Chapter 20 Grayson
Chapter 20
Grayson
All day, I was sweetly tortured by the memory of Paige sleeping in my arms. The sensation of holding her was branded on my skin. She had slept peacefully once the storm subsided, but all I’d been able to see when I closed my eyes was the soft smile that graced her lips as she rested against my chest.
I was almost relieved when, at breakfast, Paige had said she was going to drive herself to school, because I was losing the grip on my self-restraint. I was getting confused by what was just for practice and what was real between us. Still, I didn’t dare to hope that my efforts with her might be starting to work.
We hadn’t made any coaching plans for today, and now that we’d finished the makeover, I didn’t really know what came next. Perhaps it was best if we took a breather. I was nearing breaking point. And the more I continued to hint at my feelings for Paige, the more I struggled not to blurt out everything that had been locked in my heart for so long. It still felt too soon and too risky, like it could potentially ruin everything.
By some miracle, I scarcely saw her during the day. She went to help Bonnie out at the school newsroom over lunch, so I dodged a small, Paige-shaped bullet in the cafeteria. Then she had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, so she was already gone when the bell rang at the end of the school day. I missed her, but I was grateful for some alone time so I could at least attempt to pull myself together .
“What’s Paige doing here?” Parker asked as we started our warm-up for training late in the afternoon. I glanced over and nearly fell flat on my face when I realized she was standing near the bench with Coach Ray. She’d changed her outfit since school and was wearing the skintight jeans and the low-cut star-covered top she’d bought yesterday. All the other guys on the ice seemed to have stopped to admire her, and I had to remind myself I wasn’t allowed to fight my teammates. Hockey was my life, and I needed these players whole and healthy if I wanted us to keep winning games.
Just watching Paige talk, it was easy to see why almost every guy here had paused to look her way. She was beautiful, yes, and looked stunning in her outfit, but there was something about the way her face sparkled when she spoke that was captivating. Even chatting with someone as serious as Coach Ray, Paige’s infectious laugh managed to pull a smile from him.
Perhaps that’s why I was so in love with her. I was like one of those stone gargoyles perched on the walls of old churches. An impenetrable statue glaring down at the world. But the second Paige shone her light on me, I shed my stony exterior and came to life.
“Gray?” I dragged my gaze away from Paige to look at Parker, and was greeted by his annoying smirk. “What’s she doing here?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“Uh, because you have her schedule in your diary.”
“I don’t have a diary.”
“Mental diary,” he said with a grin. “And you keep all of Paige’s appointments highlighted in pink with hearts around them. ”
Now that I thought about it, maybe our team would still be able to win if I disposed of just one player.
Parker’s smile widened, like he could tell just how much he was getting to me, and I skated away before I was further tempted to wipe it from his face. Parker didn’t take well to being ignored though, and immediately followed. “How’s the coaching going anyway?”
“Would you keep your voice down?” I hissed.
“Sorry. How’s the coaching going?” He’d lowered his voice, but only a fraction.
I considered ignoring the question, but with Paige close by I couldn’t risk the very real possibility that Parker would shout about it until he got a response.
The truth was, I didn’t know how my coaching was going. As far as I could tell, Paige still wanted to kiss Damien Stone; that’s presumably why she was at our practice dressed in her brand-new outfit. But then she had been in my bed last night. While I couldn’t be sure what effect this was all having on Paige, I was certain it was only causing me to fall harder for her than ever before.
“Fine,” I said, keeping my thoughts to myself. “It’s going just fine.”
“Ah, so not well then?” Parker replied. “Do you need me to make a PowerPoint presentation on how to appeal to a girl?”
“No.”
“What about a presentation on how not to scare a girl off?”
“I don’t need a PowerPoint presentation.”
“So, you don’t want my advice?”
“It hasn’t helped me so far.”
“That’s probably because you haven’t let me teach you my best moves yet.”
“If I need your moves to win her over, then she isn’t the girl for me.”
Coach’s whistle blared, echoing off the walls of the rink. Perfect timing. I was only too happy to escape my brother, and I followed the rest of the team over to the bench. Paige was still standing beside Coach Ray, a nervous smile on her lips as she clutched a notebook to her chest.
“Listen up!” Coach shouted. “The school paper is doing profiles on everyone on the team. Paige will be chatting with each of you, one at a time. Please don’t embarrass me, your teammates, or yourselves. Remember, your moms will probably read these interviews. Grayson, you’re up first. The rest of you, with me.”
He blew his whistle again, and the team followed him back to center ice, leaving me alone by the bench.
