Chapter 13 Grayson
Chapter 13
Grayson
So much for a successful start to coaching Paige. I’d hoped that an evening ice skating on the lake would be a good opportunity to flirt with her some more, under the guise of teaching. But the whole thing had been a disaster. We’d flirted, sure, but she’d been surprisingly good at it. So good, in fact, I was still having heart palpitations every time I thought of her stroking my chest. Paige, on the other hand, had shaken it off like it was all just a game. It was clear I was a long way from convincing her to see me as more than a friend—while I was the idiot who was falling deeper still.
That wasn’t even my biggest problem right now though. Somehow, I’d ended up committing myself to much more than just flirting practice. Paige wasn’t only looking to kiss Damien. She wanted the whole nine yards. A first date. Romance. Sparks. Chemistry. A drunken kiss was one thing, and would probably be forgotten in time, but all that other stuff could lead to Paige genuinely falling for Damien. How could I help her, knowing it might result in me losing her forever?
Then she’d nearly been killed by a rogue puck. I’d only just gotten her out the way in time, and I couldn’t stop replaying the moment in my mind. Seeing her come so close to getting seriously injured hit me hard. Just thinking about it made a cold knot form in my gut. It was a painful reminder of just how important she was to me. Of how losing her to someone else wasn’t an option .
On the drive back from the lake, Paige had taken my introspection to mean I was in a mood, and when we got home, she convinced herself I needed cheering up. So, now I was experiencing Paige’s version of a pick-me-up: a facial.
“This isn’t how you cheer a guy up, Paige.”
She blissfully ignored me as she continued pasting my face with a strange concoction of foods she’d blended together. Right now, I was one set of painted nails away from being stuck in the friend zone forever.
“Don’t be silly,” she scoffed. “This is how you cheer everyone up. And you’ve been in a bad mood all afternoon.”
“I haven’t been in a bad mood.”
“You have. Ever since skating. Not even ice cream perked you up. And you were so quiet at dinner. You barely ate a thing.”
“Mom’s lasagna looked highly suspect.”
“It was great.”
“We already know you have no tastebuds.”
“Perhaps my tastebuds are on vacation. Your stomach, on the other hand, is a bottomless pit that never goes on holiday. You’re always hungry. If you’re not eating, the world must be ending.”
“The world’s not ending. Although, this sludge you’re putting on my face does feel like something that could survive the apocalypse.”
She laughed as she peered up at me. I may not have been enjoying the facial much, but I wasn’t the least bit opposed to how close Paige got to me because of it, or the feel of her fingers spreading the goop across my skin. Maybe I didn’t hate facials as much as I thought .
“Grayson, what the hell is on your face?” Reed asked, grinning broadly as he entered my room.
“Paige, I thought you closed the door!”
“Oops.” She was still smiling and shrugged before turning to Reed. “We’re doing facials.”
“Facials?” He laughed.
“Yeah, want to join us?” Paige offered. “I can do you too?”
I jumped from my seat and quickly steered my brother toward the door. “Reed’s busy.”
“Actually . . .”
My gaze hardened, sending him a warning, but it didn’t have the effect I was hoping for. My brother’s expression only grew more amused.
“What?” he insisted. “That stuff on your face smells pretty nice.”
I shoved him out the door, ignoring his laughter as I shut it firmly behind him.
“It sounded like he wanted to join,” Paige said, clearly struggling not to laugh too.
“Don’t start with me. You better hope Parker doesn’t hear about this, or he’ll be taunting me forever.”
“It’ll be our little secret,” she replied, still smiling.
I let out a huff as I went back to my seat. “So, what happens now?” I’d come this far, I might as well commit to the whole experience.
“Now we watch a chick flick while it marinates. Trust me, it’ll soothe your soul.”
“Soothe my...” I paused, wondering why I was still fighting this. Paige was on a roll. There was no stopping her now. “Fine. Sounds good.”
She looked surprised I’d agreed so quickly. And to be honest, I was a little surprised myself.
“Just give me a minute,” I said. “I’ll need snacks if I’m going to survive a chick flick.”
She laughed as I headed for the door. “I thought you were worried about your family seeing your face.”
“Guess I’ll have to be quick then.”
I was out the door before she offered to go for me, and I headed straight for Reed’s bedroom across the hall. Unfortunately, Cammie chose that moment to emerge from her room.
“Oh my god.” She started cackling the moment she laid eyes on me. I always knew my sister could be slightly scary, but I’d never heard her utter such an evil laugh. “You’re so whipped!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My response only seemed to encourage more laughter, and she was still chuckling to herself as she continued down the hallway.
