Endgame

by Cara E Holt

  I stretch and freeze when I feel a warm body underneath me. Memories of last night come rushing back at me. I’m wrapped around Grayson. One leg bent over his tummy the other tucked against his side. His arm is wrapped around my waist and my head is resting upon his chest. I can hear the steady beat of his heart in my ear. Daylight shines in through the open window I found them climbing through last night.

  “Shit!” I attempt to sit up, but Grayson pulls me tighter to him. “Grayson it’s morning. My Dad can’t find us like this.”

  He opens one eye and looks at me and nods and I sit up and grabbing a cushion to cover my chest while I reach around the side of the sofa to find my clothes. Grayson lies there watching me with a satisfied grin on his face.

  “Stop smiling and get dressed.” I hiss at him. He sits up rubs his eyes. I hold my vest and briefs in my hand and look at him blushing. “Could you, you know, give me some privacy.”

  He looks at me, one brow cocked. “Seriously? We lay more or less naked with each other all night you know.” When I blush more he sighs and stands up. He stands before me in just his boxers and lord, if he isn’t a site for sore eyes.

  “Like what you see sweet cheeks?” He teases. I expect him to act as if last night is forgotten about but he surprises me by pulling me up and kissing me softly.

  “So, we go back to hating each other, yeah?”

  I nod biting my lip. In truth all I can think about is how much I want to kiss him again.

  His hands squeeze at my ass and he groans. “You have the finest ass, Ev.”

  I smile and bite my lip nervously and he leans in and takes it from my teeth kissing me and I wrap my arms around him as we lose ourselves in each other again.

  “We have to stop.” I murmur against his lips and he sighs and nods. He turns and picks his jeans up off the floor and slides into them. While his back is turned I quickly pull on my panties and shorts and pull my vest over my head. He turns back to face me as he pulls his t-shirt over his head and I sigh at the loss of the sight of his beautiful body.

  “I should get to my room. Where do you normally sleep when you stay here?”

  He gestures with his head above us. “Dom’s room. Come on.” He takes my hand in his and we tip-toe as quietly as we can up the first flight of stairs to the ground floor and then start to make our way up the second flight. We reach Dom’s room and he pulls me into him and kisses me one last time before he slowly opens the door and disappears inside. I creep along the corridor past my Dad and Sophie’s room and then Ollies until I make it to mine and as quietly as I can close the door. I collapse onto my bed and smile to myself. I may hate Grayson St. Clair, I really do, but I love what he does to my body.

  An hour later I have showered and dressed and head downstairs. Sat around the kitchen island are Dom, Grayson and Abi.

  I make my way to the fridge and grab the juice and pour myself a glass. I dare a peak over at Grayson and find his eyes on mine. His eyes move from my feet up to my face and he bites his lips and smiles at me. I blush and turn back to the fridge to put the juice back and then make my way over to sit down.

  Abi is busy texting on her phone as is Dom. Dom looks up at me and grins but doesn’t say anything. I look at Grayson panicked and gesture with my head at Dom. Grayson looks at me puzzled, clearly not having a clue what I am trying to ask. Dom looks up from his phone and I quickly advert my gaze, playing with a piece of my hair.

  “Sleep well Everly?”

  I hear Grayson cough as he takes a drink.

  “Not bad. You?”

  He bobs his head from side to side. “Woke up a couple of times during the night.” He tells me his eyes not leaving mine and full of mischief. He knows! Oh god he knows!

  My phone rings, making me jump in my seat.

  “Ooh who is Shaun?” Abi asks as she read the name on the screen.

  I grab my phone. “He is a friend from home.” I flush red and look over at Grayson who looks at me frowning.

  “Hey.” I say answering the call and moving away from the island into the lounge area. “I’m doing okay. What about you?”

  “I could be better.” Shaun tells me, his voice sounding flat.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask him concerned. I turn to look back towards the kitchen area and even though none of them are looking this way it feels like they are listening. I sit down on the sofa and lower my voice. “You want to face time me in about ten mins?”

  “Sounds good.”

  I put the phone down and head back to the table to grab my juice.

  “Boyfriend?” Abi asks. I feel Grayson and Dom both look up as if waiting for my answer.

