You swim? Grayson Hawthorne X OC

4

It was 4 in the morning and I was still awake. I couldn't fall asleep. The bed's too big, the room too still, the people outside were too many and I didn't have Avery in the bed next to mine. There was no bed next to mine. It was all wrong.

I sit up, seeing that the room is completely dark. It wasn't surprising, I just wasn't used to it. We used to have a mini lamp on in the corner of our room, which would send streaks of light around the room. Now it was pitch black. I get up and exit my room, carefully opening and closing the door only to be met by John.

„Why aren't you asleep?" he asks, his eyebrows were raised.

„Can't. It feels weird. I could ask you the same thing though." I mention, as he shrugs. I leave it be.

„Where's the library?" I question. I don't actually know if there is one, but by the size of the house there has to be.

„Follow me." John says, he starts walking right and I follow. I try to remember the layout, but I don't think I'll ever know it.

After what felt like forever, we finally make it.

I enter, after he tells me that we're there. It's dark, though a lights on in another corner, which seems to be a second room? This library's huge.

Carefully tiptoeing towards the room, I peek around the corner to see Grayson Hawthorne again. Shoot. I quickly turn back to the room I'm in, I'll stay here, but be quiet. He seems busy anyway.

„I know someone's here." he speaks up, I gulp and try not to make a sound. I hear, as a chair is pushed back and footsteps come towards my direction. I'm backed up into a corner, as he enters.

„Ms. Cege?" he asks, finally seeing me after a while of looking around.

„Yes?" I try to play it off. All I wanted was to read a book, why does he keep appearing in the most random places?

„Why are you here? It's 4am." I roll my eyes. I know the time.

„Couldn't sleep." I tell him with a shrug. He looks towards the top of the bookshelf.

„Are you here to read?" he asks. I nod. He reaches above my head, making me feel warm inside. He was a bit too close for comfort.

„Here." he hands me a book.

„Harry Potter?" I chuckle. He had handed me Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Not that I was complaining. It was one of my favourite books.

„Don't like it?" his voice is laced with a tone I think is worry. Not that I would know. He's a closed off jerk most of the time.

„Of course I do." I try to be a bit optimistic. I could reread it. No complaints.

He walks back into his 'little' corner and I follow. There are files all over the table, books scattered and pens laying everywhere. They're clearly legal matters.

"You really want us gone don't you." I try to laugh it off, though I'm worried that he could genuinely do that.

"I've given up on that. There's no way you or your sister cheated your way in. Faking it? Sure. Forced it? No." he tells me. Light shock covers my face. I'm not sure if I find him more of a jerk now or less.

"Oh." is all that comes out. He sits and starts going through files. I awkwardly sit down in the opposite chair, opening up my book. It's hard to concentrate, though after a while I manage to read through the pages with ease.

After what feels like half an hour, Grayson gets up and goes to pull books out of the shelf.

"Do you know anything about the foundation you own?" he asks me. I shake my head no. He sighs and walks back over, laying a large book in front of me.

"Do you want to learn?" he asks again. I nod my head yes. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but his face seemed to have had a smile on it for just a second.

He starts talking about where the money goes and how it gets there. The people it helps and the other environmental parts. I feel bad, because he seems to have learnt for this part in his life for years. He was ready to take it over. He was ready to be the person everyone looked up to. The person people feared yet admired. I had taken that all away.

I interrupt his explanation: "You can do it if you want. It's clearly important to you."

His face softens, though he plays dumb, even though I know that he knows what I mean.
"What do you mean?"

"I'll give you the foundation. You've clearly put years of work into the knowledge you've built up about the place. You were ready to do it. I'm clearly not and you would be so much better at it. Have it. I'm pretty sure I can get Alisa to give it to you.", I tell him, "Though I thank you for telling me what it is about."

He shakes his head: "It's yours, I'll make sure to help you as much as I can. It's the one thing I can do." He walks over to the other end of the table, trying to pack his things away as quickly as possible. Clearly nervous, that he couldn't hide.

"Co-Owner?" I question. If he wouldn't take CEO, might as well try the next best thing.

"I'll come back to you." he keeps piling papers on top of each other. I stand up and walk over. Maybe I'll mess up what his system is, though I don't really mind. I start closing books and placing them into the bag he had started filling. I hand him the last book, one in which I had placed a paper note. I had seen him reading it and he had placed a bookmark on a page. On that page I slipped the note in.

'Co-Owner?' it read. Might as well try you know?

"I'll see you around. Try and sleep." he nods and walks toward the door.

"I'll try, Mr. Hawthorne." I say quietly, as he leaves. I hear him sigh, as he leaves. Does he dislike the name?

(20/8/22)