Chapter 7 #2
Griffin cocks his lips in a crooked grin. “I’m gonna plead the fifth here and say no comment.”
“Oh.” Silas pouts. “You tease us all.”
“He’s good at that, isn’t he?” Brittany giggles and places her perfectly manicured talons on Griffin’s chest.
The interviewer turns his attention to her. “Britt, will you give the world the answers they’re craving?”
She taps her plump bottom lip. “I’m not one to kiss and tell.”
I wrap my arms around my middle. I think I’m going to be sick. “Okay, I’ve seen enough.” My voice is barely above a whisper, but Shayna immediately switches to another streaming platform.
“Maybe they’re not really together.” Her words are full of optimism, but her wary smile tells me Shay doesn’t fully believe what she’s saying.
“Yeah,” Alyssa agrees. “Don’t actors pretend to date as a publicity stunt?”
“I heard it’s a thing.” Kelsey tucks her leg under her, avoiding my gaze. Maybe I’d believe her if I hadn’t known her for more than half my life.
“Y’all don’t have to cheer me up. It’s fine. I’m over Griffin.” The lie doesn’t even sound convincing to me. “I just don’t want to see him all cozy with his new girlfriend.”
“Let’s watch one of your faves.” Shayna turns on Jurassic World. I know action movies give her nightmares, so I must look as distressed as I feel for her to put it on.
Shay leans her head on my shoulder, threading her arm through mine. Alyssa squeezes my hand. Kelsey holds half of a hand-heart toward me, and I mimic the motion.
These are my girls—my family—and I know I can make it through anything with their support.
I flip onto my back in bed with a huff. Falling asleep tonight has proven more difficult than quieting a rowdy classroom after seeing Griffin on my TV screen.
The flood of feelings that I’d rather forget about came rushing back, making me lie here, stewing over what could have been if he had felt the same way I did.
Instead, now I’m just haunted by the memory of him.
With a weary sigh, I grab my phone off my nightstand and pull up the interview I found from one of my internet searches.
Rewatching this interview is the perfect reminder of why I’m better off without him.
With a shaky thumb, I press play, and talk show host Kelly Parker’s voice comes through my phone’s speaker.
“It’s wonderful to have you here, Griffin.”
He sits across from her, looking suave in a maroon suit. Griffin smiles and waves to the studio audience before turning back to Kelly. “It’s an honor to be here.”
She crosses her legs and angles her body toward him. “Congratulations on your first movie, A Chance Romance. Can you tell the audience a little bit about it if they haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet?”
“Absolutely. I play the character of Peter. He’s a bit of a serial dater, and takes every first date to the same restaurant. When a new waitress starts waiting on his table during his dates, she has him questioning everything he ever thought he wanted in life and love.”
“It’s a great movie,” Kelly coos.
I snicker. The movie was a flop. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating was abysmal, so it went straight to streaming after only a week at the box office. Since I’m not on social media, I didn’t even hear about the movie until last week, and it’s already been out for a year and a half.
“I must say, I think we’ve only just seen the start of a long career ahead for you,” she continues.
Well, I guess she wasn’t wrong about that, seeing that his latest movie, Accidentally in Matrimony, was a box-office hit.
“Thank you.” He dips his chin in humble appreciation.
“As a newcomer to the romance movie industry, I have to ask the question that all the ladies are wondering: Do you have any special women in your life?”
He nods. “My mother and grandmother.”
The audience lets out a chorus of awws, and I roll my eyes. Can’t all the women in the audience see that he’s acting?
Griffin shoots his over-the-top smile at the studio audience, though it’s not the lopsided one I remember from our date. “They’ve raised me into the man I am today. I truly wouldn’t be who I am without them, let alone sitting in this seat across from you.”
“That’s sweet.” Kelly nods along, but she doesn’t look appeased by his answer. “But what about romance?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve had a few girlfriends in my life, but I haven’t found the woman I have that forever kind of spark with.”
I wince. His words are a direct stab to the heart and validation that he didn’t feel the same spark I felt.
Kelly motions to the excited women in the audience.
“I don’t think that will be an issue for you for long.
” She glances at the notecard in her hand before looking back at Griffin.
“Your character in the movie takes the love interest on multiple romantic dates. Can you tell us about the best date you’ve ever been on? ”
Griffin’s smile falters slightly. It’s almost imperceptible, but I still catch it before his pearly whites are flashed at the camera again. “There’s no contest. It was a Knoxville Fireflies game.”
Even though I’ve already watched this interview multiple times, my stomach still drops like I’m on a roller coaster, careening down from the top of a hill.
It was stupid of me to ever believe that someone as handsome as Griffin would ever be interested in me.
Our hot chocolate date might’ve been the best date of my life, but it probably didn’t even make his top five.
Or twenty. Our little café outing will never compare to a date to an MLB game.
That’s like comparing fast food to fine dining—there’s no dispute which is better quality.
“So, you’re a baseball man?” Kelly asks.
I swipe out of the video with a huff, not needing to hear anymore. That was all the validation I needed. A painful reminder that our date didn’t mean as much to him as it did to me. That I could never be what he needed beside him in Hollywood. Maybe he knew that before I did.
His acting skills are obviously top-notch, because he sure fooled me. I thought he had felt that our meeting was fate intertwining our paths together. But really, it was just me and my inability to read through his charm and acting skills.
I place my phone back on my nightstand and burrow under my comforter. “All of my feelings for him were one-sided,” I whisper. “I will not waste another minute of my time thinking about Griffin Reynolds.”
