Chapter 12
TWELVE
CAL
“That’s what you’re going to be like when you get older at the rate you’re going,” Grayson announces as soon as we get in the car.
“Excuse me?” For a man who pretends to be here for my heart, he’s quite brutal.
“Grumpy, evil, mean…” Grayson trails off as he starts the car before grinning at me.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
His expression tells me he thinks otherwise. “I’m hilarious,” he decides for some reason. Obviously, it’s a reason only he knows.
“I’m not turning out like him.”
“I don’t know… you’re already well on your way. You used to be cute and sweet.”
“And then I met you and it all went to hell.”
“I do have that effect on people. It’s a talent,” he teases. “People take a simple gander at me and realize they can never be as perfect as me and it just… taints their whole life.”
I glance over at him. “You’re not convincing me to be a better person. You make me want to be evil to you.”
“I would never,” he says.
“And maybe I like being a miserable waste of space.”
“Then we shall embrace it.”
Why the fuck do I just immediately want to be swept up in whatever nonsense he’s going on about?
Why can’t I get him out of my head? Why can’t I just move on?
I want to be pulled away from him because he reminds me of what I did, but he offers me a level of comfort I’m not sure anyone else can.
Felix is so kind and caring; he’s pulled me out of the darkness I’d begun to drown in.
But there’s something different about the feelings I get from being around Grayson—as long as I’m not thinking about them .
“Once we’re back to Felix’s, I’m going to pretend I don’t know you again,” I declare.
“Does that mean that on the way there I can run through my apology?”
“You have five seconds.”
Grayson nods in understanding, like this is fair. “Okay… okay. Let me prepare. Five seconds isn’t much time. Think, think.”
“Starting now.”
“I’m—”
“And time is up. That was a good talk. I’m glad we had it. If you ever want to have another talk, I’m around,” I say.
“ Are you around? Because it feels like you weren’t even around for my spectacular talk here.”
“Oh no, I heard all of it. It was impressive. I liked the emotion you put in it. The pizazz. The acting. The theatrics. Just… all around two stars out of ten.”
“Oh… you thought it was impressive but gave me two stars?”
“Correct. Two stars, would change nothing.”
“I feel like at two stars out of ten, there’s at least eight stars’ worth you’d like to change.”
“Nope. No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Glad I was able to please you.”
“Yep. Quite pleased, actually.”
When we pull up to Felix and Lane’s house, I get out of the car. “Traveler probably needs to pee before your long drive home,” I say, rather reluctant to let the dog go. It seems like Grayson isn’t going back to Ned’s place, so he probably doesn’t need me to watch Trav.
“Probably,” he agrees as he gets out of the car. It’s already nine at night and rather dark out, but Felix must notice us the moment we pull in because he pops out, as nosy as ever.
“Grayson! Cal! How lovely to see both of you. Grayson, I had no idea you were coming here,” Felix says. “Like… here you are! Wow! I wonder who was supposed to tell the others you were stopping by? No idea. None at all.” He grimaces a little.
“I take it you were supposed to tell the rest of us?” I ask in disbelief.
“Hear me out… I was going to. I was going to be like amazing and be all, ‘Hey, Grayson is coming over,’ and then a lady came in and was like, ‘You must don your Indiana Jones hat and traverse through the moat into the evil lair of my ex- husband’s abode where you will steal from within a priceless family heirloom.’”
“I was actually there for most of that and that’s definitely not how it went down,” I comment.
“Shhhhh, Cal, I’m telling the story,” Felix says, prepared to tell quite the fictitious story at the rate he’s going. “Anyway. Once that thrilling news hit me, I forgot all about telling you that Grayson was coming. But like… he drove so far. Does he really want to drive all the way home tonight?”
Felix holds up a finger before scurrying over to me.
He wraps his arms around me in some weird hug (or maybe it’s a threat) as he begins pulling me backward.
What part of this he thought would be successful, I don’t know.
But I let him, and as we trip and stumble our way over to the house, Grayson watches us in confusion. Even the dog seems confused.
Felix takes me inside the house and turns me to face him.
“Look at me.”
“I’m definitely already looking,” I assure him.
“What do you think about inviting Grayson to stay the night so he doesn’t have to drive home in the dark?”
“It’s not that dark. He’d be home before midnight.”
Felix’s eyes are scrutinizing my every movement. “So that’s a no? Because it could be a yes. Even if seeing him brings back all of those hard times, I know seeing him also reminds you of the good times,” he says, voice gentle.
