never be the same | grayson dolan

twenty three

My mind is still in a haze thinking of the beautiful night Grayson and I had a few days ago. It was everything I hoped for and more, and it definitely made our relationship stronger than ever.

Grayson distracts me from my real life problems. When I'm around him I don't think about my annoying mother, or the fact that Ben is in town, or the realization that it's the first week of August. This thought scares me, but I try to keep myself occupied by thinking about it as little as possible. The start of this month usually keeps me busy by baking the perfect birthday cake for my father.

It's a tradition that I will never break. When he found out that Ben beat up Grayson, he flipped his shit. It takes a lot for my father to go on a full-blown rampage, but add Ben to the mix and it's ten times worse. That's why I wanted to make this years cake the best it could be, my father deserves it for everything he has done for me over the past year. I wrote down a list of ingredients to help me stay on task.

Grayson promised he would help me bake the cake since today is my father's birthday. My heart fluttered once the sliding glass door in the kitchen opened and Grayson stepped inside.

"Hey." He places a gentle kiss on my lips. "Am I on time? I told my boss to let me out as early as possible."

"Yup, you're good." I glance up at the clock

"So, what exactly are we getting at the grocery store?" He holds onto my hand as I stand up from the kitchen table.

"I have a list." I pull it out of my black cross body and wave it at him.

"Of course you do." He shakes his head with a teasing grin.

"I want to be a little extra this year." I laugh down at the small piece of paper. "My dad deserves it."

"That's true. I didn't know if I should get him anything." Grayson looks down at me. "I mean he's done so much for me."

"You don't need to get him anything." I shrug. "You can help me bake the cake."

"I don't know how to bake." Grayson loudly chuckles.

"Guess I'm gonna have to teach you." I lightly smirk up at him.

"It's too nice out to be inside baking all day."

Grayson groans and looks back out the door. "Let's go surfing."

"Hell no." I shake my head. "We are getting this cake done whether you like it or not and you promised to help me."

"What if your dad comes home while we're in the middle of baking?"

"He's not going to." I look back up at him. "Our neighbor takes him out to a baseball game every morning for his birthday, then he comes home just in time to eat the perfect cake made by yours truly."

"Oh, so you're saying we have this whole house to ourselves for the afternoon." Grayson smirks and wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing my hip lightly.

"Yes, but we're baking." I keep my guard up and try to block out his hands on my body.

"You sure you want to spend all day in the kitchen?" He whispers into my ear.

Chills send up and down my body at his calming voice. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Suit yourself." He removes his hand from my waist with a chuckle.

I roll my eyes and playfully hit his arm as we finally make our way out the front door. We get into the car and head downtown to begin our baking journey. I ignore Grayson's flirty little comments and complaints about being stuck inside all day. I will not let him distract me on a day like this. Once we enter the store, I grab a shopping cart and begin pushing it.