Page 38 of You and Me, For Real
I delete my request and respond to his picture instead.
Ashton
Is that so?
Griffin
Yup. She told me.
Bubbles pop up on the screen. My thumbs hover over my phone, waiting.
Griffin
I enjoyed our time together today. Roxy did too. I’d hate for it to come to an end.
My palms start to sweat. My pulse thrums in my throat. Is he simply being nice or flirting? The confusing flutter in my heart hardens my resolve to say the conditions I have in mind.
Ashton
I have conditions. For the training.
Griffin
I’m all ears.
Ashton
No more public meetings. If we’re to continue training, it’ll need to be at your home.
Griffin
Sure. That’s easy. Is that all?
He has a girlfriend. The last thing I want is to look like a fool for assuming there’s anything more between us. The lines need to be clear, for my own heart’s sake. He’s famous. He could be used to dating multiple women for all I know. But I’mnotthat kind of girl. I refuse to play someone else’s games.
Ashton
I know you’re in a relationship with Scarlet Rhodes, but I want to make it clear, this will remain a strictly professional relationship between us.
I want to vomit. I’m an idiot, making too big of assumptions. I nearly fling my phone across the couch when his text bubbles appear.
Griffin
Not a problem.
Not a problem?Not a problem?He says exactly what I want to hear. And yet, my heart droops slightly. I guess all those flutters and tingles I’ve been feeling have been one-sided. Good to know.
He’s not attracted to you, Ashton.
Glad we got that cleared up.
More dots.
Griffin
I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable today. I will follow your lead from here on out. You’re the boss, Teach.
Follow my lead? Why didn’t he say he has nothing but professional feelings toward me? Or what I would have preferred: don’t believe everything you read in tabloids! Even I know not everything they publish is true. But I also recognize some serious reaching—and hoping—on my part.
