Chapter 15 Griffin
Griffin
Griffin knows he needs to tread lightly when Aria asks him what he sees in her. He makes a deal with himself: Be honest but not sappy or weird.
“There’s far more to you,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong; your branding is amazing.
It gets the whole ‘powerhouse performer’ down to a T.
But in real life you have more details. You’re a loving big sister; you care about others, like the way you tracked down those clothing items for donation.
Honestly, I didn’t expect you to be as funny or laid-back—” Griffin stops himself. “Am I rambling?”
“Trust me, I won’t ever ask you to stop saying nice things about me.”
“You’re softer, layered.”
“I’m like a quilt?”
Griffin pauses. In some ways, Aria really is like a quilt, even if she’s joking. Because every time he’s around her, he feels warm and wrapped up in her.
“Not sure that was the direction I was going, but if you want to, say so.”
Aria reaches out and squeezes his wrist. “I’m kidding!”
Her skin is soft against his, and Griffin momentarily loses his train of thought. “Thank you,” he says. “For helping me through this PR stuff.”
“It’s only fair since you taught me how to throw a football.”
Griffin smiles, then sips his tea. It might seem like a fair exchange, but he is realizing that simply being in her company feels like an added bonus.
“But thank you from me too,” Aria says. “Very few people in this world understand what it’s like to be in the sort of jobs we are, and it’s been really nice to be with someone who I don’t have to explain myself to. You just get it, you know?”
Griffin can’t help but smile at Aria saying he makes her feel understood. “It’s a pleasure,” he says.
He sips the remainder of his tea, and when the tea runs dry, he feels a flash of sadness. The cup echoes inside as he sets it down on the table. Aria’s eyes join his on the empty cup.
“Can I bribe you to stay with me with another cookie?” Aria’s eyebrows pull together in an adorable knot.
A bubbling excitement passes through Griffin’s middle, something he can’t remember ever experiencing. “You don’t need to bribe me. I wasn’t planning on leaving.”
Aria’s shoulders drop so much that Griffin sees it happen.
“I know this is an ‘arrangement,’ but you’re pretty fun to be around,” Aria says.
“Fun, huh? I’m definitely not pegged as the fun one on the team.” Griffin can’t help but think of all the times the other guys gave him a hard time for his meal prepping or his penchant for a quiet night in.
“Oh yeah, no wild nights out for you?”
Griffin scoffs. “Hardly, and if so, under duress.”
“I guess it tracks. Midwest golden boy, quiet nights in. But what I mean is that I never would’ve stopped to play yesterday afternoon without you. Where you saw an opportunity to enjoy ourselves, I saw an opportunity to finish a task faster so I could do more work.”
Griffin shrugs. “We can balance each other out some, but I’m not all fun either.”
“Whatever you are, it’s something good.” Aria’s cheeks turn pink, and she looks away. “Sorry if that came out weird. You know what I mean.”
Griffin reaches over the table and squeezes Aria’s hand. The last thing he wants is her to feel uncomfortable, and especially so around him. “Hey now, anything goes between best friends, right?”
Aria looks back over, a reenergized glint in her eye. “It does. And I think we’re starting to do a really good job with the whole thing. We’re amazing as best friends.”
Griffin’s shoulders and chest lift as if his good fortune in meeting Aria has precluded him from the effects of gravity. “We really are incredible friends.”
“It’ll make the rest of this so easy.” Aria grins like they’ve cracked the code.
Griffin returns the look.
Maybe they have. Maybe they have cracked some wild code and found another human who just gets them. A person they can be themselves around.
Whether for PR purposes or just life in general, making a new friend is always a wonderful thing.