Page 45 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
“Yeah, you were falling over drunk. I brought you home from the party. Penny offered to take over, but this is one of the first nights she and Parker will get alone since Baby J was born, so I told her that I would take care of you. When we finally got here, I was worried about you choking on your own vomit in your sleep, so I slept over.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal, but the look on his face says different.
“Thanks, Whitney. That’s really sweet.”
“Well, we also need to talk about us,” I say finally, gazing down into my cooling cup of tea. I take a sip and frown — it’s gone cold since I made it.
“What about us?”
“I guess it’s not actually about ‘us,’ per se. It’s more about you, and you pressuring me to tell Penny about us before I’m ready.” I take in a breath and nod before looking him in the eyes. “Yes, that’s what this is about. It’s not easy for me to keep this from Penny, and you know as well as I do that it’s something that I’m struggling with. Regardless of that, you can’t keep trying to get me to talk to her before I feel it’s the right time. I’ve been friends with Penny since college, and I’ve never kept a secret like this from her before.”
“Obviously. You’ve never dated one of her brothers before.”
I roll my eyes at his cheeky grin. Does he have to try to inject humor into everything?
“Can you please be serious for like two seconds, Grayson? This is an important conversation, and you joking about it doesn’t make me feel like you see it that way.”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he says and blinks, looking taken aback. “I was just trying to lighten the mood, but I know that there is a time and a place for that. Please go on.” He straightens his posture and takes a sip of his tea.
I sigh and look away, tears pricking the edges of my eyes. Why am I so emotional right now?
“As I was saying, I’ve never kept secrets from Penny, and suddenly I’ve had an enormous one for the past year and change. Sleeping with you at her wedding was seriously hard on me. I found myself avoiding her calls and purposely staying busy just so I didn’t have to lie to her about why I wasn’t around. It was so difficult, and it hurt when so many things happened that I just wanted to call and tell Penny about, but felt like I couldn’t. I don’t like feeling distant with my best friend. And, I know what you’ll say. ‘If you just tell Penny now, then you won’t have to worry about lying to her anymore.’ But, I’m not ready yet. I know that she’ll be angry with me for keeping this from her, and rightfully so, because not only have I now lied about sleeping with you at her wedding, but I’ve also lied about being in a relationship with you.”
I stare at him after the long string of emotions that I just spewed at him.
“I just don’t understand why you’re not ready. We’ve both said that we like each other and care about each other. I mean, you stayed the night to make sure that I wouldn’t die in my sleep, and I don’t care if you say it was so Penny and Parker could have the night to themselves. I know otherwise. So, I just don’t get why you don’t want to tell anyone,” he says, looking at me evenly.
I can see the desperation in his eyes, how badly he wants to know what’s going on. I sigh and move around the counter to sit down next to him.
“Grayson, I don’t want to tell everyone about our relationship just for us to end things a few weeks from now because it turns out that we’re too different. Telling people about us is fully committing to the future of us. I don’t know where we are headed, or if there even is a future for us.”
“I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t think there is a future for you and me, Whitney. I’m with you because I care about you. I like you, and for me to be with you is my full commitment. I’m tired of casual dating and being with people who don’t want to be in my future. So, I’m laying all my cards out on the table and telling you exactly what I’m thinking.”
He turns toward me and clasps both my hands in his before looking into my eyes.
“Whitney, I like you. I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about anyone before, even myself. Since I’m being completely honest, I think I’ve cared for you ever since our weekend together and I’ve never stopped. You’ve found a way into my heart and made a home there. I tell Landon that the reason I have him come over to work in my apartment is because I have to be around to help make decorating decisions, but the real reason is that I want to be able to see you everyday. We easily could’ve work at his office.
He squeezes my hands more firmly to indicate his sincerity.
“I want to see where things go with you. When I think about us, I can see you walking down the aisle; I see us saying our vows to each other. I see us at family get-togethers, where I’m not afraid to kiss you all over. I’m not trying to pressure you before you’re ready. I just want us to be able to be together like a normal couple, without thinking too much about who-knows-what and what we can or cannot do.”
He stares at me and I stare back. I’m speechless and unsure of what to say. It’s almost like I’m frozen in fear. What he’s said is both exactly what I wanted to hear and exactly what I’m afraid of most.
“Look, we don’t have to tell Penny yet. I don’t want you to do anything before you’re ready. But, I think we should set a date on it, so that there’s something to look forward to.”
“Okay.” I nod. “I think that’s a good idea. I think we should tell Penny together, after Preston’s and your birthday party. She’ll be in a great mood after it’s gone off without a hitch, and it gives us both time to adjust and just get used to our relationship.”
Grayson grins and pulls me into a hug. I slide my arms around him and rest my head in the crook of his shoulder. I don’t know if we’ve made the right choice, but right now, in this moment, being with Grayson has never felt better.
Chapter Twenty-One
Grayson
“So,what’sthesurprise?”Whitney asks as I sit her down on the couch in front of me.
She looks wary, as if she’s been burned by surprises before. Perhaps a surprise has burned her before, and I don’t know about it.
“I was thinking we could both use some time away from San Francisco. Especially you,” I tell her, not wanting to waste any time. “You’ve been working so hard on decorating my house and planning the birthday party every single second. I know you need a break. I can tell that you’re extremely stressed, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you. So, name a place and we will go there. I will take you.”
Whitney stares at me with confusion about what I’ve told her. Her expression tells me she certainly wasn’t expecting this sort of surprise.
