Secrets, Lies, and Summer Skies

Chapter Fifteen

No matter how much I prodded Grayson over the next few evenings, he wouldn't give me a hint about his plans for our first date.

It felt weird to call it a date. Not only because we'd known each other so long, but because people usually went out together before they jumped into bed. We could barely keep our hands off each other when we were both at home. To be honest, if he'd refused to take me anywhere, I'd have understood. Sure, I'd have been upset, but it wasn't like it would change our arrangement. I still wanted to have sex with Grayson even if he didn't want to be seen in public with me. It just meant that we'd have a clear line. Now, I wasn't sure what we were anymore.

Surely people didn't take out their casual sexual partners to fun places, right?

So, what exactly was I to Grayson?

The question played on my mind as I got ready to leave. Grayson had taken a day off work so we wouldn't need to wait for the weekend. Everywhere would be busy during the summer break, but he figured most parents would still be at work and would need to wait for the weekend to take their kids out. It might not make much of a difference to crowd levels, but it was a better idea than struggling to find a romantic spot on a Saturday.

Grayson hadn't stipulated a dress code, so I figured we weren't going to some high-class restaurant or the opera. I mean, I didn't think we'd ever go to the latter, and I was totally okay with that. He didn't strike me as a fine arts kind of guy, and I'd much rather have gone to the movies or on a long walk than be forced to sit through a long play in another language. I picked out a knee-length summer dress – light blue with white polka-dots – and wedge sandals to add some height. It felt like I might seem older if I was a little closer to Grayson's height. I'd tied my hair up and off my neck hoping a little more exposed skin might keep him interested, snatched up my handbag, and headed downstairs to leave for the date. With any luck, he might reveal his plan in the car.

When Grayson wanted to keep a secret, he couldn't be prodded or nagged into confessing anything. It was reassuring to know that he wouldn't easily reveal our relationship to anyone who might ask but infuriating when I was desperate to know what he had planned. It couldn't have been anything big. There hadn't been enough time for him to plan something extravagant, and I'd already put those ideas out of my head. All my dates with Trey had been to places close to our college, so I'd not thought much about potential romantic spots around my hometown. I spent most of my time there as a teenager screwing around with my friends, and none of them had cared about intimate settings and all that stuff. We'd only worried about where we might drink beer underage without getting caught.

We drove a little way out of the city. It immediately made sense to why; there would be fewer people to recognize us if we were further away from home. I couldn't fault Grayson's logic, and I couldn't be disappointed. I was the one who'd wanted a date, and it was difficult to do that while protecting our secret. This was the best compromise on all sides, and I had to admire his forethought.

"Have I told you how pretty you look?" he asked while dodging another of my questions about our destination. Grayson reached out to stroke a curled finger over my neck. "I like your hair being up like this."

He had told me as soon as I'd come downstairs, but it wasn't worth telling him as much. Grayson knew that he'd complimented my outfit repeatedly whenever I'd tried to guess at his plans.

"Do you think I'm appropriately dressed for wherever we're going?"

Wise to this new tactic, he replied, "I think so. You'll know when we get there."

I sighed and leaned back in the seat to resume my task of checking every sign and billboard we passed. Grayson enjoyed my frustration. Every time I fell silent to think of a new plot, a grin spread over his lips and he hummed quietly to the radio. This time, he dropped his hand down to cover mine and squeezed my fingers.