“Evy, You’re home! I missed you. Can we play Lego later? Grayson is rubbish at building tree houses. I told him you’re the best Lego builder I know.”
I look down at my brother smiling and ruffle his hair playfully. “Slow down, kid. I just walked in the door. We’ll play Lego, I promise. Just maybe not today, Okay?”
Olly pouts but nods. “Will you read me my bedtime story then tonight?” He looks up at me with expectant eyes, his dark curls falling into his expressive eyes.
“Course I will kiddo. Now let me get in and get unpacked.”
He nods and then rushes off as fast as he came. I hesitantly look around the room and sigh with relief when I don’t see him.
“Hey honey. How was the journey home?” Dad asks me from where he is sitting on the sofa, with Sophie curled up into his side, with a brew in her hands.
“Fine. No delays. I read most of the way back.” I gesture to the stairs. “I should go unpack.”
Sophie and my dad give each other a look and my dad nods his head in response. “I’ve told him if you’re not comfortable having him stay here that we’ll need to find somewhere else from him to stay.”
I chew on my lip, nodding. “He doesn’t have anywhere else to go. He can stay.”
Dom smiles at me in relief. “Thanks,” he says, nudging my arm with his.
With a weary sigh, I pick up my bag and head up to my room. I throw myself down on my bed and stare up at the white ceiling. My heart hammers in my chest at the thought that he was somewhere in this house. My traitorous body yearns for him, to touch him, to look into those deep soulful blue eyes of his. I’m a weak fucker. Even after what has happened I still ache for him.
Pulling myself from my melancholy, I unpack my things and change into a pair of leggings and a baggy hoodie. I am still debating whether to lock my door and hide away up here for the rest of the day or whether to just plough head on and face the inevitable.
My phone pings pulling from my internal thoughts and I smile when I see it’s a text from Tyler. It’s a photo of him, Jake and Courtney all pulling sad faces with the caption
‘We’re missing you already.’
Smiling, I type ‘loser’ back to him with a laughing emoji.
I grab my kindle and try to pick up on where I had left off in my book but no matter how hard I try I can’t concentrate on the words. He consumes my thoughts. Throwing my kindle down, I climb off my bed and stride over to my mirror. I brush my hair and put on some lip-gloss. If I am going to face him, I don’t want to do it looking like shit.
I pad downstairs and hesitate as I pass through the kitchen. I’m not sure I am ready for this.
“He’s down in the den with Dom,” Sophie informs me with a soft smile.
Nodding, I duck down my head and take the stairs. As I descend, I can hear them both talking and the sounds of a pool ball dropping into a pocket. I stop on the last step when I see him. My heart lurches into my mouth. God, he is fucking beautiful. He’s wearing navy joggers and a vest top, his muscled arms on display. His dark hair hangs in his eyes as he leans over the table to take his shot. When he sees me and he freezes in place. Dom lifts his eyes and clearing his throat, he places down his cue.
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” he says, scuttling past me up the stairs.
Grayson straightens and places the cue across the table. His eyes search over me, as if memorising every detail.
“Hey Manchester,” he says softly with an uncertain smile. There are grey bags under his eyes. He looks as shit as I feel.
“He cut you off?” I ask, leaning against the wall, keeping my distance from him. I couldn’t trust myself to get too close.
Grayson moves around to the other side of the pool table and sits on the edge, facing me. “He has. I’m on my own from here on in.”
I nod, chewing on the inside of my mouth. My heart hammers fiercely in my chest. Even after what has happened, I still love him. What a pathetic fool I am.
“I didn’t touch her Ev. I swear to you with every bone in my body, I have never touched her in that way.”
I flinch at the mention of her. “You were naked in bed together.”
He goes to stand and then when he sees me lean back further into the wall; he stays seated. “I know how it looked. She spiked my drink and then my dad helped her to get me back to her room. They undressed me and set it all up.”
I shake my head. “Why would she do that? I mean, I’ve seen her, she’s beautiful. Why would she be so desperate to want to drug you and set that situation up?”
Grayson shrugs his shoulders and rubs a weary hand across his face. “I don’t know Ev. She has it into her head that her and I would get engaged. I don’t know what her game is. I think she saw me as a ticket to further her status.” Grayson stands and slowly walks towards me and I hold out my hand to stop him moving any closer.
“Don’t,” I warn him. “I can’t think straight when you get too close.” I raise my eyes and meet his head on. “Why should I believe you? I mean you were a player, I mean isn’t this something I should have expected it, eventually?”
Grayson shakes his head, his eyes holding mine prisoner. “In the past, yeah that was me, but then you came along and I fell utterly and totally in love with