  “Friend.” I reply before downing the rest of my juice. “Catch you guys later.” I tell them as I slip of the bar stool and head back upstairs.

  Five minutes later Shaun’s face appears on my laptop and I can’t help but smile. I missed Shaun.

  “Hey stranger.” I joke.

  “Hey yourself. How is life down south?”

  I shrug. “It’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be.”

  Shaun smiles, pushing his blonde hair off his forehead. “That’s good ET. Really good.”

  Shaun had always called me ET, he thought the eighties movie reference was funny. I had met Shaun when I was on the eating disorder unit. He and I fast became close friends and he really helped me adjust to hospital life. When I arrived, Shaun had been there three months and we just clicked straight away.

  “So, what are the new family like?”

  I shrug but smile. “They are actually all okay. Dom and Abi are great, and Ollie is just an absolute sweetheart, he has stolen my heart.”

  Shaun laughs. “Good. I miss you.” He gives me an over-dramatic sad face.

  “I miss you too. You must come visit soon. Dad and Sophie would be okay with it I’m sure.”

  “It’s a date ET. Come on give me some excitement in my dull life. Are there any hot boys at this new posh sixth form?”

  I laugh. “Maybe, some have nice faces and bodies but then they speak. I miss my northerners and that northern humour.”

  He raises a brow. “Well of course you do, we are way funnier and more interesting.”

  A cough at my door has my head shooting up. Grayson is stood there leaning against my door frame, a frown marring his perfect face.

  “What’s up?” I ask, and I can’t help but blush slightly when I remember what we did together last night.

  “We’re heading over to Izzy’s for a bit of a pool party. She asked me to ask you to come?”

  I frown in response, his niceness is confusing me. “You’d be okay with that?”

  He sighs, seeming frustrated, running a hand through his brown locks. “Jeez Ev, I think we can manage to be in the same room together. We managed quite well last night.”

  I sit there looking at him blankly not knowing how to process his current mood. I shrug, “I’ll come.”

  He nods. “We are leaving in ten.”

  “Hello!” Shaun shouts over facetime. “Turn the camera round and introduce me ET!”

  Before I can make an excuse not to. Grayson walks into the room and sits beside me on the bed so he is in view on the camera.

  “I’m Grayson.” He announces as he scrutinises Shaun’s face.

  I see Shaun’s eyes widen and I groan inside knowing exactly what is going through his head right now. “Hi Grayson. I’m Shaun.” He looks back at me. “Why haven’t you told me anything about him?”

  I cough and give him the daggers.

  “So how do you know Ev?” Grayson asks him, the frown still deep on his face.

  Shaun bats the question away with his hand. “Ah it’s a boring story, we are best friends. I want to know how you two know each other?” He commands gesturing with his finger from me to Grayson.

  I will so kill him for this when we next facetime.

  “Grayson is Dom’s best friend. He hangs here at the house a lot.” I offer in explanation. Shaun nods smiling
, I can see his brain working overtime in there.

  “Is he single?” Shaun asks waggling his eyebrows.

  I groan and before I can reply Grayson does. “I am single, currently.”

  “Interesting.” Shaun comments, rubbing his jaw.

  “So, I should go.” I state, wanting to end this conversation as quickly as I can.

  “We’ll talk soon ET.” Shaun states and I know exactly who that conversation will centre around.

  “I’m going now.” I announce before I close my screen down.

  Grayson laughs from where he is sat beside me. “He’s interesting.”

  I nod, chewing on my lip. “I’m so sorry he is continually trying to pair me off with someone.”

  Grayson looks at me running his tongue over his lip, which is totally distracting when I think of what that tongue did to my body last night. “You sure he doesn’t want you for himself?”

  I burst out laughing, like a real belly laugh. “Oh god, that is funny. Shaun is gay.”

  He smiles then. Grayson is smiling, and I don’t mean the smirking kind of smile. This smile is every kind of breath taking. Our fingers brush against each other where they sit on my bed. I freeze in place, his every touch has my senses on high alert. He leans in towards me and I hold my breath thinking he’s going to kiss me.