I just stare at him, not at all digging his analysis of me. False analysis, honestly.
“So… that’s a no. That’s okay! I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want to do.”
I keep staring at him.
“Should I ask for forgiveness? I really don’t know what this stare means. Ooh, I know, maybe you want to kiss Brigs to feel better,” he says as he hefts the pig up for me to kiss. I feel like it has to be causing his small body significant muscle strain. “Kiss the piggy.”
Brigs, who would be squealing up a storm if anyone else did this to him, is just chilling, waiting to be kissed.
“Where the hell would he even sleep?” I ask, patting the pig instead.
Felix is clearly struggling as the pig oozes out of his arms and back onto the ground. “He can sleep on the couch.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t want to sleep on the couch.”
“You can let him decide that,” Felix says. “And then we could have a little sleepover and it’ll be so much fun.”
“You only think it’s fun because you are the nosiest man I’ve ever met.”
“Would it make you feel better if I stole his dog?”
I immediately nod. “It would.”
“I’m on it.” He gives me two thumbs up which turns into two finger guns as he starts toward the dog, ready to thieve.
“And that’s fine. You can offer it, but I doubt he’s going to want to sleep on a couch.”
Felix freezes, probably doing his best to suppress his glee at this. “That man would sleep on a bed of nails if it meant getting to see you.”
“I’m positive he could find someone significantly better than me,” I mumble.
“How could anyone get better than you? You’re the best. Besides Lane, of course.
He’s da best. But you’re second best. I mean, that’s pretty good.
” Felix literally skips out the door and it isn’t long before he comes skipping in carrying Trav while Copper surveys the situation.
“I know I said he was ugly in the pictures, but I already love him,” Felix decides. “Lane, I stole another dog!”
“If it’s that damn dog from earlier, you’re taking it back!” he calls from somewhere deeper in the house.
Grayson is standing in the doorway watching Felix ferry his dog off to Lane.
“Can we talk?” he asks.
“About?”
“Do you want me here? You’re staying here too, right?”
“I have my own apartment.”
“That… wasn’t the question.”
I fold my arms over my chest all dramatic-like. There’s really no reason why. “I am staying here… and… I don’t care if you stay the night. But you realize you have to sleep on a couch, right?”
“That’s fine. I’ve slept on worse.”
“And Felix will pester the hell out of you the entire night.”
“That’s fine. I’m ready for anything he throws at me.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Yeah? You sure? Because if I’m going to bother you, I can go to a hotel.”
“I get to sleep with the dog.”
“Of course,” he agrees.
Grayson walks into the house and stands back a bit, like he doesn’t want to bother me any and wants to remain as inconspicuous as possible, but Felix is prepared to make sure that doesn’t happen as he sets Grayson’s dog down near the pig. Trav jumps like he’s never seen such a creature before.
“Uh… your dog is good with other pets, right?” Felix asks.
“He loves cats, he’s just never seen a pig before,” Grayson says.
Brigs, not caring that this dog could try to eat him, heads toward Trav. The dog leaps back and then hops this way and that while Copper stares at him like he’s ridiculous and childish for being scared of a pig.
Brigs, the nosy thing he is (just like his owner), starts after Trav who leaps around, now treating it like a game as he tries to get close enough to the pig to sniff him but throws his body back every time Brigs gets too close.
Then when Brigs decides he’s wasted one too many calories, he flops down on his side and begins snoozing, which Traveler doesn’t think is as fun.
So he rushes over to try to get Copper to play.
And after a couple of unsuccessful minutes, Copper takes off after him and they gallop around the house.
“We need more pets,” Felix decides, like watching the animals tear apart his house means he needs more.
“I don’t think we do,” Lane says.
“Boring. Ooh. Let’s play truth or dare,” Felix declares.
I give him a look. “We are not playing truth or dare.”
“Lane, why does everyone just want to stomp down my ideas?”
“Because they’re jealous you have such better ideas than them,” he assures Felix.
“Ooh, you’re right. Spin the bottle! I’ve never gotten to do any of that shit you see teens do in movies and I want to do them all. Lane, we need to kiss in that closet.”
“You go on in, I’ll be right there,” Lane says as he starts pushing the pig toward the closet. “Maybe he’ll turn into a prince.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny. Alright, people who hate parties, what can we do, then?”
“What about eating some of Cal’s desserts he made for us?” Lane suggests.
“Damn, I do like that idea,” Felix says, so I go out to retrieve the desserts and look around for the rest of them.