Page 18 of Gravity

“Because at the end of the day, he’s Asher’s friend. I’m just… me.”

“You’ve been a part of his life just as much as Asher has, Nora. You’re his Shortcake.”

“I’ve clearly been nothing recently, which is why working alongside him may be difficult.”

I lay back on the sand and think about all the times I’ve texted him and got no reply, all the times I’ve phoned him and left voicemails, and all the times he’s practically run away from me when I’ve been home on a break from college.

Has he really been that busy that he couldn’t call me back? He had been there for us when Dad had his stroke, but then once his mom died, there was nothing—not even an open door for us to help him in his time of need. Now I feel like a total bitch for sounding selfish when I know he’s been through hell, too.

“Do you think I’m overreacting?”

“The job opportunity, yes. Grayson in general? I don’t think so. I mean, I would be pissed if the love of my life went cold on me without a good reason.”

I roll my eyes as I look at the sky. “Grayson is hardly the love of my life.”

“Bullshit.”

“I mean, am I overreacting at his behavior because the reason behind it could be because of his mom? Something like that would knock anyone down.”

“If that were the case, though, why hasn’t he cut your brother or my dad off? They go away, too, but their friendship with Grayson hasn’t changed.”

“So why has mine?”

“That’s something you’re going to have to find out.” She taps my leg. “And you’ve got the chance to do that by working at his bar. Call Ryan. He’s expecting to hear from you.”

I raise a brow. “You’ve told him I’m interested already?”

“That’s what friends are for, is it not?” She grins. “This could be your perfect opportunity, Nora, and one that has your brother out of the way.”

She’s got a point. Talking with Grayson would be hard when Asher is often lurking around the corner. Maybe working at Hot Tuna is my only escape from him and my only direction to go if I want the answers I’m after.

I just don’t know if I’m ready for the punch in the stomach when his reasons come.

Chapter Six

Grayson

The base of the music coming from the bar vibrates against the walls of my office.

I’d wanted to work tonight in the hope it would take my mind off all the shit that is racing through my thoughts—try and work out what the fuck the other morning was about whilst at the Nelsons’. Once again, though, I am distracted. The atmosphere is only making me more agitated when it’d usually have the adrenaline racing inside me.

I’ve seen her once—once—and I’m already going out of my fucking mind. I hadn’t thought it would be this hard given the fact I’ve kept my distance, but now I know she’s home, I know it’s going to be difficult to keep away.

I’m not one to be nervous, but being around the Nelsons made me feel more on edge than I’ve ever been, and I can’t work out if that was from guilt or her presence. If I had just been able to relax, it would have been like it used to be; like the days where I’d loved being a part of their family and when no shadows had hung over any of us. Times change, though, and life has a way of moving on faster than you’d like. And we all have moved on. At least, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell myself.

Truth is that my pull toward Nora hasn’t faltered, and I don’t think it ever will.

I can still remember the day my feelings began to change for her. I’d tried so hard to not let them expand further than friendship, but the more I tried, the harder it had become and one day, I lost the battle completely when she walked into her living room and took my breath away.

I’d had contact with her on many occasions before, but that day had been different. It had ignited something inside of me. The way my heart had sped up at the sight of her and the way my blood rushed through my veins, had been something I’d never experienced in all the times I’d been with a woman. The burning desire in my gut had been hard to get my head around, and it was enough to cause panic within me because of who she was—and still is.

It had been her seventeenth birthday, and all I’d wanted was to take her by the hand and kiss those sweet lips so badly. I’d known it was wrong and very much forbidden, but in that moment, those feelings had overruled everything else, and all I’d been able to do was watch her, even if it had been from afar: her long brown hair that draped over her thin arms; the blue of her eyes, prominent against her pure skin; and those pink lips that had looked so soft.

Nora seems to have this way of making everything around her tranquil. She has always been older in her ways—more mature than most girls her age. I guess that’s what had drawn me to her. The fifteen-year age gap had never mattered when it was just me and her—it still doesn’t—but it would be forbidden in the eyes of others. Keeping my distance has been another battle altogether—a battle that is only allowed to be in my head.

Now, not only do I have the tidal wave of desire swirling up inside me, I’m also questioning why the words ‘call Nora’ are scribbled on a post-it note that has been placed in the center of my desk—one I’ve been staring at since I got here and one I’m hoping is not the answer to the dilemma that is currently running through my mind.

Regardless of its reason for being there, I’ve been debating calling her anyway—debating whether or not it’s what I need to do for myself. But then wondering if the best thing I can do all together is to just push the post-it aside and pretend the fucking piece of paper is not haunting me at all.