

“I swear.”

Bonnie continued watching me, waiting for me to spill whatever she thought I was holding back. There was nothing more I needed to tell her. Well, nothing more about Damien.

“I just kind of enjoyed flirting with Gray, is all.”

“Youdid?”

“Yeah. It was fun,” I explained. “Kind of how I imagine it’s meant to feel when you flirt. Maybe I’m getting better at it.”

Bonnie glanced around at the other students passing us by before she leaned in close. “Do you like him?”

“What?”

“Grayson. Do youlikehim?” She gave the word “like” even more emphasis the second time, to make sure I was under no illusion about what she was getting at.

“No, of course I don’t,” I protested. “You know we’re just friends. That’s what made the flirting so fun.”

“You seem far more excited about the fun you had with Gray than you do about how Damien reacted.”

I scoffed. “I’m just on a high from a successful mission.”

“Sounds like the mission went in a different direction than you intended.”

“No, it wentexactlyas intended.” I frowned at her. “It was just a little harmless flirting, Bon. The fact I enjoyed it doesn’t mean anything.”

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