𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 || 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

Six

❥ "𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐔𝐘𝐒 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏?"

I wasn't in the mood for Avery's lectures. "Not now, Av." I had too much on my shoulders. Things involving Grant Ruth to be certain.

"So that's a yes?"

I rolled my eyes. "What does it matter to you? Focus on Jameson or something." I turned around to face all the scattered papers on my desk, but I felt Avery's eyes on mine.

"Fine, keep this act up all you want—" Avery made dialogue marks with her hands, "but I know you, and I know you why you're doing this."

"Enlighten me." I didn't look up from my desk.

"You're scared. This is the first time you've— we've— actually had something to call ours, to keep. Now that Eve is here? It's like things have gone back to the way they were before."

"I'm perfectly fine."

She laughed. "Really? You've been a bitch to all of us. Getting angry, being rude to Eve—"

I slammed the papers on my desk and stood up. Now she had my attention. "We don't even know if we can trust Eve, why should I be nice to her?" Grayson already had the good cop role covered.

Avery smirked. "Got you."

I sighed. "Yeah, whatever, you got me. But i'm not buying into this thing with Eve. Until we know she's a threat, we can't be certain."

"But that used to be us," Avery said. "And I know, you're right, we shouldn't trust her, but remember what it felt like when that was us?"

"No, because Grayson was not obsessed with either of us. Nobody cared about us. Eve is supposed to be here, not us. It wasn't supposed to be us."

Avery's face drained of color. "You don't mean that."

"I'm sorry if the truth hurts you, but i'm always going to be the one to tell you. I do the bad stuff so you don't have to." I grabbed my phone and keys. "I'm going out."

I was out the door before Avery could stop me.

My feet carried me through the halls of Hawthorne house and right to the front door. But something caught my eye.

Someone.

Grayson and Eve.

They hadn't spotted me yet, so I watched. Leave, I told myself. But it was no use, because I never listened.

Grayson leaned over the kitchen counter and tucked a piece of hair behind Eves ear. "I like your hair."

Eve blushed. "Thank you, but should we be doing this?" My breath hitched. "What about you and Evelyn?"

"We aren't doing anything wrong." Grayson. "Evelyn and me.. it's complicated. There's a lot of history there, and right now we're broken up."

"Right now?" Eve asked the question I had been thinking. "Does that mean you'll get back together or something?"

"I wouldn't count on it." Grayson let go of Eves hair. "Maybe? I don't know, I just feel like we're both at different places in our lives. She's a mess right now, but so am I."

Eves face softened. "You're not a mess, Grayson Hawthorne." Walk away. "You deserve someone who will stay with you through your worst, not just your best."

Is she being serious? I had helped Grayson get over Emily for months, all for her to ruin every ounce of progress.

I left Hawthorne House without hearing another word.
—
❥

Never loose your heart to a Hawthorne, Alisa had once told me, not too long ago. Back then, I hadn't understand what she'd meant, but now, it was clear as day.

I had lost my heart to Grayson Davenport Hawthorne, and he had no intention of giving it back.

I drove down the road—aimlessly— not knowing where I was going. One year drop fell, than another, and another, and before I knew it I was full on bawling.

"I don't deserve you," Grayson said.

"Yes, you do." I took his face into my hands. "I see that, everybody else sees it, so why can't you? Why don't you see what I see?" Desperation seeped into my features.

"I'm going to hold you back, everywhere you go." He pulled his face out of my hands. "I can't do that to you. I love you too much for that."

"That's arguably the dumbest thing you've ever said. I love you. You love me, right? I mean, that's what this, right? A relationship." Please say something to me.

I pulled my mind out of the memory, focusing on the road ahead. It was so hard to not get caught up in the past when the present seemed so bleak. Nothing was ahead of me.

Grant Ruth tried to kill me, then disappeared when I tried to find him, Grayson moved on from me in a day, and Avery doesn't get it. Not anymore.

What the hell am I supposed to do?
—
❥

a/n:

hiii so spring break is here and i'm going to be uploading a ton!! also guts deluxe 🤍🤍