“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she whispers, and she sounds like she’s on the verge of tears. “I lied because I needed an escape, and I know that doesn’t make it right. I know that, but you don’t know what I’ve been through to get here. You don’t know the life I’ve left behind to feel safe. I’m sorry I lied to you. Can you forgive me, and we can start over? Please.”
A tear drips down her cheek, and I look to the guys, wondering what they’re thinking, but they all seem resigned. I pull out my wallet and gather a few hundred dollars and hold out for her. “Here, take this. Get a hotel and rest up. And then, I don’t know what to tell you. You aren’t my responsibility. You’re just a damn kid. I have one of those already. If I want to date, I want to date a woman. I’m sorry, but this cannot continue. I cannot be your friend. What you did is unforgivable in my book.”
“Grayson—” Heaven speaks up, but the look I give him stuns him silent.
“I don’t want your money.” She slaps my hand away, and the cash drifts to the floor. “I have money. I have enough cash to get me by for a few months. I came here because I thought you’d be a safe place for me to go in the middle of a storm.”
“You thought wrong,” I say. “This is what I mean. We barely know each other, and you latch on to this fantastical idea that I’m your savior. It’s naïve. It’s young. It isn’t reality. I can’t save you from your demons. Only you can.”
“I have saved myself,” she sneers. “ I didn’t cross the line with you because I didn’t want to get you in trouble. I kept that in mind. Isn’t that worth anything?”
“No. Please leave,” I say again. “I’ll call the cops next time.”
“Who do you think brought me here?”
Damn it! She is so damn persistent. “Will you just go? What the hell is your problem?” I hiss, taking a step forward in attempt to scare. I’d never lay a hand on her, not like whoever left bruises all over her.
“Grayson, that’s enough. I think it’s time for you to cool down. Why don’t you go check on Dillon? I’ll get your friend settled in another room,” Jaxon tries to interrupt the building tension, but it isn’t going to work.
“She isn’t my friend, and she isn’t staying here. You’re an adult now. You can figure out the ways of the world on your own.”
She walks forward, her chest nearly colliding with mine, and the smell of rain swirls off her skin and invades my lungs. It’s my favorite scent in the world. I love the smell of rain, and she is drenched in it. “I have figured out the world on my own. I’ve learned no matter what people do, they disappoint you. I’ve learned that no one can be trusted, and it’s every person for themselves. The only way to survive in this world is to make sure the only one you can trust is yourself. I might be young and naïve when it comes to certain things, but I know what it’s like to fight for your life to survive. I really wanted to be your friend, Grayson, that’s it. I’m sorry I lied, but I never would have crossed the line while I was seventeen. And I know it’s taboo. I know it’s fucked up and wrong, but I’m eighteen now. Doesn’t that count for anything? Doesn’t that mean we can be friends?”
“She’s got a point,” Owen drops in what he thinks. “She’s an adult now.”
“By whose standards? The law?” I scoff at the absurdity. “No. Not in my book.”
“I’m not going to fight or beg to be in your life. I stupidly thought you’d understand having to fight for your life to get to where you need to be. I left a bad situation and realized I didn’t have anywhere else to go, but I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll be damn if I put myself in a situation where I’m a burden.” She holds her shoulders back and exhales, turning her head to Heaven. “Sorry to interrupt everyone’s morning. Grayson…” She says nods as she brushes by me to walk out the door.
She marches out into the pouring rain, disappearing into the curtain of water. I slam the door and lay my forehead against it, finally able to breathe.
“You’re a dick,” Heaven says, breaking the silence.
“Seriously. Way to be harsh,” Owen agrees.
“She could have stayed here. Instead, you send the poor girl into a storm,” Jaxon says, making himself another cup of coffee.
I give them all bamboozled expressions as I lay my eyes on each of them. “Are you kidding me? We were all here for the same conversation, right? You saw what just happened? You saw Finley, who is eighteen today, come from who knows where to see me? You heard that she lied about her age and was really seventeen on that dating site? I wasn’t the only one here for that, right? I could have sworn you spit out your coffee, Jaxon.”
“Well, yeah,” he says under his breath. “It was a shock; don’t get me wrong. Was what she did okay? No. What was some of the stupidest shit you did when you were a teenager? I know there were times I was logging into a chat room, pretending to be older when really I was barely been fourteen. It was fun. It was thrilling, but who knows
