Grayson's POV
When I called Jessica and sent her Chase's address, I meant it to be just three of us, talking out our shit.
The past two weeks had been quite dramatic, and I was freaking ready to call it all off.
I had lost it all, Lily, everything really, everything.
"Jessica, please you have to be reasonable." I begged her, as Lily approached us.
"Get the fuck away from me." She said, looking at me. "Why do these stupid riders take so long?" She muttered, tapping her phone, senselessly.
I was tired of being shunned. I grabbed the phone out of her hand, and reach.
"If it's a joke, stop it." She warned, without looking up.
"It's not, Jessica." I said, bringing her head up to mine. "You can't possibly be willing to throw what we have away over this." I added.
Lily's presence interrupted our conversation, but only solidified my argument, to me at least.
"I know she's sorry, she even just said it." I reiterated.
"The thing with you, Gray," She said, touching my chest provocatively, "is that you trust too much. You're, you're the mushy lovey dovey type of guy. Everyone knows, people take advantage." She said, taking her hands off me. "But I'm more than that. I'm more, let's say, calculated. "Gray, this is what I'll call a resurrection. I almost drowned earlier today. I'm not willing to go on this way either, I'm leaving right after exams. Y'all have the best life without me. By the way, she's mad at you cause she heard us that night, on the call." She said,
My heart flipped. It was little wonder Lily was so cold. I made up my mind to call her right after we were done.
Jessica grabbed her phone out of my hands, her ride had arrived. I didn't even get to say goodbye.
I slicked back inside.
It was just gonna be Emma, Chase and I. I wasn't looking forward to it. So I breathed in, gathered all my inner strength, and went into the house.
"I, I don't know what to say." I said frankly, and sat at the little bar by the corner.
"It's so much, man." Chase replied, and met me by his little bar.
It had fancy drinks, and our fave of all time, Johnny Walker.
He poured his glass, and mine.
"I'm sorry, Man." I apologized, again.
"It's alright. Don't ruin the mood, let's drink." He replied, we raised our glasses to each other, "friendship and peace", Chase said, and we drank.
"It was fucked of you to bring a gun in here though." Chase said.
I couldn't still look up at him. Shame had me in choke hold.
"I wasn't thinking." I admitted. "Your house cool though." I had meant to say that since I let myself in. "You should take security seriously."
"Oh, I knew you were in here. Home alarm baby." Chase gloated and winked, and just like that, it felt like old times.
"Crazy how we let all these come in between us." I said, starting the conversation.
I didn't want to leave without knowing how things stood.
"It's life, I guess. We cool now, brother." He punched me in the chest. "I think you should speak to Emma though." He suggested. "Would you like me to sit in?" He asked me.
I never really had a relationship with Emma, deeper than being whatever she was to Chase.
"I don't think so, I'll handle my shit myself." I said, and poured all the content of my cup into my mouth, it was hard, but not impossible.
Emma passed time on her phone while Chase and I talked.
"Hey," I said, alerting her to my presence.
She looked up, waiting for me to say something, but I didn't even know how to start. I was far too ashamed to start with her watching me. We never really had a rapport.
"I'm sorry for how shit went." I started. "I really didn't mean for it to go like this. I just wanted, I guess, pay back. You know, my uncle and stuff, and you had my best friend too. Those are the two men I loved the most, I've got one less. I felt the need to be protective. And stuff that happened with Lily too, I didn't feel great that you pulled that up in the middle of everything." I said.
"Everytime I look into her eyes, I see that knowing look. We both knew, but it was really convenient at the time, I was a "cheating bastard" as you put it, but I was HER cheating bastard. It made sense for us to stay together as long as no one was hurt." I continued, it felt more like I was even explaining to myself. Until that point, I didn't know how great it was to hear it for myself."
"Am I supposed to apologize for that?" Emma asked. She was cool about it, but I still felt offended.
I decided to hurry with what I had to say before I lost what was left of my patience.
