25. Locked in
LOCKED IN
GRAYSON
A lexia cried in my arms all night after telling me what happened to her at thirteen.
Hearing what happened to her made me ready to put the asshole under the prison. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.
By the time morning came, she asked me not to feel sorry for her and that just listening to her helped. In such a short time, I feel like this girl has become my whole life. I like, no, love everything about her.
Her curly black hair and how soft it is, how light her brown eyes are and how they are golden in the sun. How she only ever seems to have really long nails. I love how she wears whatever she wants and never cares about what anyone has to say, how sarcastic, bratty and even how grumpy she is.
I don’t even know how I remembered all those things. I’ve only known her for a little over a week. She already holds my heart in her hands. I could never tell her that, it’d give her too much power.
“So what are you doing today?” Alexia asks, coming back from the bathroom.
“I’m taking you out,” I answer. Seeing her so broken last night lit something inside of me and I needed to make it better.
“What do you mean?” She looks at me very skeptically.
“Just tell me your favorite food place,” I say.
“Uhm, I’m growing to really love In-N-Out ,” she answers.
“Done, get dressed. I’ll meet you in the car.”
I head downstairs leaving her standing there confused, feeling good about myself. I’m going to make her happy today whether she likes it or not. “Going out?” her mom asks once she sees me.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay, thank you for this, Grayson. I’m sure you’re making her day.”
“No problem.” I feel good hearing that from her mom. I really hope I’m making her day. I hated seeing her cry like that. It broke my heart, and I didn’t think that was possible.
I make my way to my car and wait. I have the perfect idea; I’m going to get her favorite food and snacks, then take her to the studio. She looks at peace when she sings and her voice sounds like an angel symphony, so I don’t mind listening to her sing.
Alexia emerges from the house only a couple minutes later in a colorful plaid dress with short, puffed sleeves and Doc Martens on. It’s a very cute dress, stopping at mid- thigh, the skirt lightly flares out. She looks like a dream in it.
She uncrosses her arms and opens the passenger door and slides in. “Now can I know?” she asks.
“No.”
I crank up and put the car in gear as she huffs beside me. It’s funny seeing her react like this when she doesn’t get what she wants. “Why can’t I know?” She just can’t let it go. I laugh a little at her question.
“This is not a laughing matter,” she adds.
“Just let me surprise you.” She leans back in her seat in defeat. I guess she’s giving up.
Alexis swings her mini bookbag off and sits it across her lap. It’s a cute little mini-Beetlejuice bag. It definitely fits her personality perfectly. “Is Beetlejuice your favorite movie?” I ask her.
“One of them,” she answers.
“What are the others?” I want to know all her favorite things, even the least favorites. Know what she likes. What makes her tick.
“ The Nightmare Before Christmas and 10 Things I Hate About You .” I’ve seen the first one but never the second.
“I’ve never seen the second one,” I tell her and her head quickly swings my way.
“You must watch it if you want any chance of this working out.” She points between us.
“Our relationship depends on a movie.” I laugh. She can’t be serious.
“Yes, Popstar, it does.” She pats my shoulder. Girls. They are ridiculous.
I pull into the drive-through of In-N-Out . “Order whatever you want,” I tell her as we pull up to the speaker.
“Can I get a large animal-style fry, a double-double with peppers and no onions, extra mustard, and sauce, please,” she orders with no hesitation.
It makes my body tingle that she’s willing to let me take care of her. She’s willing to spend my money. I love this feeling. I want to do everything for her.
Forever.
I want to hold her, kiss her, hug her, and take care of her. Her to be mine and I hers. I know I’m completely down bad for this girl.
“I’ll have a combo one and make the fries cheese fries with peppers,” I order.
“What drink?” the lady asks.
“I’ll have a Coke,” I reply.
“Pull up to the next window.” I pull forward to the pay window and take out my wallet so I can pay.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply to Alexia, acknowledging that I heard her.
I pay and move up to the next window and get our food quickly before the worker can recognize who I am. I love my fans but today is about Alexia.
