You swim? Grayson Hawthorne X OC

39

"How's your shoulder?" Avery questioned, taking a sip of her cola.

"Whimsical." I replied sarcastically, as she rolled her eyes.

"How did you shower?" she asked confused, as I looked up from my phone.

"Grayson helped."
"He saw you naked?"
"No!" I rushed out, as she looked at me confused again.

"Then how did you shower?"
"Swimsuit." I replied annoyed, looking back down at my phone. She nodded with a smirk on her face.
"He would've done it even without a swimsuit." she stated, getting up and making me groan.
"Thanks for the information." I mentioned, rereading the paragraph on my page, though giving up, as no information went in. I closed the book, as I watched her head towards my door.

"Of course." she smiled happily and left my room. I shook my head and stood up. I needed to find Grayson.

*

"Grayson." I knocked on his office door. He hadn't been in his.office, so I took a guess that he would be in his room.

Through the door I heard him pacing. He was talking to someone, but I couldn't tell who. I got closer to the door and listened through.

"I can't believe you." I heard Grayson say to someone. I couldn't hear a reply, so I was guessing he was on the phone.

"I don't care why you thought I'd come back to you. Take this as a damn warning. Don't come close to our family again. You've lost the title of family a long, long time ago." I heard him yell into the phone, as he supposedly hung up. I knocked on the door again, after looking towards John, who just shrugged.

I opened the door and carefully closed it, to see Grayson staring up at the ceiling, rolling from heel to toe and back.

"Gray?" I questioned quietly, as he hummed.
"You alright?"

"Fine." he replied, as I sighed.
"I heard your conversation on the phone." I said quietly, as he looked over. His eyes were slightly red, as he looked away again.

"My mother's a particular case." he mumbled, as I walked towards him.
"Do you want to talk?" I asked quietly, as he shook his head.
"Did John tell you who was behind the shooting?" he questioned, as I shook my head. I had completely forgotten to ask who had been behind the attack. I hadn't even asked if they had caught the shooter.

"I never asked." I told him slightly ashamed. He looked down and I watched him fiddle with his fingers. I think this was the first time he had ever been nervous, especially with me.

"Drake." he stated, as my mouth gaped open.
"Libby's ex? How did he even make it into the grounds?"
"It's not the first time. He was also the who shot at Avery and Jameson in Blackwood." Grayson looked over.

"Twice? But we have the best security, I mean-"
"My mother showed him a tunnel underground." Grayson's jaw went tense, making me look down.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled quietly.

"Do you need a shoulder to cry on?" I asked, as Grayson let out a laugh.
"Do I have a choice on which shoulder?"
"Does it look like it?" I smiled at him. He shook his head and walked over to his bed. I watched him sit down and headed over to sit down next to him.

Cupping his face, I mumbled: "You don't need to see her again."

"I don't think I'll ever want to." he laid his head down onto my lap. He pulled his legs onto the bed and dropped his shoes onto the floor.

"And I'll never make you." I said quietly, as he took his hand and covered his eyes. Probably hiding the redness. Carefully I laid myself onto my back, keeping my arms around him.

"She'll never come back, love."

"Love?"
"Is it bad? I was thinking of making it a two way thing."
"No, I like it." Grayson stated. His voice sounded slightly gloomy and it was depressing to hear him like this. Though I just let my fingers drag through his hair, as he kept his eyes covered.

After about twenty minutes I look down at him to see him finally asleep. "Thank goodness."

A knock sounded on the door, making me almost jump out my skin. In came Nash in his cowboy hat and boots, a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt saying: 'Join the Rodeo'. I turned my head towards him, as he looked at me with a pitying look.

"He's a broken kid." he muttered, as I looked back down to Grayson.

"Yes, but I love him to pieces." I sighed, as Nash looked towards me with a soft smile. Nash was a sweetheart, caring deeply for his brothers and only gave them a hard time when they deserved it. I could see why him and Libby were getting along so well.

"You finally admitting it to yourself?"
"Might as well." I waved my hand and smiled over at him.

"Well he loves you too." he stated, as I raised an eyebrow.

"I think he's too preoccupied to think about his feelings for me."
"He'll never let anything distract him from you."

I couldn't believe him. He was making me go crazy. The both of them. I didn't want to believe Nash, but at the same time I wanted him to be right. I wanted him to be right. I wanted Grayson to care about me in the way Nash said he did. Because I definitely cared about Grayson that way.

"That's nice of you." I said quietly, as he nodded, "What did you need?"

"Grayson wanted some files." he placed a folder onto the shelf, as I thanked him.

"I'll see you around kid." he mentioned and left the room. I huffed, as Grayson stirred.

"What's wrong?" I heard him mumble.
"It's nothing, you can go back to sleep." I stroked his head.
"Alright. Love you." he said absentmindedly, letting out a yawn, as my eyes went wide. He didn't just say that. He did not. He did not just say that. If only I could clear my ears. He couldn't have meant it. He was tired and upset, he was just a little distracted. I'm sure it meant nothing.

(1/8/23)