"That's, that's it, the whole of it." I said, preparing to stand up. "And oh! I remembered. It wasn't just all Lily and Jessica." I said. "Did you see the whole of it?" I asked her
"Barely, I ran out. Very few could stand seeing their nudes projected to them." She replied to me.
I felt ashamed, more like embarrassed of what I was gonna say next. "I sorta know Kevin." I said. Emma's eyes flew wide open.
I also think I heard Chase stir, but he was in the background, so that didn't matter.
"How?" Emma suddenly seemed to have few words.
I'd have felt so good if we weren't making peace.
"Are you messing with me on purpose?" She asked, shooting me daggers with her eyes.
"We were neighbors. They moved from County to Starry." I explained. Her eyes kept darting between Chase and I, and I realized that she hadn't told him about it yet.
Discreetly, I lowered my voice, there's no way I was gonna be the news breaker to Chase.
"So he gave you my pictures too?" Emma's lips were quivering already.
"He didn't." I replied truthfully.
She exhaled, one of relief, I felt worse for her.
"Kayla did." I confessed.
I heard Emma let out a very faint sound after which she dipped her head in her hands.
"Yo, I seriously messed up, and I'm so sorry. I don't even know what I was thinking when I linked her with Jessica. That was super dumb and disrespectful, and I get how much I hurt you. I never should've done it, and I feel awful about it. I know I broke your trust, one I might not have had in the first case, and I hate that I put you in that position. I swear I'll never do something like that again. I'm really, really sorry." I said.
She was no longer saying anything. For whatever reason, Chase was quiet too, I kinda sensed I was overstaying my welcome.
I grabbed my shit, shook Chase and left.
I was more at peace, but there was someone else I needed to talk to, Lily.
"Hey Lily, we need to talk." I dropped a message in her voicemail.
The drive home was with mixed feelings.
The house sounded too quiet, too empty.
For once, I decided to go check on my dad.
I heard moans and grunts from outside his door, it bugged me how many women he'd been with since my mom, how he ever found peace with anyone of them. I didn't want a life like that for myself.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I heard my dad say.
He didn't sound drunk of sex crazed, or anything, which wasn't so normal.
I knocked on the door, and soon every sound from inside ceased.
I knocked again, to show I was serious.
The face that greeted me, I almost swooned. "Mom?!" I screamed, my eyes tore wide open.
She was smiling, and tears were pooling in her eyes, making them shine.
She dragged me close and hugged me. She smelt like my dad, just like old times.
Maybe it was time for stars to align in my favor.
I was dumbstruck.
It wasn't the time to catch up, so I excused myself, and she said she was gonna check me as soon as she was done with my ad.
It had always been my childhood dream. I had watched my dad live like a ghost for years, and my mom look like one. Slowly, life was returning into our home.
I still hadn't gotten any response from Lily.
I called again, and this time she picked up.
I was excited, but I had nothing coherent to say.
"Grayson?" I heard a child's voice ask on the other side, it wasn't Lily.
"Heyy." I recognised it to be her brother's voice. "I wanted to speak to, er, I kinda wanted to speak to Lily though. How are you, young man?" I asked, like I always did when I paid them visits.
"Jack says he can't feel her pulse." He said, dryly.
"What the f…?" I restrained myself. "Who's Jack?" I asked him, while reminding myself to breathe.
"He brought her." He replied. Oh! The rider.
"Can I talk to him?" I asked, sweetly, even though I was already freaking out.
"Yeah." I waited for an harrowing one minute before I heard any other voice. "I think she's gone. I don't wanna be here man. I'm gonna leave her. There's a little kid and his babysitter here. I'm just doing my job man, I don't want to go to jail." He said, and dropped the call. He stumbled over multiple words, I could barely make sense of what he said.
I could care less about how Lily hurt me. I grabbed my keys and ran back out, dashing into my car, and out of our yard.