“Now will you tell me where we are going?”
“Will you type in this box what your favorite snacks are?”
Alexia groans and takes my phone and does it. I’m having her favorite snacks delivered to the recording studio so when we get there everything is ready and perfect. “Here. Now spill,” she says, handing me back my phone. I pull over to the side so I can get the food plates out of my hands. I hand her hers and I sit mine in my lap.
“I’m taking you to release your feelings,” I answer.
“That doesn’t tell me where we’re going,” she replies, picking up a fry.
“Yes, it does, if you know what you do when you want to release your feelings,” I say and leave her to ponder on the thought. I take my cup out the tray and sit it in the cup holder and begin to back up.
We’re only about fifteen minutes from Golden Star at this point, so it shouldn't take long to get there with the grace of traffic and eat our food, and then I can watch Alexia sing her angelic heart out.
This will be a great day.
The best day.
I’m making it a great day for her.
And maybe soon we can figure out what we are or want to become.
I round the parking lot of Golden Star, finding the perfect place to park and finally sit back. My heart is beating out of my chest as I look over at her. She has her hair in a low ponytail as she wears blue sparkly shorts and a jacket that looks very familiar. “Where did you get that?” I ask, reaching over and lifting the corner of the shoulder.
I’ve seen that jacket before. It feels like only months ago. It almost looks like mine.
She looks like mine in it.
“Oh, um… I won it in a giveaway on Instagram a few months ago. It’s yours, actually. Signed by you.” I knew it! I slightly laugh at her smirking response. It feels warming knowing she’s had a piece of me for months. That something that’s been wrapped around me has been wrapped around her.
She chose to enter that giveaway.
She chose me
“I knew you were obsessed with me.” I smirk. Alexia scoffs and I can just feel the energy of her rolling her eyes.
“You wish, Popstar,” she says.
“You know you have to be really cocky to say that.”
“Maybe I am.” I shrug. I adjust myself in my seat so I can eat.
“We will go inside once we eat,” I tell her.
“And why? How do you even know you’re my type?” She’s trying to be sassy. Which I get; maybe I was cocky, and maybe I could have responded differently.
“Darling, I’m everyone’s type.” I briefly look over at her before turning back to my food.
She huffs and doesn't speak any lower. I eat and she roughly types on her phone.
“Hey, are you done with your food?” Alexia turns to and gathers all her trash into her little tray it came in.
“Yes.”
“I’ll throw it away as we walk in,” I tell her. I turn off my car and gather what I’ll need along with the trays as she gathers her things, and we get out.
“Get on the inside next to the cars,” I tell her.
“Why, there are no cars coming.” She looks around, making sure.
“It’s safer. Just do it,” I tell her. Why does she have to be so difficult? Alexia switches and gets on the inside, and I feel better. We cross the road with no problem, and I throw away the trash. Now the tricky part: getting up to the studio.
Now Golden Star is open almost every day except for major holidays, some Mondays just as a day, and sometimes some artists and their teams take a day off. Today is a day off for the MorningStar team, and if we are working, we are doing it from home, which means we should not really be here.
Emerson wouldn’t care that I’m here. Mr. Hayden would probably look the other way because he likes the dedication, Austin breaks the rule all the time being in his office, and Bridgett doesn’t care, but my father would try and make them punish me, especially because I didn’t come to practice, I came to “fool around with a girl.”
“Is this allowed?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
I pull her inside, and no one really notices; they are all too busy. Too distracted by what they have going on. People at work, receptionists on the phones, workers are putting up summer tour guides and more. It’s easy for me to pull us over to the elevators and press the up button. It dings off, allowing us to enter. I hurry up and press the close elevator button so no one else can get in.
“We’re really doing this.” Alexia sighs, leaning back in the elevator.
