Page 12 of Beyond The Break

“Unfortunately, not, you snagged the last one. Why, is there something wrong with yours?” Gabriel’s tone sounds concerned.

I clear my throat. “I’m just getting a feeling that Griffin isn’t the biggest fan of my room being so close to his.”

I hear Gabriel chuckle quietly. “Griffin is a bit of a hard egg to crack, very quiet guy most of the time. Don’t take it personal, he’s just very determined to get to the top and be the best of thebest. Once you peel away that top layer, he’ll open himself up to you.”

“He’s quiet?” I don’t even try to hide the confusion and surprise from my voice. The Griffin I’ve had the displeasure of meeting so far is not even close to the definition of quiet, it’s almost laughable.

“Oh yeah, but don’t worry, I have a plan.”

“What do you mean by that?” I start to chew at my bottom lip nervously.

“I think having him as your first social campaign will help him get comfortable with you faster.” My heart drops into the depths of my stomach as I feel bile begin to rise.

Work with Griffin? He must be kidding me right now.

“I don’t think he has a problem with getting comfortable. He seems almost too comfortable around me.” I mutter.

“I’ll tell you both more about it tomorrow. You should get some sleep; practice is at five in the morning. Goodnight, Eliana.” Gabriel says, as if he didn’t hear my comment.

The line goes dead before I have a chance to tell him good night too. Why does Gabriel’s version of Griffin not match the Griffin that I met? He was anything but quiet, in fact he has been so loud that I’m contemplating ordering earplugs and paying for next-day shipping.

I replay the events of the night as I lay in bed, starting with the most recent encounter all the way to when he tried slamming the door in my face twice. He was an absolute dick and there’s no way anyone in their right mind can say he’s aquietguy.

The Griffin I’ve met sounds like the opposite of the Griffin that Gabriel was talking about. Why would he be so different with me than he is with Gabriel? The only thing that makes sense is that who he’s shown me he is, is not the real Griffin. I realize that one of my fears has already come to fruition. The real Griffin doesn’t want me here so he’s puttingon this performance to try and make me so uncomfortable I’ll leave.

Are you sure you can handle living in this house?

His words repeat in my mind as I spend the rest of my night planning how I can possibly make him feel just as uncomfortable as he made me, until I begin dozing off to sleep, a smirk fixed on my face.

FOUR

GRIFFIN

I grinto myself in the empty kitchen as I sprinkle coconut shavings over the fruit in my acai bowl, the events of the night before replaying in my mind. I blasted porn for nearly an hour last night, waiting for Eliana to crack.

And crack she did.

I can’t wipe the grin from my face as I grab my spoon and take a seat at the kitchen island.

Last night, Eliana had stomped her way to my room, banging away at the door and begging me to turn down the volume for fifteen whole minutes while I was downstairs listening to her abusing my bedroom door with her fist. The only reason I turned it off in the end is because I heard her talking to someone and wanted to eavesdrop. Unfortunately she spoke too quietly for me to figure out who she was talking to before she hung up.

Satisfaction and confidence ripple through me. There’s no way she’ll still want to stay after last night. I shimmy side to side in my seat, getting comfortable, as I visualize Gabriel announcing that she’s quit during our morning surf practice.

As I go to dip my spoon into my bowl, a movement to theleft of me sends my ass flying out of my seat, spoon clattering onto the granite countertop. The little vixen herself is sitting in the stool beside mine, swinging side to side with an innocent smile.

She’s wearing gray bicycle shorts and a green hoodie that matches her eye color. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun, some strands left out in the front to frame her face. Most girls wouldn’t be able to pull off this look and still look as sexy as she does. I’m convinced she could probably pull off any look, leaving me just as speechless as I am now.

Her face is free from makeup, and she looks even prettier without it. Her freckles dot her face like constellations, and I find myself completely entrapped by her.

“Pass your phone. I’ll take a picture of myself, and set it as your wallpaper so you can continue to ogle me for the rest of the day.” Eliana says smugly.

“I wasn’t ogling you,” I grumble, sitting back down in my seat as I turn my head to look at her.

“I think we can agree to disagree here.”

She reaches for my acai bowl, pulling it towards her, along with my spoon. I watch as she dips the spoon into the bowl before putting it into her mouth. Her eyes flutter shut, eyelashes fanning her cheekbones, as she lets out a satisfied moan, the sound shooting straight to my cock. Her earthy green eyes return to mine, amusement sparkling in them.

She knows what she’s doing but I force myself to look unaffected as I cross my arms over my chest and watch her take another bite of my breakfast.

---