We finish our food and as it’s still quite early, we go back to the den and have a game of pool together. Grayson gets a call as we are playing and he looks at the screen of his phone and frowns. “It’s my dad. I’d better take this.”
He walks over to the other side of the den and I watch his tense demeanour as he speaks to his father. Grayson paces as he talks to his dad and he makes a fist with his other hand, a sure sign with him that whatever his dad has to say it is pissing him off.
When he comes back over, he is tense. He comes up behind me and nuzzles my neck.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, nothing I can’t handle,” he replies flatly. “Just my dad being his usual self.”
I turn in his arms so I can face him. “You going to tell me what my dad wanted earlier?”
Grayson snickers, smiling. “Oh, that.”
Dom’s ears perk up and he stops midway through taking his shot. “Was it the safe sex talk?”
Grayson laughs, shaking his head. “No, not really. He just said he could see that we were serious about each other and he doesn’t want us to rush into anything. You know the ‘you’re both young and have your whole lives ahead of you’ talk.”
“Ah that one, yeah, I remember Mum giving me a similar talk,” Dom replies laughing.
“He then said that he recognised Ev is now an adult and that he isn’t stupid enough to think that we aren’t sexually active, so I can sleep in your room now when I stay over.”
I blink. “Say what?”
Grayson grins at my shocked face. “You heard me. Your dad just gave me permission to sleep in your room. No more sneaking around, Manchester.”
“What the fuck!” Dom exclaims. “How come you two get to share a room? Izzy and I have been together two years and we haven’t been given that pass?”
I waggle my eyebrows. “I’m older than you Dom. You’ll have to wait until your eighteenth.”
“This is bullshit. I’m going talking to Mum.” He puts his queue down and takes off upstairs.
Izzy laughs at his retreating form. “Oh dear, someone’s not happy.”
It feels odd later that night when we all pass my dad and Sophie and head upstairs. I can’t help the blush that creeps across my face as I meet my dad’s eyes and tell him goodnight. Dom had put his case to his mum and my dad but he had been told that he has to wait until he is eighteen and that Izzy will stay in Abi’s room tonight.
“Have a good night.” Grayson teases as we leave Dom at his bedroom door. “I know I will.”
“Hardy- Har. Fuck off G.”
I slap Grayson’s arm playfully as we enter my room, and he closes the door behind us. “That was mean.”
Grayson shrugs as he pulls me flush against him. “It was funny though.” His hands snake under my top, making contact with the skin on my stomach, sending shivers through my body. “Now birthday girl, time for me to worship this body.”
The next morning I wake up with Grayson asleep at the side of me. I lie still, watching him with a smile on my face. It is nice knowing he doesn’t have to sneak off early so my dad doesn’t catch him in here. I prop my head up on my hand and just watch him sleeping until my alarm goes off.
“Morning,” I greet.
He stretches out, yawning, and grabs me by the waist and rolls me underneath him.
“Good Morning, Manchester.” He leans into my neck and I hear him intake a breath and inhale my scent.
“Back to reality today,” I groan. We were both in our last year of college now and shit was getting serious. A-level exams were looming and we need to make decisions about the future.
“We’ll celebrate again at the weekend.” He rubs his stubble along my jaw and I wriggle to get away. “That reminds me. I have to go away next weekend. My dad has summoned me to attend some social event. It’s a business, networking thing.”
“Sounds dull.”
He nods, sighing. “You’ve no idea. My dad’s after landing a contract with a big player in the business, so he wants us to put on a family front.” He stands from my bed and pads towards my en-suite as naked as the day he was born. “You joining me?” He stops and asks.
I don’t need asking twice. I leap out of bed and chase behind him. I have a feeling it might be a longer shower than my usual one.
Chapter 2
I NOTICE IZZY SEEMS distracted in the morning at breakfast. She smiles as she climbs in the back of the car with me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“You okay?” I ask her, concerned.
She nods. “Course. Just tired.”
There is something bothering her, but she clearly isn’t ready to talk about it. I’ll leave her be for now and hope that eventually she will talk to me.
We park up at college and Izzy kisses Dom on the cheek and tells him she needs to head to the library to pick up some books for an assignment. She catches my gaze and puts her head down before rushing off. There was definitely something wrong.
“Did you hear a word I just said?” Grayson asks me, waving his hand in front of my face. I reach out and grab his hand.
“Sorry, I was miles away. What were you saying?”
Grayson smiles and shakes his head. “I was saying I’ll book us a booth at Louie’s for Friday night.”
“Sounds good.”
Even though I have wanted my eighteenth to be a quiet affair, our friends have been bugging me to celebrate.
We head to the common room and I drop a quick kiss on Grayson’s lips before I head over to sit with Lottie and the guys. I’d been determined to still spend time with my small group of friends when Grayson and I got
