Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Grayson’s face lights up like the Fourth of July. “What would I say?” He sits up, grips my face in his palms, and plants an enthusiastic kiss on my mouth that makes me gasp and laugh. “I’d say, ‘Fuck yes, let’s do it! And then I’d say, ‘Thank you, Selena, and thank you, Baby Jesus, for giving me another night with this perfectly pulchritudinous goddess!’”
6
GRAYSON
“Sorry I’m late,” I say to Max, sliding into a chair across from him at the sushi restaurant he’s picked for our lunch.
It’s Sunday afternoon. About an hour since I said a heartbreaking goodbye to Selena at the hotel. I tried and failed to get her to put a dinner date on the calendar for this coming week. Thankfully, she at least said she’d think about it and let me know, rather than totally shutting me down. But as it stands now, I have no idea if I’ll ever see Selena Diaz again. It’s a tough pill to swallow, considering how much fun we had together, and how my heart is already feeling for her. But given the Boy Scout pledge I made to her on Friday night, I’m resolved to hang back this week and give her the space she needs.
“So, how’d it go on Friday night with Mrs. Robinson?” Max says.
“It was the best night of my fucking life.”
Max’s eyebrows shoot up.
“That is,” I add, “until Saturday night rolled around and blew Friday out of the water.”
Max’s eyebrows ride up even higher. “You wound up spending two nights with her?”
I nod and grin like a Cheshire cat. “After we left Captain’s on Friday, we went to a hotel and didn’t leave until an hour ago. I left the hotel, went to my place for a quick change of clothes, and came straight here.”
“Holy fucking shit, Grayson! How’d you convince her to spend all weekend with you?”
“It wasn’t too hard. I’m a sex machine, man.”
Max guffaws, obviously thinking I’m kidding. “Well, whatever you did, it worked. Are you gonna see her again tonight?”
I try to keep my voice neutral and calm. “I’m not sure when we’ll hook up again. We’re keeping things casual.”
Max turns his head and gives me a hard side-eye. “She blew you off?”
“Not at all. She said she’s gonna be really busy this week, so she’d let me know when she’s free.” I press my lips together. I’ve never been good at lying. “Yeah, I guess she sort of did.”
“Oh, shit. What happened?”
“Nothing happened.” I pick up a menu. “We both thought the whole weekend was amazing. She said so, a bunch of times. It’s just that she’s not looking for any kind of relationship, and she’s convinced I am.”
“Well, to be fair, she’s not wrong.”
“Yeah, but not with her. I’d take anything she’d give me. And I told her so.”
Max looks deeply skeptical. “Dude, you’re not even convincing me. I can’t imagine you came close to convincing her.”
I put the menu down and sigh. “I didn’t. She could read me like a book.”
“It’s not hard to do.” He looks sympathetic. “You really like her, huh?”
I nod. “I tried my best not to catch feelings for her. I swear I did. Over and over again, I said to myself, ‘Be like Max. Be like Max!’”
He guffaws.
“She made it clear, right from the start, she has no room in her life for a boyfriend. And I told her that was fine with me. Let’s go, baby!”
“Hell yeah.”
“But as the weekend wore on, I could feel myself falling for her, no matter how hard I tried to keep myself in check. The thing is, our chemistry was fucking incredible—and not just physically, but, like, spiritually. The way I felt with her was a soul connection, man. Like, once-in-a-lifetime shit.”
Max laughs. “Please, tell me you didn’t say any of this to her.”
“Of course, not.”
“Please, tell me you managed to come off a whole lot cooler with her than you are right now.”
I grimace. “That one, I can’t be sure about.”
He exhales. “So, how’d you leave it with her? I assume you put your heart in her hand and said, ‘This is yours now.’”
“No. I just said, ‘The ball is in your court.’”
“That’s the same thing, coming from you. I’m sure your face said the rest.”
“No, I think I’m okay. I was referring to something she’d said at Captain’s. Before we headed out, she made me promise she wouldn’t need to block my number or get a restraining order on me afterwards, and I accepted her terms and conditions.”
Max processes that information for a moment. And then, “Okay, here’s what you do. Let her come to you this week. If she doesn’t, then send her flowers at the end of the week, which will prompt her to text you to say thanks, at which point you’ll reply and ask her to dinner or drinks.”