AVERY #2
Sawyer sat up partially, lifting the pillow to rest his back on it against the headboard. “Um…okay? Wait, is there something bad about that?”
I thought about it for a moment. The worst of it was simple. “I lied. By omission.”
Sawyer flattened his eyebrows and snorted. “Half the guys exaggerate, Avery. We’re good.” And after a moment, he added, “Are you sure everything’s fine?”
I scratched my head in frustration. “It’s just that I can’t make a lot of sense out of it myself.
” And I wasn’t sure I wanted to spill all the details to Sawyer.
I didn’t even know what this thing with Grayson Reed was except that it tickled me somewhere deep in my chest. “We’re in college.
Everyone’s always hooking up and then telling the tale.
It’s almost part of the mandatory curriculum at this point. ”
Sawyer laughed. “Your comedy classes are paying off.”
I wasn’t taking any comedy classes. It didn’t matter right now.
“For the sake of being honest, I gotta admit, I never liked it that much. So I was thinking, maybe there’s something wrong with me.
I remember you last year, before you met Noah, living for it.
Night after night, dude. You didn’t miss a single party on campus for an entire semester.
Me? I couldn’t care less if I scored with someone. ”
Sawyer let out a long exhale. “There’s nothing wrong with you, man.”
“You think so? Because I feel like there really is. I feel like I’m seriously messed up because I’m not nearly as interested in hooking up as you all were.” I rubbed my face.
Sawyer’s silence was short. He shifted and set his feet on the floor.
“You need to remember that I lost all that interest when I met the right guy. Frankly, it was a little sad. I didn’t know what I was missing before my lessons with Noah started.
Maybe it’s everyone else that’s mad. Did you think about that? ”
I snorted. “Right. That’s not really how madness works, though.”
“Let me ask you something,” he said carefully. “What brought this on?”
It was my turn to be quiet for a time. And when I spoke, I tried to be as careful about the details as possible. “Okay…there’s this guy. He’s really attractive. And I mean, really hot.”
“Grayson.”
I looked up at Sawyer’s amused smile, my heart torn between leaping at the mention of his name and sinking with dread at the secret being out. “Not naming any names.”
“Oh. Got it. But…it’s Grayson.” Sawyer laughed out loud.
“Why would you even think that?” I demanded.
“Because he asked for your number,” Sawyer explained. “And I told him to ask you personally.” He rubbed his hands, excitement rising to his face. “Alright, so what about this ‘hot guy?’”
I sniffed. “This doesn’t leave the room, alright?”
Sawyer gestured to zip his lips and nodded his agreement.
It had been easier to talk when it was a secret, but I was too deep into it to pull out now. “I dunno. He’s into me, I guess. He’s been asking me out on a date nearly every day since the party. I said I wouldn’t, but he isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
“If he’s bothering you…”
I interrupted him right there. “It’s not like that. Between you and me, I kind of like it. He’s really trying.”
“And the problem is?” Sawyer nudged. He seemed genuinely happy with what I was telling him, even if it felt like a perfect storm inside my head.
“The problem is that I’m not into hooking up with anyone, let alone the enemy captain.” I blinked twice at Sawyer. I was pretty sure the problems were obvious.
My friend nodded deeply. Then, he looked into my eyes. “Let’s set aside the fact that you apparently can’t mess around with him because he’s a Blizzard Breaker. Why do you think he’s only trying to hook up?”
It seemed obvious to me. Why else would he want to go out with me?
“Maybe he likes you. You know? Maybe he really likes you. Or he’s attracted to you and wants to see if you feel the same.
And maybe — bear with me — you could go on a date with him and not fuck him if you don’t feel like it.
” Sawyer was grinning more with each sentence he said.
“People are complicated, man. You’re no different.
If sex for the sake of sex isn’t your thing, then just don’t have it.
But don’t deny yourself the opportunity when you like someone. ”
I scoffed. “Who said anything about me liking him?” I wasn’t even sure I did.
“Oh buddy, if you didn’t like him, you would never have given him your phone number.
” His smile was obnoxiously victorious. And I had to give it to him.
I was curious about where Grayson was going with this.
I absolutely wouldn’t get my hopes up. And I wouldn’t hurry into his bed just because I thought everyone expected nothing other than sex.
And I definitely wouldn’t make it easy. When had I ever done that about anything?
I thanked Sawyer for listening, flicked the lamp off, and found my phone under my pillow. I couldn’t remember leaving it there. The message on the screen made me bite my lip.
Grayson: My bowtie must have left you speechless. Prepare yourself. I have plenty more surprises for you.
A chuckle escaped me. Damn him.
“Dude,” Sawyer whispered. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” I muttered. I wanted to bite the pillow.
“Nah-ah, you laughed,” Sawyer said, his voice strung with held-back laughter.
“I didn’t,” I said flatly. “I choked.”
He was silent for a few heartbeats. Then, like an afterthought that didn’t need any debating, he mused, “You really should go on a date with him.”
I shut my phone off, undressed in the dark, and turned away from my friend. When I pulled the comforter up to my neck, I shut my eyes, and the same old image of Grayson Reed in a dotted white shirt, wearing a bowtie and maybe a pair of suspenders like a hot geek, floated before my eyes.
It was the image I went to sleep with. And he was still on my mind when I woke up the next morning.