Chapter 1 #3
“Oh, nothing. Just getting to know Eleanor.” He did that grin thing, and Shay totally fell for it like a freaking gazelle in a lion’s den.
“Oh, good choice. She’s my favorite person in the whole wide world, so you’re in for a treat.
I’ll let you guys keep chatting.” Shay waved to me as if she didn’t see the panic in my eyes that pleaded “Abort, abort! Save me.” She wandered off to be the social butterfly she was, and I was left stuck in my cocoon with Greyson.
“How long does this have to go on?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. As long as it takes for Landon to stop throwing the Stacey White situation in my face.”
“What did you do to Stacey White?”
He narrowed his eyes and cocked a brow. “What do you mean, what did I do to her?”
“It just sounds like something happened.”
He shifted around in his seat and broke eye contact. “It’s actually the opposite. Nothing happened, though it’s not really anyone’s business.”
“It kind of feels like my business since it’s making you stare at me.”
“Yeah, I get that.” He went quiet for a moment, then parted his lips and changed the topic. “Do you think Landon is going to win the bet?”
“No. Shay’s too good for him.”
“He’s not the complete ass that he presents himself to be—”
I shut my book. It was clear I wasn’t going to be getting much more reading done any time soon. “I can only go on how a person presents themselves, and Landon presents himself as a jerk. Shay isn’t an idiot. She won’t fall for his charm. Plus, she doesn’t like guys who do drugs and drink.”
“Landon doesn’t drink or do drugs anymore. Not since his uncle Lance passed away, and, well, never mind . . .” Greyson’s words faded off as he realized he might’ve been oversharing Landon’s private stories. He started drumming his fingers against his legs. “So what’s your deal?”
“I thought we were only pretend talking.”
“Yeah, but I got bored with that. So you’re into . . . reading?” He nodded toward the book.
“Great observation, Captain Obvious,” I remarked.
He laughed. “You’re sassy.”
“I get that from my mother.”
“I like it.”
My face heated up, and I hated that it happened.
My body was reacting to his annoyingly cute-without-even-trying personality, even though my mind had been taught to dislike him.
I’d spent the past year observing guys like Greyson and the way girls melted in their hands without any thought process involved.
My brain never wanted me to be that girl, but clearly my heart didn’t care what the mind wanted.
I looked away, because my heart raced when we locked eyes.
“I’ve never read Wesley Peters,” he said, and for the first time in my life, I felt bad for Greyson East. What a sad, sad life he lived.
“That’s probably a good thing,” I told him. “Because if you did read it, I would probably have to form a stupid, unrealistic crush on you that goes against everything I stand for.”
“You’re sassy and straightforward.”
“The straightforwardness comes from my father.”
He smiled.
I liked it.
Whatever.
“So books and dragonflies?” he asked me.
I raised an eyebrow. “How did you know about the dragonflies?”
“Well, your sweater has dragonflies on it, and your hairclips are dragonflies too.”
Oh, right. I’d have bet good money I was the only girl at the party who had dragonfly clips in her hair.
“It’s kind of mine and my mom’s thing.”
“Dragonflies?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a weird thing.”
“I’m a weird girl.”
He narrowed his eyes as if he was studying me, trying to scan my DNA with his eyes.
“What is it?” I asked as my stomach flipped.
“It’s nothing. I just . . . I swear I know you from somewhere.”
“Well, we do go to school together,” I commented sarcastically.
“No, yeah, I know that, but you just . . .” His words trailed off, and he shook his head. “I don’t know. You probably weren’t at Claire Wade’s party, huh?”
“That’s a big no.”
“Kent Fed’s?”
Blank stare from me.
“Right. It’s just weird, because I swear—” Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off as Landon came rushing over.
“Mission aborted, dude. I got more information from Raine to use,” he said with a smirk. Raine was a mutual friend of both Shay and Landon. I bet she was feeding both information like a little mole. In a novel, Raine would’ve worked as the friend who secretly helped make the couple fall in love.
“That’s too bad. I was having a pretty OK time here talking to Eleanor,” Greyson replied, smiling my way.
Wait, what?
Did Greyson East just make my heart flutter as he said my name and gave me one of his award-winning smiles?
Well, OK then.
I guess I’ll be having his kids someday.
Those stupid butterflies in my stomach wouldn’t leave, so you can imagine my relief when Greyson stood up to go. My skin was pretty pale, and when I blushed, it was obvious. I turned into the ripest tomato known to mankind. I didn’t need him to witness that.
“The guys want to talk upstairs,” Landon said, looking past me like I didn’t even exist. That was fine, though. I looked at him the exact same way.
“I’ll talk to you later, Eleanor.” Greyson waved goodbye as he walked away. “Enjoy the book.”
Under my breath, I said bye before going back to my novel. Every now and then, though, Greyson would float around in my head along with Wesley Peters.
Not much later, Shay reappeared, and we started our walk home. “So it seemed you and Greyson were having a good conversation,” she remarked.
I shrugged. “It was fine.”
“He’s a really nice guy, Ellie. Nothing like Landon. Greyson is genuine.”
She said it as if she was trying to talk me into allowing the butterflies in my gut to remain while I was trying to somehow rip off their wings.
I shrugged once. “He’s fine.”
“Just fine?” she mocked, nudging my arm, probably seeing my reddened cheeks.
“Yup.”
Just fine.
Shay was crashing in my room that night, and when we walked into the house, the living room television was glowing bright.
Some horror movie was playing, so I hurried over and grabbed the remote, quickly shutting it off.
There they were, passed out on the couch.
Dad was lying flat, and Mom was wrapped in his arms.
“Should we wake them?” Shay asked.
I grabbed a blanket and covered them up. “Nah. They always end up in bed by the morning.”
This was a normal sight with my parents—Mom wrapped in Dad’s arms after they’d fallen asleep watching television.
Whenever she would shift around on the couch, Dad would smile, readjust his arms around her, and get comfortable again.
I’d never seen two people who’d merged so completely as one.
If it hadn’t been for my parents, I’d have thought soulmates were a lie.