Paige had taken a seat, and she was still hugging her notebook tightly, a sign she was feeling anxious. Her eyes were on the ice, so I was sure any nerves she might be feeling would have more to do with interviewing the team rather than the fact we’d spent the night in the same bed.
“Thank God Coach Ray let you go first,” she said, patting the bench beside her.
“You’re doing the interviews?” I asked as I sat.
“Bonnie needed the help.” She nodded, but then her eyes flicked back to the ice. “She also thought it was a good chance for me to talk to Damien. And, uh, show off one of my new outfits.”
“So, this is all part of your plan?”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “And before you say anything, I know I didn’t get approval from my dating coach. But Bonnie is kind of tough to say no to. And it is a good idea, right?”
“Yeah...” What else was I supposed to say? She was here, looking gorgeous, ready to interview the whole team. I could hardly tell her to pack up her notebook and leave.
“Is it crazy? Me writing for the school paper?”
As far as I was concerned, that was the least crazy part about all of this. “Not at all. You’ll be a great interviewer. Do you remember that story you wrote about the puppy your parents got you? They had to send it back a week later because they realized they were too busy to look after it? Totally had me tearing up.”
“Don’t remind me. I was eight when I wrote that.”
“Most heart-wrenching thing I’ve read in my life.”
“That’s because it was heart-wrenching! It would have been impossible to write that story and not make the reader cry.”
“I’m just saying, I can see why Bonnie would ask you to help. If anyone can wear a sports journalist hat, it’s you.”
“Thanks, Gray.” Her gaze was soft, but then she straightened her back and opened her notebook. “Okay. Are you ready for my questions?”
“Sure.” I leaned back on the bench as I waited for her to begin.
“Is it okay if I record your answers?”
“No problem.”
She set up her phone, then looked down at her notebook. “Question number one: what’s your favorite food? ”
I didn’t get a chance to respond because Paige immediately mumbled the answer to herself. “Ice cream. Especially chocolate.” She’d taken the words right out of my mouth.
“Next question,” she said, once she’d written down the first answer. “What movie can you recite line-for-line?”
Again, she answered on my behalf, almost like she was interviewing herself. “You’re going to say Miracle or some other hockey movie, but we both know the true answer is Mean Girls .”
She didn’t even take her eyes of the notebook as she scrawled the answer down.
“That’s not my fault,” I grumbled. I only watched romcoms because she wanted to. Although, I had to admit, they weren’t all bad.
“Sure it’s not,” she teased. “Okay, what’s something no one else at school knows about you?”
This time she just wrote the answer down without saying anything. I tried to crane my neck to see what she’d chosen, but I couldn’t make it out.
“Wait, what are you writing? If you know it, it doesn’t count.”
She laughed as she looked up from the page. “I challenge you to tell me something I don’t know.”
I could easily think of one thing; the way my heart was racing as I stared into her eyes. That wasn’t exactly something I wanted to be published in the school paper though.
“At least let me see it.” I gestured for her to hand me the notebook, and she smirked as she placed it in my hands .
“His middle name is...” My eyes darted up to hers. “How did you know?”
She laughed and snatched her notebook back. “Oh, I have my ways.”
“You can’t publish that.”
“What? It’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? I don’t want people finding out my middle name is...” I paused, unable to even say it aloud.
“Beauregard?”
She’d said it far too loudly, and my hand reached out of its own volition and landed against her lips. I could feel her grinning against my palm and the sensation felt like gentle sparks against my skin. I quickly dropped my hand away.
“You’re going to have to edit that out,” I said, brushing my hand against my leg to banish the tingling sensation. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll put something else. No one else knows you can’t whistle, right?”
“Aren’t you supposed to let me answer at least some of the questions?”
“I already know the answers.” She shrugged. “Can you come up with something better?”
She waited patiently, but I didn’t have another answer to give; at least not one I’d willingly admit. I’d just have to put up with Parker whistling at me for the next couple of weeks. “It’s fine. Next question.” I sighed as I waited for her to continue.
“What’s your type?” Her skin went pale, and she gave me a nervous look .
I cleared my throat. “My type?”
She seemed as surprised as I was as she double-checked her notebook. “Sorry about that. These are Bonnie’s questions. Must be a mistake. I’ll just go to the next one.”
“Okay . . .”
“What’s your opinion on a girl making...” Paige paused. “Wait, this can’t be right.” Her eyes frantically scanned the page and she started mumbling to herself as she studied the next few questions. “Soulmates? Perfect date? What the... Oh no.”
“Uh, is there something wrong?” It didn’t seem like there were many questions about hockey in this interview.
Paige’s expression was confused as she flicked to the next page of her notebook and then back again. “I’m going to kill her,” she muttered.
