Loving Grant

Unexpected Reactions

"Her?" Grayson spits out his drink. "She's my wedding date?"

Vanessa nods eagerly. "Yes, her! She's stunning right?"

Safiya takes a step back but keeps her eyes on Grayson.

Grayson jumps off his bar stool. "Right, but where did you guys find her?"

"I met her in college, she's so smart." Vanessa grins, looking from Grayson to Safiya.

Grayson walks towards Safiya. "That's great."

Grant spins his stool towards Grayson, squinting. "You good man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Grayson says, his voice icy. "Just wasn't expecting her."

I can't ignore the tension building, so I speak. "Have you guys met before?"

Grayson crosses his arms, eyeing Safiya. "I don't know, have we?"

Safiya stands her ground, despite Grayson's menacing glare. "Yeah, for a short time."

"It was so brief that I didn't even realize when she left." Grayson looks away.

"Grayson." Safiya sighs, taking a step closer to him. "It was complicated."

Grayson shrugs. "Whatever, I've had too many drinks to have this conversation right now."

Grant moves next to Grayson. "What happened between you too?"

"We had a little fling." Grayson pinches his fingers close together, indicating how little their romance had been to him. His actions showed otherwise. I can't help but wonder why she left him. I've never seen Grayson lose his cool like this, she must've really hurt him. I start to ponder the idea that she is the reason he doesn't want to have a relationship. I won't be able to tell since I didn't know him before he met her, but it's a very probable theory. I feel guilty for bringing her here if she hurt him as badly as it seems like she did.

Safiya's face falls. "We dated for a few weeks, then I left. It was a very romantic rendezvous, movie-style romance."

Ness is ready to speak right away, asking the questions we're all dying to know the answers to. Her eyes are lit up when she speaks. "That's so cute! Why did you leave?"

"It doesn't matter." Grayson groans and moves back to the bar counter and throws back a shot.

"Can we talk about this in private please?" Safiya pleads with Grayson.

He scuffs. "Do we even have anything to talk about? It seems pretty self-explanatory to me."

She bites her lip, looking like she's about to retract her statement, but ultimately nods in affirmative. "We do, I have a lot to say to you."

He avoids her eyes and shifts the glass back and forth between his hands. "Okay, let's talk."

Safiya wastes no time grabbing his hand and dragging him away. I think she was worried he'd change his mind if she didn't leave with him before he had time to reconsider his decision to go with her. Judging by the glum look on his face, I can't say she'd be wrong.

The three of us stand there awkwardly until Grant breaks the silence. "That was romantic. I love watching a girl tell Grayson what to do, it's about time."

I chuckle. "He never told you about her?"

"Nope, he keeps his relationships top secret." He motions to the seats next to him. "Have a seat ladies."

I take the stool next to him and V sits beside me. "Should we spy on them?" Vanessa asks, her eyes shinning with excitement and the need to know.

"No." Grant says plainly. "I think in this situation we sit here and make uncomfortable small talk."