granted. // (grant gustin fan fic)

XXIV

I returned with the pizza in one hand and a grocery bag with vodka and Sprite in the other. When I was at he store, I realized that I didn't know Grant's drink preference and just decided to go with my usual. As I walked into the room, I immediately turned into the small kitchen area to drop everything off. There was an ice bucket in the freezer already when I put the drinks up there.

"Grant?" I called out, only to find that he was no longer in the bed.

"Yeah?" He responded, walking out of the bathroom. He emerged drying out his hair with a towel in hand, wearing a navy blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. His shirt raised a little exposing the skin above the waistband of the sweats that were really quite great. I brought up my hand instantly to the corner of my mouth to make sure I wasn't drooling. I just want to give it up for the inventor of gray sweatpants.

"What's up? I just got out of the shower," he started. The look on his face told me that he had no awareness of how attractive he looked right now, or really ever.

"Nothing, I just didn't see you in bed and thought you left or something," I answered, casually. I was quickly trying to regain my composure.

"Got it," he said. "But thank you for grabbing everything." He walked over towards me and bent down, planting a kiss on the side of my temple. He wrapped the towel around the back of his neck to catch any the last of the dripping water from his hair and moved into the small kitchen and began pulling down plates and glasses for us.

"I'm actually going to eat after I shower," I started, moving to toward my bag to gather clothes. "I think the smell of the pizza got into my clothes and I just feel gross, especially after traveling."

"Ok, want me to wait for you?" Grant offered.

"Oh no, it'll just get cold. Go ahead-- it's fine," I said, leaning up after I grabbed everything I needed to retreat into the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, I tied my hair back to make sure it wouldn't get wet in the shower and took a deep exhale. I peeled out of my clothes to shower and tried not to think about what was happening-- that I was here in Vancouver with Grant in his hotel room spending the weekend with him. I tried not to think about how unfair it is for him to look the way he does and it being enough to cripple me. I tried to think about anything that wasn't on the other side of that bathroom door. I had to take this time to think, to get out of my head, to focus, to reset myself and my thoughts-- to put my brain at ease if only for a half hour.

I couldn't.

After I showered, I put on my pajamas-- a loose v-neck shirt and a pair of boxers. I normally sleep  in a bra so Grant being around had no bearing on my decision. When I got out of the bathroom, I found Grant in the opposite side of the hotel room, on the sofa. His back was to me and he was watching TV with a dark drink in hand.

I slipped my arms around him from behind and put my head on his shoulder. "Missed me?"

"Dearly," he said, bring up his free hand to run over my arms. "You smell like berries." 

"You smell good too." Good was an understatement. He smelled untoxicating, like a breath of fresh minty air that had a little bit of a woodsy feel mixed in. "What are you watching?"

"I have no idea-- it was on and there was a car chase scene so I didn't change the channel."

"Why would you? That's quality right there," I said, leaning up to go get pizza. I opened the box. grabbed a slice and took a huge bite of it. I held the slice in my hand as I grabbed a plate and glass to pour myself a drink, one-handed. I managed that fear before putting a second slice of pizza on my plate and placing the half-eaten one on top of it to meet Grant in the living room.