“We are.” I nod. I look over at her, admiring her face. The lightly dotted, almost faded light brown freckles on her glowing brown skin. How her dark black hair perfectly brings out her face. Her brows are bold, maybe even slightly bushy but it works with her face. The makeup she’s wearing just blends in so perfectly. The perfectly pink blush, the highlighter, and her purple eyeliner. It’s all perfect.
She’s perfect.
“You know I love my jacket on you.” I reach over and pull on the drawstrings for the hood.
“Um, thank you.” She blushes as the doors ding open. I walk out first and lead the way to the recording studio. I unlock the door with my studio key and hold the door for her.
“Okay, have at it,” I tell her, cutting in the light and revealing the studio.
“You’re actually going to let me do this?” she asks, turning around to me.
“That’s why I brought you here.” I shrug.
“And with your favorite snacks.” I gesture over to the basket of food in the room.
“That’s really sweet of you.” She smiles.
“I wanted to make you happy,” I reply, closing the door.
“Go on, I’ll cut on the mics.” Alexia smiles at me brightly and runs into the studio.
She’s so cute.
I go over to the panel and flip on the recording booth lights and turn on mic one. I give her a thumbs-up once I have it on. Alexia reaches down and then sits back up and holding a silver notebook that has a sparkly butterfly plastered on the front. She must really like butterflies; they seem to be a trend with her.
I sit back in the chair and watch her flip through what I can only believe to be her songbook.
“Can you come here?” She peeps her head around the corner.
“Yeah.” I jump up at her request. I walk past her, and I don’t think anything of it till I hear the door close.
Fuck.
“Did you just close the door?”
“Yeah, is that bad? I’m not going to hurt you.” She laughs, walking over to me with her songbook in hand.
“No, it’s just that door is made to lock and become part of this soundproof room. It unlocks by a blue button out there,” I tell her.
“Are you serious?” She looks at me, jaw dropped. I nod and she rushes over to the door, yanking at the handle. Unfortunately defeated.
“No, no, no, no,” she cries. “Can you call or text someone?”
“I’ll try,” I tell her. I know everyone’s plans for today's day off. Austin is visiting his mom with Bridget, and I do not want to interrupt that. Shawn is spending the day with Zara, at least right now, taking her on a date. I’d have a shot calling Charlie so that’s what I do.
I let it ring a few times, but it goes to voicemail, so I try Scarlet but same thing. I send a text to the band group chat instead, so maybe they will see it.
“I sent everyone a text,” I tell Alexia.
“I called Raven and Scarlett and texted them too along with Emerson,” she says.
“Now we wait,” I say.
“And do what?” she asks, the frustration very clear in her voice.
“We could watch your favorite movies,” I suggest.
There’s no way I’m letting this fail because of some movies. “I mean, sure, I did bring my iPad,” she says, going over to her bag.
“Are you feeling better?” I ask.
“Yes, actually, thank you,” she replies.
Alexia brings over the iPad, and I grab a blanket out of the corner basket and lay it on the floor. We sit on top of it and get comfortable to watch whichever one she puts on.
“You’re very dedicated,” Alexia says, looking at me.
“What do you mean?” I look at her, confused.
“Like you’re dedicated to knowing about me, making me feel better, my favorite things,” she answers.
“You're special.” I shrug.
“Were you like this with Jazzlyn?” She sets up the iPad with the movie 10 Things I Hate About You in front of us.
“You know, I can’t say I wasn’t at some rate, but it’s not the same way with you. I’m consumed by you. I’m obsessed with you, Alexia. You’re my Grumpy. My Astéri mou.” I’m truly honest with her. I never planned on dating, not any time soon. I was fine alone. I wanted to be alone but now, I don’t know if I want to be anything without her.
“Wow. You can literally date anyone. You’re Grayson Archer.” I stop her because I know where she’s going with this.
“I don’t want anyone. I want you to give me a chance.” I place my hand on her. “Please.”
“Grayson Archer, I think you just earned the honor of taking me on one date. Don’t mess it up,” she tells me and presses play on the movie.
Yes! I got a date. We’re getting somewhere.
I’m getting the girl.