I lunged for Reed’s door and disappeared inside his room before Parker could come and investigate. I could only imagine what a hard time my younger brother would give me if he saw me like this.
Reed started grinning when he caught sight of me again. “That’s actually a good look for you, Gray. Green’s really your color.”
“Look, I only have a minute here, so save your jokes for later,” I said. “I need your help. The plan’s not working.”
“With Paige? It’s only been one day.”
“And look at me.” I waved a hand at the green gunk on my face. “I’m so lost in the friend zone, I’m beyond extraction.”
The smirk dropped from his lips and I thought he might finally be taking me seriously. He leaned forward in his desk chair. “Well, for starters, you probably need to remove that crap on your face.”
“Obviously,” I growled. “Then what?”
“You tell me. You’re supposed to be wooing her with your coaching. What did you have planned to teach her next?”
“That’s the problem,” I said. “She wants more than just flirting lessons now. She’s roped me into helping her with all sorts of other stuff. She’s asking me to teach her how to get a guy’s attention and how to be romantic on a first date. She was even talking about me helping with a damn makeover.”
I couldn’t tell whether Reed was cringing or just doing his best not to start laughing again. Suddenly his expression relaxed. “Well, this is good.”
“Good? How is it good? She basically wants me to help her fall in love with someone else.”
“It’s good,” he repeated. “Because these are all opportunities for you to show a different side of yourself. So Paige starts to see you as more than just her best friend. Just like you planned.”
“They are?”
“Of course. Just use each lesson to flirt with her, be romantic with her. Trust me, before you know it, she’ll be falling in love with you instead.”
He certainly made it sound good; too good to be true, most likely. “I’m not so sure.”
“You need to be more confident about this,” he said. “Look, you already made an impression on her with your flirting at the party. You just need to think about what’s next. Come up with a game plan. You’re never going to win the game if you don’t have all your plays figured out.”
“This isn’t hockey, Reed. And I don’t think anyone would be expected to take to the ice with a face full of green goop.”
“The goop is a perfect example of what I’m talking about,” he said. “You can use it to your advantage.”
“How?”
“You could ask to return the favor? Offer to help with her face mask, or maybe see if she wants a relaxing massage as repayment. Use it as a reason to get close to her.”
I wasn’t sure about the massage, but I supposed his advice wasn’t all bad. I could probably see if Paige wanted a facial too. As much as I’d complained, it had felt pretty good to have her close to me. Maybe my brother really did know what he was talking about.
“Any other suggestions?”
“Less scowling. You’ve been in a mood all night and didn’t eat any dinner.”
“I wasn’t hungry.” What was it with people and how much I had to eat?
“Are you sick?”
I ignored his question. “And I wasn’t scowling at her.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m certain.” Truthfully, I wasn’t sure, but I could easily correct that. “Anything else?”
“Gray, you’re just going to have to trust your instincts.”
“Because that’s been working so well for me?”
Reed laughed, apparently losing the strength to hold it in any longer. “Sorry, it’s just really hard to concentrate when you look like some creature that’s emerged from the deep.”
All the good advice in the world wasn’t worth this, so I gave up and left the room. But just as I emerged into the corridor, Cammie appeared at the top of the stairs, this time with Parker in tow.
My younger brother’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning, while my sister’s filled with a menacing glee.
“Told you this was worth the trip upstairs,” she said.
I swore under my breath.
“Oh, Grayson.” Parker was shaking his head. “What has she done to you?”
“Smile,” Cammie added, before pointing her phone in my direction. I lifted a hand in front of my face, hopelessly attempting to hide from the photo. I did not need Cammie and Parker having this kind of material to use against me.
“You both better sleep with one eye open,” I growled before storming back to my room, their hushed laughter floating behind me.
Paige startled as I barged through the door. I’d probably been a little rough as I’d pushed it in a hurry to get away from my siblings. She nodded at my empty hands. “No snacks?”
“No, sorry, I was a little busy avoiding the paparazzi in the corridor.”
“Paparazzi?”
“Cammie, trying to get photographic evidence to blackmail me with.”
“Oh no.” Paige grimaced. “Sorry, that’s totally my fault. I thought the facial would be relaxing for you. I messed up.”
“It’s fine, Pidge. My face smells like summer. Those idiots can take all the pictures they want.”
She smiled up at me. “Like summer, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She walked over to me and placed her hands on my chest as she reached up on her tiptoes to sniff me. I froze under the contact. Reed had suggested I use the facial as an excuse to get close to Paige, and here we were. But I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.
“Mm. You do smell good,” she said. “I kind of want to lick you.”
“Uh . . .” My throat constricted. Was she serious?