“I take it some of Bonnie’s questions aren’t what you were expecting...”
“Not even close!” She grabbed her phone. “Can you give me a second?”
I motioned for her to go ahead.
Her fingers flew across the screen before she lifted the phone to her ear. A moment later she hissed, “What the hell, Bonnie?”
I couldn’t hear Bonnie’s reply, but I imagined she was cackling.
“No,” Paige snapped. “I’m not asking these questions. They’re more dating profile than player profile.” She paused. “Don’t pull that ‘I’m your editor’ crap on me. I don’t care what the readers of Ransom High want. I don’t work for you. ”
She was quiet while Bonnie responded. Paige made a few attempts to interrupt her friend but eventually let out a defeated sigh. “Okay. Fine. I’ll do it. But just so you know, you owe me, big-time.”
She hung up the phone with a huff. “She’s a total dictator! Apparently, these questions are just ‘trying to give the people what they want.’” Paige started rummaging around in her backpack and pulled out a bag of sweets. She grabbed a couple of sour gummy worms and angrily bit off their heads.
“You must be pretty pissed if you’re reaching for the hard stuff...”
Her gaze was piercing as she shoved the rest of the worms in her mouth. I might have laughed if I wasn’t genuinely concerned she might bite my head off too. It was safer to sit back and wait for the sugar to do its job.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I added. “It’s just a few questions.”
“You haven’t seen the rest of them,” she groaned. “I’m supposed to ask the entire team this stuff. Damien too! If Bonnie thought this was going to help me talk to him, she obviously doesn’t care that I might die of embarrassment first.”
I tried to ignore the thick jealousy that rose up in my throat. I was quite certain Bonnie wasn’t trying to embarrass her. She was clearly trying to create a cute and flirty moment for Paige and Damien. But I was here first. Maybe I could spin this to my advantage.
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of how embarrassing the questions are,” I said.
She peered up at me, surprised. “You want me to go ahead with the interview? ”
“Sure,” I replied. “It’s the least I can do as your dating coach. Practice on me.”
“You’ll really answer them?”
“I will.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re beginning to make me worry just how bad they are.”
“I guess they’re not that bad.” She gave me a grateful smile. “But feel free to skip anything you feel uncomfortable with, and you’re welcome to help me get revenge on Bonnie later.”
She set her phone to record again, and bit her lower lip as she glanced up at me. “You ready?”
“Nope.”
“Me neither,” she agreed with a laugh, but then cleared her throat and asked, “What’s your type?”
“Short, brown hair, brown eyes, smells like candy...”
She waved her pen at me in disapproval. “You’re supposed to answer these questions seriously, Gray.” Despite her dismissive tone, her lips twitched with a smile. Little did she know, I couldn’t have been more serious.
“What’s your opinion on a girl making the first move?”
Bonnie really wasn’t being subtle with these questions. Still, I could make this work. “Uh, I’m happy for a girl to make the first move,” I replied. “But only if she’s five-foot-five and has a secret obsession with snow globes.”
“Grayson!” Her cheeks warmed. “Stop messing around. You know we’ll be printing these answers in the school paper, right?”
“I’m aware.”
“And you’re happy for them to print that?”
I shrugged. “I can’t help what I find attractive.”
She didn’t respond this time, just stared at me like she was starting to wonder whether I was joking or not.
“What’s next?” I prompted.
She slowly dropped her gaze to the next question. “Do you believe in soulmates?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, really?” She lowered her notebook and focused on me, more intrigued by this answer than any other I’d given so far.
“Yeah, why not?”
“I just didn’t think you’d believe in all that stuff.”
“Maybe you don’t know everything about me.”
Her forehead creased, as if the thought disappointed her. “Okay then,” she said. “How will you know when you’ve found this soulmate?” Her tone suggested she was challenging me to prove I was serious.
I paused, racking my brain for a suitable answer. I’d already found my soulmate, but it was hard to pinpoint the exact moment I realized Paige was it. Perhaps I’d always known. When it came to Paige, it had never just felt like her and me. It had always felt like us . My life simply wasn’t complete without her. But I had a feeling that sentiment might be a little too intense for this interview. I decided to settle for the most recent reminder I’d had that Paige was the one girl for me.
“I guess, you just get to a point where you wake up, look over at the girl lying next to you, and it just clicks. Nothing else seems to matter but her... ”
I could have sworn Paige gasped, but she quickly gulped down the reaction and nodded. We hadn’t really talked about last night. When I’d tried to bring it up at breakfast, she’d just apologized and moved on. But the way I’d alluded to it this time, however subtle, had definitely drawn some sort of reaction out of her. Maybe she wasn’t as unaffected by it as I’d first thought.
