never be the same | grayson dolan

forty nine

I slowly open my eyes to an empty bed and a blanket wrapped around me. I sit up and look around Grayson's bedroom while letting a small yawn escape my mouth. I quickly throw on one of his sweatshirts that is placed on his dresser and walk out into the living room. My father is sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the tv screen. He glances at me coming down the hallway in the direction that is not my bedroom. I sigh to myself as I step closer to him.

"Good morning." I mumble while rubbing my eyes.

"Happy Thanksgiving." He slowly responds while looking up at me. "You're just in time for the parade."

"Where's Grayson?" I move my head to look around.

My father motions toward the kitchen. "He's by the water. He's been out there for almost an hour now."

I nod and begin to walk out of the living room.

"I know you slept in his room last night." My father adds. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. I trust both of you and, due to the circumstances, I'm glad he wasn't alone."

"Thank you so much for becoming his legal guardian." I turn back around to look at him. "It means a lot to the both of us."

"Grayson is part of our family." A small smile crosses over his face. "He was like a son to me the first few months he was living here. Now he's more like a son-in-law."

I can't help but laugh at his last comment. "You're the only adult male figure he has."

"That's why the paperwork is being filed this weekend to officially become his guardian." He gently grins. "It wasn't a long process considering his parents are deceased."

"What about the paperwork to have full custody of me?" I stare down at my bare feet and bite on my lower lip.

"Well, I signed everything you gave me," He sighs. "We're just going to have to wait it out."

I nod again before walking through the kitchen and out the sliding backdoor. The weather is warm but still has a cool breeze to it. I walk down the steps of the deck and head toward the ocean. The beach was pretty quiet today, maybe because it's a holiday. In the distance I can see Grayson sitting in the sand. His knees are brought to his chest and he's staring into the blue water. I steadily approach him and sit down next to him on the soft sand.

"Hey." My voice is smooth and low.

"Hi." He mumbles, never taking his eyes off of the ocean.

"It's really nice out here." I let my hand run through the sand. "It's quiet, peaceful."

"That's exactly why I'm out here." He exhales a deep sigh.

"I would ask you how you're doing, but I already know the answer to that." I turn my head to look back at him. "After everything that happened with Ben, all anyone would ask me was if I was okay or how I was doing. They clearly knew I was traumatized, but I guess they didn't care enough to take action to it. I mean, everyone knew I wasn't okay so there was no point in asking. Anything to start a conversation, I guess."

"I'm just feeling a lot of different emotions." He lightly shrugs. "I feel angry and hurt but I also feel upset."

"It's totally okay to feel that way." I reassure him. "I know you were never close to them and they did horrible things to you, but at the end of the day they're still your parents."

"After they left me with your dad, I swore I would never think about them ever again." He looks down at the sand. "But with the holidays approaching, I couldn't help but wonder if they missed me."

"Of course they missed you." I gently place my hand over his and give it a light squeeze. "Who wouldn't miss you? I mean you're the most amazing person I have ever met.'