Chapter 41 #2
It’s quiet for a long while, until Grayson chokes out, “I’m sorry I never noticed. I’m so sorry, Kieran.”
Leaning over, I clap him on the shoulder, squeezing. “You and your family did more than anyone ever has. You don’t need to apologize, Crawford.”
He nods but the silver lining his eyes begins to spill. “Thank you for not leaving. That would have really fucked with my head.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. “Couldn’t leave my best friend to do life alone.”
He sniffles around a chuckle. “No, you fucking couldn’t. I would have been so pissed at you if you left me.”
My smile is forming now as I look at my best friend and see so evidently how much he cares for me.
“Thank you for everything, man,” I say hoarsely before straightening and clapping my hands, desperately needing to lighten the mood.
“Now, can you tell me why the hell you dragged me to a store on a Sunday?”
Grayson’s lip twitches, the sudden switch in emotion making me pause.
“You’re not forcing me to buy princess dresses or anything, right? No sex shops, because I swear to fucking god, Grayson—”
“I’m buying a ring,” he blurts out.
I’m flying across the car console and tackling my best friend before he so much as blinks.
“Holy fucking shit!” I punch his arm.
“Ow!”
“Why the fuck didn’t you say sooner, you fucking sad pathetic asshole? You made it all sad with my shit, dude! You’re buying a fucking ring!”
Grayson’s laughing, his eyes darting around the parking lot. “Shh, people know who we are, dipshit. I’d like to propose to Bella before the world knows.” He shoves me off him good-naturedly before letting his megawatt smile shine. “Good to know you’re excited though.”
“Excited? More like ecstatic. Dude, I’m…fuck, I feel like crying.”
Grayson deadpans. “I’m not proposing to you. Reel it in, Ashford.”
“No, seriously, this has made my whole day. I think I’m going to cry.”
Grayson shakes with laughter. “Let it out before we leave the parking lot, then. I seriously don’t need someone snapping a picture of me entering the jeweler.”
I try to reel it in but the second I feel a tear roll down my cheek, Grayson leans over and shuts my door, muttering under his breath, “Fucking hell.”
“You’re getting married, dude. Let me have my moment.”
“You mean my moment?”
“I’m losing my best friend,” I cry dramatically, teasingly. I’m so goddamn happy for him.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Kieran, you’re not losing anyone.”
I point an accusatory finger at him. “I better be the first fucking person you told, fucker.”
“Why are we swearing so much?”
I shrug. “This is a huge moment. Swearing is called for.” Narrowing my eyes, I ask again, “Am I?”
He sighs. “Yes, Kieran, you’re the only one who knows.”
I punch the air. “Fuck yes! I’m the best secret keeper, I swear.”
“You won’t be if you keep yelling. People are looking,” he says, glancing back to the parking lot.
“We need disguises. There’s no way we can go in there without being seen.”
He chews on his bottom lip. “Fuck, you think so?”
“I know so.” Grinning, I waggle my brows. “Leave it to me, Cap. I got this.”
Before he can say anything else I jump out of the truck and head inside, but I swear I hear him mumble something about being scared for his life.
Grayson is shaking his head dramatically. “Hell to the fucking no. I am not wearing that.”
“Oh stop being such a pussy and put the damn mask on.”
“Are you kidding? This is going to draw more attention!”
“Yeah, but no one can see our faces so they’ll never know.”
Grayson looks from me to the monkey head and back. “No, absolutely not. I’m not buying”—he looks around the parking lot, lowering his voice—“Bella’s ring wearing a monkey head.”
I roll my eyes. “We’ll take it off inside the store, idiot. It’s just until we’re securely inside.”
With his hands on his hips, he purses his lips, looking like he sucked on a lemon. “You seriously couldn’t come up with a better idea?”
Scoffing, I point to the matching monkey heads. “Better idea? This is a genius one. Nothing could ever top this.”
“You’re an idiot,” he says pointedly.
“Nah, I think this is pure geniusness, should go get my IQ tested after this.”
Grayson side eyes me. “That’s not even a word.”
Waving him off I slide the monkey head on, surprised to feel how quickly it gets hot. “Is it bad I hope someone takes a photo so we have documentation of this?” Jumping, I spin on my heel. “Ooh! Let’s vlog buying it! We can show Bella after.”
Grayson objects, of course, his head shaking, but I ignore him. This is the happiest I’ve felt in weeks.
Who knew I just needed to put a giant monkey head on to feel something?
“How the hell do you even know how to vlog?”
“You don’t watch vlogs?”
“No.”
“Missing out, Cap.”