“Okay, uh, good. Next question...” she stuttered as her eyes flicked across the page of her notebook, trying to find the spot where she’d left off. When she did, she gasped again, but this time she didn’t try to hide it.
“What is it?”
“Uh, it’s just the question . . .”
“Hit me,” I said. “I’m on a roll.”
She laughed nervously, shaking off a little of the uncertainty my previous answer seemed to have caused. “If you insist.” She grimaced as she looked at the page again. “Are you a boobs or butt guy?”
She was firmly refusing to meet my eyes, and I could tell she was dying inside. I struggled to hide my amusement. “From soulmates to this?”
“I told you they were bad.”
I was actually starting to enjoy this interview.
“I’m more of a smile and eyes guy,” I replied.
She seemed pleased with my response, and her shoulders relaxed a little, but it only lasted a moment.
“Briefs or boxers?” she asked with another grimace.
“Boxers,” I answered quickly. I could see Paige wanted to get off this particular topic. “Next.”
“Blondes or brunettes?”
“I think you already know the answer to that one.” I smiled to myself as she wrote down the second option without daring to look up at me, before she quickly continued.
“What’s your idea of the perfect date?”
“I’d have to say April 25.”
She burst out laughing, and I couldn’t stop a grin from forming in response. She’d forced me to watch Miss Congeniality a few weeks back. Apparently, that romcom had a purpose in my life after all. The building tension between us had eased, and I used the opportunity to ask a question of my own.
“What about you? What’s your perfect date?”
“These questions aren’t for me,” she replied.
“Pretend for a second they are.”
“I guess just something romantic,” she said, her thoughts seeming to drift as she considered it. “But that’s kind of obvious. Maybe something I haven’t done before, or that I wouldn’t expect.” She shrugged and focused back on me. “I wouldn’t really know, because I’ve never been on one. Hopefully that’s about to change...”
She glanced toward the ice, and I did my best not to break my hockey stick in two as Damien skated past. He winked at Paige, and her eyes darted back down to her notes. She quickly read the next question.
“Tell the story of your first kiss.”
Now it was my turn to feel uncertain. My throat went tight, and I could feel the heat of embarrassment crawling up my neck. I’d met my match. There was no way I could answer this question .
But as Paige looked up and our eyes met, something shifted in the air between us. The tension was back, but it was different now. Her gaze had fallen to my lips. There was a curious, almost longing look in her eyes, as if she was imagining what it would be like to kiss me. My stomach clenched. Could she really be thinking that? Or was she just wondering what it would feel like to kiss anyone?
I was stunned into silence, and when I didn’t answer, Paige spoke first. “So, your first kiss?” Her voice was slightly dry and the words came out in a whisper.
“I’m not one to kiss and tell,” I replied.
Her eyes moved from my lips to her notes, and she nodded, but then she glanced back up at me. I could still see the curiosity in her eyes, and she looked like she wanted to ask a follow-up question, but I couldn’t risk it.
“What’s next?” I asked, changing the subject. “My best pickup line? How many kids I want to have someday?”
“No to both of those,” she said, shaking her head. “Luckily, that was the last question. I can’t believe I have to repeat these to every guy on the team.”
“Well, I hope I helped you warm up a little,” I replied. “And if not, call Bonnie and tell her she can get over here and ask the questions herself.”
She smiled. “You couldn’t have given me this pep talk before I asked you all that embarrassing stuff?”
“I guess I was intrigued. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t that bad.” She scrunched up her nose, almost annoyed that she agreed with me. “Can you send Reed over next? I have to get a move on or there’s no way I’ll finish before practice ends.”
That was it. I’d survived the interview, with only one skipped question. Still, I didn’t feel any more confident about whether my coaching was having an impact or not. Paige had definitely reacted to a couple of my answers though, I was sure of that.
“No problem.” I smiled as I stepped off the bench and back onto the ice. “Thanks for the chat, Pidge.”
As I skated away, my stomach dipped. Now that my interview was over, it wasn’t long before Bonnie’s plan would kick into gear. Paige would have to interview Damien and ask him all those questions. Suddenly the moments we’d shared during our interview, whatever they’d meant, didn’t feel like enough. Damien had been flirting with girls from the moment he’d arrived at Ransom High. There was no way I could compete.
I did my best to return my focus to training and ignore each of my teammates as they skated over to talk to Paige. One after another, they came and went. I thought I was hiding my protective instincts quite well, and not once had I scowled at anyone. But that all went out the window the moment Damien sat at Paige’s side.