  “Get your bikini packed Manchester.” He says into my ear. “We leave in five.” He saunters out of my room not giving me a backward glance and I collapse fully back onto my bed and groan. When did I go from hating him, to craving his touch?

  Five minutes later we are in the car and heading over to Izzy’s house. I asked Dom if I could invite Lottie and he’d said that would be fine. Lottie had screamed down the phone when I rang and asked her, delighted to finally be invited to one of Izzy’s parties.

  I had thrown on a red bikini and put jeans and a white v-neck tee over the top. I hadn’t been to Izzy’s house before. It was a huge Georgian type mansion house. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else really. Back home we hung around in cold garages, here it was basement dens and pools. How my world had shifted.

  “You came.” Izzy says delighted, pulling me in for a hug. She grabs my hand. “Come on, get changed and get in the pool.”

  She takes me to a small room off the pool where I can change. I strip out of my jeans and tops and turn and examine myself self-consciously in the mirror. My curves were coming back, my boobs looking fuller and my hips more rounded. Part of me loved that they were re-appearing, the other part of me, the recovering anorexic part was anxious. Taking a brave breath, I step out of my comfort zone and back into the pool room.

  “Over here!” Izzy shouts waving me over where she is sat in the pool chatting with Molly. I walk round to them as quickly as I can, the sooner I am in the water and not on show the better. I sit down and slide into the water. Down the other end of the pool Grayson, Dom and the boys are doing back flips into the water.

  “Always a competition with those boys.” She says shaking her head laughing.

  Jacob lands in the water and when he comes up to the surface he waves at Molly, who blushes and waves back.

  “You two seem friendly.” I state smiling and she looks at me and nods a cute smile on her face.

  “We have been texting, I think he may be missing us.”

  I don’t get the chance to reply as I am thrust in the air and find myself sat on someone’s shoulders. I look down to find Izzy’s twin grinning at me.

  “Come on Everly. You are on my team.” Before I can protest he walk us down towards the middle of the pool and I put my hands on his head to steady myself.

  “What team?” I ask him.

  “We’re playing knockout.” A large inflatable hammer is placed in my hand and I look before me to see a pretty girl with long dark wavy hair sat on Grayson’s shoulders. My eyes can’t help but go to where he holds her legs against his chest.

  “Okay ladies. In three – two -one!” a hammer is whacked in my face and I feel Owen grip me tighter to him. I take a swipe with my hammer to her left side and it causes her to wobble.

  “Come on Lauren.” Grayson shouts encouragingly at the girl who uses her hammer side on to hit me in the stomach. Somehow, I manage to stay upright.

  “Come on Lauren! This is North versus South.” Grayson tells her, a cheeky smirk on his face.

  So, it’s like that is it. Well no one was beating this northerner. I swing my hammer right back to my right side and land a blow straight into her cheek she rears backwards and lands with a slap in the water. Laughing she swims over to Grayson and wraps her arms around his neck, brushing her wet hair out of her face.

  Seeing her arms around his neck, pisses me off.

  “My champion.” Owen shouts delightedly, taking my hands in his and raising them in the air.

  I laugh in response and ruffle his wet hair with my fingers. “Let me down now please.”

  “Oh, you want down do you?” I can hear the laughter in his tone and I know now I’m not going to get out of this simply. Before I can anticipate it, he places his hands on my waist and flips me over his head and head first into the water. I gulp in a large mouthful of water and come up coughing and spluttering.

  Owen stands there chuckling at me, a satisfied grin on his freckled face.

  “Ass hat.” I exclaim, splashing water in his face. I look beyond him and see Grayson leaving the pool with the pretty girl Lauren. He looks back at me and winks. Is he trying to get a reaction out of me? Well if he is, he will be waiting a long time, I can tell you. I swim back over to the girls who are now sat poolside with their legs dangling in the water.

  “He looks so hot today. What I wouldn’t do to slip my hands in those swim shorts.” Lydia says sighing. I follow her line of sight to find Nathan who is currently diving into the pool.

  “If you want him, go get him.” I suggest as I sit down beside Izzy.

  “God, no I couldn’t.” Lydia gasps, horrified at the very idea.

  “Why not?” I ask her. “You’re beautiful, single. He would think all his Christmases had come at once.”

