Page 87 of Built to Fall
Patting his chest playfully, I say, “I think I’ll survive. Plus, once we’re finished fucking with everyone, we can just give all the stuff to Abby.”
“Damn, this is going to be a blast.” Grant looks back toward me. “I never thought about using all the rumors that are used against us as something fun.”
“Might as well. I mean, if people are going to try and stir up shit about you, why not make them look like the stupid ones?”
“Alright, I’ve gotta get back to practice,” he says now that we’ve circled the whole building and are back at the front entrance. “Let’s start tonight. I’ll call you when I’m done for the day.”
“Sounds good.”
A match strikes deep in my chest when he leans forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek for everyone walking past to see before darting back inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
LINA
“You’re kidding me.” A laugh escapes me as I jog down the front steps of our apartment complex.
Grant is waiting for me on the sidewalk, holding a bag from the campus store in one hand and a tinyYALE FOOTBALLonesie in the other. “Isn’t it the cutest fucking thing you’ve ever seen?”
“This is comedy gold.” I reach the bottom step, grab the onesie from him, and hold it up. It’ssosmall it barely looks real. “I can’t believe you actually bought this.”
“Go big or go home, right?” The cocky grin never leaves his face.
“You aresuchan idiot,” I say, but my voice is full of affection as I ball up the onesie and toss it back at him. He catches it easily, still smirking.
He falls into step beside me as we begin walking on the path that loops around our building. “So, what’s next, pretty girl?”
“Let’s not gettooahead of ourselves.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’ve already picked out the perfect Instagram caption.”
“Grant,pleasetell me you’re not actually posting anything.” I groan.
“Too late.”
I skid to a stop on the sidewalk. “What did you do?”
Grant tosses the bag over his shoulder, completely unbothered. “Relax. It’s just a story.‘Baby Vandenberg dropping Summer 2025’with a football emoji. Totally harmless.”
“Oh myGod.” I bury my face in my hands for the second time today. “You’re going to break the internet.”
“Hey, it’s everyone else’s fault for speculating, remember? There istechnicallya baby Vandenberg coming this summer. We’re just playing into it!”
“Abby didn’t change her last name when she got married?”
“No. She’d be stupid to do that. Her husband took her last name.”
“Wow. What a guy.”
“Yeah, Garrett’s great.”
We continue walking down the sidewalk, and I’m not sure if there’s any plan for where we’re going, or if Grant just asked me to come with him as an excuse to show me the onesie. Once the sun begins setting over the horizon in front of us, I turn to look at him.
“Do you think I could stay with you tonight?”
It’s the first time I’ve acknowledged his offer since the morning I woke up at his house nearly a week ago, and for some reason, the idea doesn’t seem as scary anymore.
Maybe it’s now that we’re friends—with alowercase f, but still—or maybe because we’ve found a bit more common ground pulling this prank on the public. It doesn’t matter, really. But I am holding my breath waiting for his response.
