Now
VIOLET
“Despite how that night started out, it ended up becoming one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had,” I say.
“You stopped talking to your mom, right?”
I nod. “I stopped talking to her when I got into SCU. I haven’t talked to her in like five or six years.”
“Has she tried to reach out to you at all?”
“Nope.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? As much as I hate to ask this, do you know what your brother has been up to? I haven’t talked to him in six years, so I have no clue what he’s doing now or where he is.”
“Last I heard, he’s been running Sublime, our family’s fashion and beauty magazine. I think he still lives in Sunset Cove.”
I move into the kitchen, sitting on the chair closest to the front door. Grayson sits across from me. Peeping my head outside, I notice that it’s getting dark. The sun sets, filling the sky with beautiful pinks, purples, and oranges.
“Have you talked to your dad lately?” I ask as I turn my head away from the window, so I can look at his face.
“No, I haven’t. I have no idea where he is or what he’s up to.
” He glances at the table before his gaze meets mine.
“After we fled Breakwater, my mom moved into a shelter for her own protection. I wanted to live with her, but she didn’t want me to live a life of moving from shelter to shelter.
She’s in a totally different shelter now because they all have different requirements when it comes to how long residents can stay with them.
I lived with Noah’s family for a few years.
When I got into SCU, Noah and I moved into this apartment.
Xander needed a place to stay, so we offered him the other bedroom as long as he contributed to various expenses.
The lease, groceries, utilities, all of that fun shit. ”
“Noah never told me you lived with him.”
“Yeah, Noah doesn’t tell us a lot of things. For example, he never told me how he’s been secretly talking to you behind my back.”
“Right,” I reply awkwardly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to direct my anger at you like that. I’m just annoyed. I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me he’s been talking to you.”
“You know why he didn’t tell you, and that reason was exposed today.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t my finest moment, was it?”
“No, but I understand why you reacted the way you did. I would’ve reacted the same way if I saw the love of my life standing in front of me, especially if I haven’t seen them in six years.”
Covering my mouth with both of my hands, I let what I said marinate for a little while. My eyes wander all over the apartment as what I’d describe to be my attempt to not lock eyes with him.
“The love of my life, huh?” He asks.
Bringing my legs up to my chest, I wrap my arms around them, burying my face to hide my embarrassment. “Okay, let’s pretend I didn’t say that.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I won’t be able to forget you said that because I could tell it wasn’t an accident. It was intentional.” He gets up and goes into the kitchen, leaning on the counter that has a built-in sink. “Anyway, I’m making us dinner.”
“Do you know what you’re going to make?”
“That’s a good question.”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
He points his index finger at me. “You’d be correct on that one.”
“I’ve heard you’ve been practicing the art of cooking more.”
“I wouldn’t say practicing, I’d say improving.”
“I guess I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
I make my way over to where Grayson is. “We’re wasting precious time now. What do you have in your fridge?”
“Let me look.” He walks over the fridge, opening the door and studying the contents inside.
I get closer to him. His body heat is making the light blonde hairs on my arms stand up.
Scanning the interior of the fridge, I see fruits, vegetables, a carton of fat-free milk, eggs, plain greek yogurt, deli-sliced mild cheddar cheese, and tons of other ingredients. “Can you manage to find something you can make for us?”
“Yes, I’m totally capable of finding something.”
I back away from the fridge, leaning against the countertop across from the sink with my hands. “Good.”
He scours through the fridge without looking back at me, not even once.
After several minutes pass by, he piles a bunch of things against his chest. “Vi, can you grab these and put them on the counter?”
“Sure.” I take all of the food items out of his hands, placing them on the counter in an organized fashion.
My eyes roam through every single ingredient spread out on the counter. There’s a head of garlic, a stick of unsalted butter, parsley, little balls of buffalo mozzarella cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, and a package of shredded Italian cheese.
“What are we making?”
“I didn’t know this was going to be a two-person job.”
Giving him a fake laugh, I flip him off. “Shut up, and let me help you.”
“Let’s be honest, I couldn’t stop you if I tried.”
“That’s true.” A big smile appears on my face as my cheeks get increasingly warmer.
“You’re blushing!” He points at my face, moving his finger in a small, circular motion.
I playfully swat at him. “Seriously, what are we making?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I say. “I trust you.”