Whipping out my phone, I set it up on the back of Grayson’s truck, hit record, and give it a thumbs-up. I can barely see out of the two eyes but I can see just enough to grab the matching monkey head and shove it down on Grayson’s head.
“Hey!” He stumbles back from the force, almost falling over.
Turning back to the camera, I give it another thumbs-up and say, “Welcome to the family, B!”
Grayson steps beside me, sighing. “Sorry, he’s a package deal, Blaze.”
Elbowing him in the ribs, the monkey head goes down as Grayson doubles over. “I take offense to that.”
Grayson coughs, about to slide the head off, but I quickly force it back on. “Let’s go buddy, wouldn’t want to draw attention.”
“Yeah,” he grunts out derisively. “Wouldn’t want that.”
Sitting beside Grayson, as he holds the ring he custom designed for Bella in his hands, tears line both our eyes at the future he worked so hard to have.
“I’ll give you a moment, sir.”
Grayson doesn’t even notice the jeweler leave, doesn’t notice how happy he is to see his work being admired. His smile is so wide I also laugh with joy. “Goddamn, Cap, I couldn’t be happier for you. Truly, you deserve it.”
“Who would have thought my darkest days would lead me to her?”
“When are you going to do it?”
He slides his gaze to mine. “I trust you, but I don’t trust you with that. I’ll let you know the day but I want to keep it all under wraps, private and personal.”
“Fair enough, I respect it. You want it to go smoothly.”
“I want it to go perfectly. She deserves the best.”
“That she does.”
Grayson knocks his shoulder into mine. “I might be mushy right now because I’m holding the ring I want to give to Bella, but your time will come with Layla.”
Grimacing, I murmur, “Let’s not dampen the mood.”
“No, this is the perfect time. If I wasn’t persistent with Bella, if I didn’t keep showing up and proving that I loved her, I wouldn’t be here right now. I know Layla cares for you and for some reason she’s holding back. Just keep trying.”
Clapping him on the back, I agree more so to shut him up. This is his moment. It shouldn’t be about my fucked-up love life.
He goes back to staring at the ring, awe shining on his face.
I hope I get my happy ending one day too.
An hour later, monkey heads securely covering our faces and the ring clutched in a non-descript bag in Grayson’s hand, a kid runs up to me, holding his hand up in the air for a high five.
“Fuck yeah, dude! Getting ready for Fright Night?”
“Yeah, bro!”
Grayson chuckles at my blatant lie but as the kid runs off, my eyes catch on the haunted house posters tacked up around the mall and his words from the jeweler replay in my mind.
Then it hits me.
“Holy shit, I think I know what to do.”
“What?”
Pointing at Grayson, I laugh. “You owe me a favor, right?”
“Uh, no? But I can help.”
I clasp his shoulders, leading us to the car quickly. “Good, because I’m going to need all the help I can get with this one.” Grinning, I slide into Grayson’s car, not even bothering to take off the monkey costume as I dial Layla’s number.
Grayson immediately rips off his monkey head and frowns at me. “What the hell is going on?”
“Taking your advice,” I say as explanation but that only makes his frown deepen.
Layla picks up on the third ring, out of breath. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Better than okay. Is Bella there?”
There’s some rustling on the line before Layla says, “You’re on speaker. What’s up?”
“Your mom’s been hounding you to see Emmy, right?”
Grayson looks as perplexed as Layla sounds. “Um, yes, why?”
“Call her and see if she’s free.”
“It’s a Sunday, she will be. Why, what’s happening?”
“Ask her if she wants to look after Emmy.”
Bella and Layla snort at the same time.
“Of course she will say yes,” I hear Bella murmur, the sound of her voice making my best friend’s eyes turn all goo-goo.
Rolling mine beneath the monkey mask, I go on. “Good, tell her to watch Emmy and then meet us at the address I text you.”
“What the hell is going on? Why do you sound so muffled, and where is my boyfriend?” Bella calls over the line.
Grayson’s eyes are shining, his cheeks tinting. “Hi, Blaze,” he pipes up.
“Hi, Grayson.” She sounds like she’s smiling.
“Yeah, why are you muffled?” Layla asks suddenly.
I whip off the monkey head. “Jesus, I can breathe now. Thank fuck.”
Grayson slaps my chest.
“Ow!”
“Shut up!” he hisses.
Waving him off, I declare, “We’re all going out tonight.”
“We are?” Layla asks hesitantly.
“Yep,” I say, popping the p. “Meet us at the store I text, and let me know when you’re leaving mine. Bye!”
I hang up before they can say no. My best friend looks dumbfounded. “What the hell are you doing?”
Smirking at my best friend I drawl, “Getting my girl.”