But then she laughed and pulled away all too fast. I stood still for several moments as I tried to reboot my brain and gather some coherent thoughts. Some dating coach I was. The perfect opportunity to make a move presented itself, and I froze like a rabbit in the headlights.
Paige skipped back over to the bed, made herself comfortable, and started selecting a movie on my laptop. When she caught me watching, she gently patted a spot on the bed next to her. “Come on, help me pick. You know I’ll just scroll through the entire library.”
I might have missed my chance to use the facial to my advantage, but maybe watching a movie with Paige on my bed presented a new opportunity to get closer to her. Nerves churned in my chest at the thought, and I did my best to shut them down .
“I think I better take this off,” I said, gesturing at my face. “Delightful as it is, I’d hate for you to forget I’m not dessert while we’re watching the movie.”
“Ha, ha,” she deadpanned.
I quickly rinsed my face in the bathroom before returning to the room. I switched off the overhead light and got onto the bed beside Paige. She had a bunch of pillows fluffed behind her and I rested my arm across the top of them. Even though I’d failed to get snacks from downstairs, she’d already raided the private stash of candy I kept for her.
“Want one?” She offered me the packet of gummy worms.
“Sure.” Paige loved all candy, especially gummy worms, but I’d never been a huge fan. I always ate one or two whenever she was here though, because I didn’t want her to realize I only bought them for her.
“You ready to have your soul soothed?” she asked as she took a bite of one of the worms.
I grunted in agreement and got a quiet laugh in response. A chick flick wouldn’t have been my first choice for a movie, but I didn’t mind them so much when I was watching with her. I’d do just about anything if it meant having Paige nearby.
The movie started and she scooted closer, resting her head against my chest. She was close enough that whenever I breathed, I inhaled a subtle scent that was uniquely her. I often thought she smelled like the first sign of spring after a cold winter, and I loved that smell more than anything .
I’d been right about the movie presenting another opportunity. Reed had told me to use every possible chance to get close to her. To touch her. To act differently. But she was only lightly pressed against me, and I was already struggling. I was too afraid to move. To breathe. Because each inhalation was pain and temptation and another reminder of how hard I was fighting to resist her.
The worst part was how oblivious she was to my inner turmoil. She was so completely immune to me that before we’d even reached the halfway point of the movie, she fell asleep. I’d let the moment pass once again. As I felt her instinctively snuggle even more deeply into my arms, I tried to focus my mind on a solution to my problem, rather than wallowing in the hopelessness of it all.
Clearly, I wasn’t doing a very good job at seizing each opportunity as it arose. Maybe I needed to take Reed’s advice and plan ahead, so I knew what was coming. Once Paige was satisfied we’d completed our flirting practice, she’d want to move on to getting a guy’s attention. Specifically, Damien’s attention. How in the world could I help her do that without sabotaging myself? Damien was already getting in the way; I didn’t want to make him an even bigger obstacle.
My body tensed as Paige sighed, and I glanced down at her, still asleep against my chest. Her face was relaxed, a faint smile softening her features. She looked like she was dreaming, and I wondered where her thoughts might be. I soon regretted it when I realized they were probably on a romantic first date with Damien .
She let out another sigh, louder this time, and her lips parted. I didn’t dare move, just in case she was on the verge of waking up. But then she bit down on her lower lip and let out a soft, deep moan of satisfaction.
God, now I really hoped this dream didn’t include Damien. She looked like she was enjoying it far too much. I felt the sudden urge to wake her up and drag her back to reality, with me, but before I could move, her eyes fluttered open.
Although Paige was looking directly at me, her gaze was clouded with sleep.
“Grayson,” she whispered, a content smile still on her lips. “You were...”
She blinked a few times, as though she was trying to fully return to wakefulness, and then looked at me again, this time with confusion in her eyes.
“Grayson?”
“Uh, yeah?”
She jolted up and out of my embrace before moving away, until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She glanced around the room, almost as though she wasn’t completely sure where she was.
“What time is it?”
“I’m not sure. The movie’s only been on for an hour. You’ve been asleep for about half that.”
“Oh, right,” she muttered, almost to herself. “The movie. That’s what we were doing.”
“Are you okay?” I asked
“Yes,” she said, another whisper. “Of course. I was just . . . We were just . . .”
She paused and her eyes locked onto mine. I felt frozen to my spot on the bed as I waited for her to go on. Clearly, something had addled her. But then her phone broke the silence with a loud buzz.
Paige swore and grabbed it from the bedside table. “That’s my mom, I need to take this.”
She practically leaped off the bed and was out the door before I could even let out the breath I’d been holding. I wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, but for some reason it felt as though she’d been running away. And once again, I found myself wondering what, or who, she’d been dreaming about.