  Izzy laughs nudging Lydia. “She has a point.” She nudges me then. “Your friend Lottie’s here.”

  I look across the pool and Lottie is standing over by the door, looking a little lost, waving at me. I climb to my feet and walk round to meet her.

  “I can’t believe I’m here.” She confesses excitedly, her eyes big and bright as she takes in the pool. I laugh and squeeze her hand.

  “Well you are, so go and get changed in there,” I point to the door on her right, “and then come and join us.”

  Two minutes later she comes and sits beside me, dangling her feet in the water. It is at this point that Grayson walks back in the room minus the lovely Lauren at his side.

  “Everly?” I look to my side to see Lottie looking at me and eyebrow cocked. “You haven’t heard a word I just said, have you?”

  I shake my head. “Sorry I was thinking about something.”

  Lottie scoffs and nudges me playfully. “More like someone. Your eyes followed his every move.”

  I frown. “They did not.” Then I realise I have just admitted to knowing exactly who she was referring to.

  “It’s okay to like him you know. No one would blame you, I mean he may be a bit of a man whore, but look at him.” She gestures with her head to where Grayson now stands in the water tipping his hair back out of his face. He is truly a piece of artwork to admire, every muscled inch of his body is glistening wet.

  “I don’t like him. Yeah he’s nice to look at but that’s all.”

  She nods. “Huh huh.”

  I flick her pony tail and she laughs at me. “I wonder if he is as good in the sack as all the girls make out?”

  I flush remembering how last night he made me come hard and fast and whispering his name. “I doubt it, I bet he’s all talk and a one-minute wonder.”

  She sighs. “I don’t know. I think Mr St. Clair could keep a girl sa
tisfied for hours.”

  “Gross.” I laugh nudging her. The topic needed to change quickly as it was causing my mind to drift back to last night. Grayson had kept me awake for hours and he definitely was a giver. No boy had ever made me feel like that. My previous few experiences of oral sex had been awkward and not that great, but last night with him, was something else.

  “I’m going to get a drink.” I announce jumping up. “Want one?” I ask her, and she tells me she’ll have a coke. I leave her chatting with Izzy and Lydia.

  I head over to the small bar in the corner of the room and open the fridge, grabbing two cokes.

  “Fuck!” I exclaim when I lean back up and find Grayson leaning on the bar watching me. “You scared me.” I confess my hand on my chest.

  “Red looks good on you Manchester.” He tells me, winking.

  I nod and look over his shoulder. “You lost your fan club?”

  He cocks a brow in question. “You mean Lauren? She had to go, she’s baby-sitting her brother.”

  I nod trying to look completely uninterested. “I’m sure you’ll find yourself another victim.”

  He laughs at me, which just gets my back up. “Victim huh? Is that what you were last night? I’m pretty sure you were a willing participant.”

  I flush bright red and feel his eyes linger on my breasts before he moves back up to my face.

  “You jealous, sweet cheeks? Need me to make you feel special again.” He smiles cockily as he sips on his drink.

  I scoff. “Jealous. Look I’m a normal girl. I have needs, last night you helped me with them. It was good yes, but there will not be a repeat. Back to enemies remember.”

  He nods continuing to grin at me. “You’ll be back for more Manchester.” He leans further over. “Don’t tell me last night hasn’t left you wanting more. You want it and I’m only going to let you have it when you beg me for it Manchester.”

  With that he walks away and after I have picked my jaw up off the floor, I take a big swig of my drink to calm myself. I was aching down there with his words but at the same time I wanted to punch him in the face, arrogant tosser! I would never go near him again.

  I enjoy the rest of my afternoon. I have fun chatting with the girls and Nathan and I have a race and he beats me by a good many strokes. I manage to keep my distance from Grayson even when all of us gather together in the hot tub, I make sure I am on the opposite side to him. Owen makes a beeline for me and flirts playfully with me. I notice some of the couples in the group starting to sneak off. First Dom and Izzy go missing, then Jacob and Molly and then I smile when I see Lydia off over near the bar talking with Nathan. This eventually leaves me, Lottie, Owen Ben and Grayson in the pool.