HIRAETH [1] || Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter 45- McFlurry

"What?" -Lorelai Grambs & Grayson Hawthorne
(3rd POV)

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Grayson Hawthorne watched the staircase, holding his breath as he waited for her to descend. His eyes barely even looked at Avery when she appeared, he was focused on the spot behind her. But no dark haired beauty followed.

Lorelai stood by the edge of the crowd with Mike. She didn't dare let go or else she'd be limping around on her own, drawing attention to herself. "Rory." someone called out, their shoes clacking against the marble as they made their way towards her. She managed to catch herself before replying with a casual 'yeah'.

"Yes?" she turned to the source. It was Jameson Hawthorne, surprisingly. She hardly ever spoke to him, at least not as much as she talked to Xander, Nash, or even Thea. "Are you looking for Avery?" she asked, checking her surroundings for her twin. Jameson stood beside her, "No, I'm not." he replied.

Rory tilted her head, "Oh." she sounded surprised. "Well then," she paused to lean on Mike's arm just in case something happened, "What is it?" she asked, waiting for him to reply. Jameson stayed silent as he took in her appearance, the black lace on her dress mixed with her dark hair only made her face look sweeter. "You look nice." he commented, placing an empty flute of champagne on a tray being held by a waiter passing by. "So do you." she returned, not even examining what he was wearing. She was frowning in suspicion.

Why was Jameson just now approaching her?

"The dinner's about to start." Mike informed them, taking note of the tense air. Jameson ignored the bodyguard, "How's solving the mystery coming along?" he asked, sharpening his eyes at Rory. She kept her face neutral, "Slow, I don't care for mysteries." she told him the truth. Jameson knit his brows together as he turned her words over for any hidden meaning, "Hm." he glanced at Rory and Mike's connected arms.

Jameson decided to try his luck, he needed to get something out of Rory. She might be the key to solving whatever sick game his grandfather left behind. "Have you opened your letter yet?" he asked, hoping she'd tell him what was inside. Lorelai nodded, "I have." she didn't elaborate any further.

She knew Jameson and Grayson had some rivalry going on and telling Jameson about her letter would possibly cause more arguments between the brothers. "And?" he pressed on.

"And nothing." Mike replied for her, "You both need to get to your seats." he said, a plan forming in his head. "Hold on to Jameson while you walk." he informed the brunette. Rory was taken aback by the suddenness of the instruction, "What?" she must have heard him wrong but Mike ignored her looks of confusion.

The bodyguard motioned for Jameson to take his place, "She doesn't need to hold my arm." Jameson glanced around awkwardly, not wanting to force Lorelai into doing something she didn't want to. "She's injured." Mike told him under his breath. He waited a few seconds, hoping for a reaction. "I'm sure you've seen the news about the car accident earlier this morning." Mike kept going, knowing Lorelai would understand what he was doing.