I know it’s a lie the moment the words fall from my mouth. But maybe if I continue to tell myself not to waste another moment thinking about someone who obviously never gave me a second thought, the truth will sink in one day.
Folding my arms across my chest, I take another small step forward in line at my favorite coffee shop.
I started going to Rise & Grind Café when Kelsey worked here. Even though she left to pursue her dream of opening a dog rescue, I still think they make the best coffee around. Well, aside from the homemade lattes Kelsey occasionally makes us, but I try not to ask her too often.
I rub my temples as the tension starts to build. It’s ten on a Saturday morning, so I knew they’d be slammed, but my caffeine headache is hitting hard and fast after how little sleep I got last night.
When I finally reach the register, my head is throbbing.
“Good morning, what can I get for you today?” the barista asks.
“I’ll have a large sugar cookie latte to go, please.”
Seasonal drinks are my kryptonite. Even though I hate winter because of he-who-must-not-be-named, the sugar cookie latte comes close to making up for it.
Plus, I have winter break—a glorious three weeks off from teaching—which is just the little reset I need to come back and finish out the school year strong.
I pay and move to stand by the pickup counter until my drink is ready. I grab a coffee cup sleeve and slide it onto my to-go cup. As I walk toward the door, I hold the cup under my nose. Sweet, heavenly notes of brown sugar and almond fill my senses.
Before I can reach the door, a towering figure walks toward me. He doesn’t even bother to look my way as he walks dangerously close with the brim of his beanie pulled down low.
“Watch where you’re going,” I warn, but it’s too late. He crashes into me.
My latte hits his rock-hard chest and goes flying, spilling hot coffee onto us and all over the floor. I hiss as drops of the latte hit my hand, reminding me of the day a few years ago when I was similarly burned with a hot drink. A day that I’d really like to forget.
I try to move away from the man, but my foot hits a puddle of the latte and sends me flying backward.
I reach up, trying to grab anything I can to avoid falling on my butt in front of this crowded coffee shop.
One of my hands wraps around his neck, and the other grabs his beanie, yanking it off his head.
Thankfully, he wraps his arms around my waist, catching me before I go tumbling to the floor. The hair on the back of my neck rises as a familiar tingling sensation courses through my body.
No. It can’t be him.
My heart races as I move my gaze to his face, but all words are stuck in my throat as my eyes collide with none other than Griffin Reynolds.
His mouth falls open as he stares at me. “Mallory?” He whispers my name with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.
I scramble to stand on my own two feet again. When he notices, Griffin effortlessly rights me. Unfortunately, he’s close. Too close.
One of my hands is still wrapped around his neck while the other falls to his chest. It reminds me of the moment before our first kiss, with the snow falling around us.
I can smell the cinnamon scent of his gum, taking me back to how our first kiss tasted from my snickerdoodle hot chocolate.
My stomach churns, and I grit my teeth, pushing all thoughts of my past with him away.
I try to step away, but his arm holds me against him like an immovable tree trunk. “Mallory.” He repeats my name as if he’s incapable of saying anything else. His eyes light up, crinkling at the corners as a grin I would’ve once described as heart-stopping graces his lips.
“Do you have a concussion?” My first words to him in three years spew out full of pent-up bitterness.
His brows furrow. “No.”
“Then why do you keep repeating my name?”
Griffin doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he moves a hand to my face, brushing the back of his knuckles along my cheek as he tucks a rogue curl behind my ear.
I grit my teeth against all the feelings that threaten to rise to the surface at his touch.
“It’s really you.”
I swat his hand away. “We already established that. I seriously think you need to see a doctor.”
He shakes his head, and a little bit of the stupor leaves his blue eyes. I avert my gaze, not wanting to be drawn in like I was when I first met him.
That’s when I notice the entire coffee shop staring at us unashamedly. Multiple people have their phones aimed our way, likely recording the entire interaction. Great. This is definitely not how I expected the start of my winter break to go.
Griffin finally lets go of his hold on my waist, and I release a shaky breath as he steps toward the pickup counter.
He smiles at the blushing barista. “Can you please remake this beautiful lady’s drink?
” He tosses a hundred-dollar bill across the counter as if it’s nothing to him. I suppose it isn’t now.
The woman stands taller at the sight of the tip. “Right away, Mr. Reynolds.”
Under different circumstances, I’d be opposed to him paying for my replacement drink, but I have a raging headache, so I’m not going to turn down the caffeine. Especially after he just ruined my drink…again.
I grab a few napkins and pat the sleeve of my coat, soaking up the little bit of liquid there.
I throw them away and turn. My jaw drops in shock at the sight in front of me—Mr. Hollywood mopping.
I mean, he has no qualms about making women have feelings for him on a date and then ghosting them, so why would he care about cleaning up the mess he caused?
Where did he even get the mop? And is he humming?
The nerve of this man, acting as if he’s happy to see me—acting being the keyword here.
“Here you go.” The barista hands me a large sugar cookie latte, good as new.
“Thanks.” I take it and turn to leave, nearly running into Griffin again.
He places his hands on my arms, steadying me. “Whoa, there.”
I scoff. “I’m not a horse.”
Griffin smirks. “I forgot how funny you are.”
“Just your everyday comedian,” I deadpan. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”
His smile falls. “I thought we could sit and catch up.”
Sit and catch up? Is this guy for real?
“Give me one good reason why I should talk to you.”
The light in his eyes dims as if I’ve hurt him. “I’ve been looking for you for years.”