𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀 ♰ 𝐄𝐃

SIXTEEN

We walked up to the front door, and Ethan knocked. I bit my lip out of nervousness, waiting for the door to open. I was so afraid I would be disliked by his brother and then Ethan would never speak to me again. He looked nervous as well. Maybe this was a bad idea.

The door opened moments later. A man quite similar to Ethan stood in the doorway, smiling and welcoming us into his home. "Hey, I'm Grayson, it's nice to meet you." My heart was pounding. I'll never find out what he really thinks of me if he pretends to be nice.

I told Grayson, "Likewise, I'm Beck." and I shook his outreached hand. Ethan led the way into the dining room, where a woman was standing, setting plates on the table. This must be Grayson's partner. She finished what she was doing and came over to greet me with a hug, telling me her name. I was surprised by it, but hugged her back, introducing myself. Her name was Sage. "Your name is so pretty, I love it," I said, and she held her hands to her chest, thanking me.

We all sat down at the table; they'd prepared baby back ribs. Of course, they chose the messiest meal they could think of. Grayson began the conversation by asking how Ethan and I met. Ethan looked at me with food in his mouth, signaling for me to answer.

"Well, I had a crush on him for the longest time," I could feel all eyes on me, including Ethan. "We used to walk past each other every day on my way to work. I told my friend about Ethan, and as it turns out, her boyfriend is friends with him. He set us up and got us in contact." I explained. Grayson nodded, chewing his food. When he finished, he looked up at me and I could see a difference in his demeanor. Sage looked at Grayson with a stern expression. What does she know that I don't?

"Ah, I see. So, is this about the money? Sugar daddy/baby type thing going on?" Grayson asked. I was in disbelief. I didn't even know how to begin to process his question. Ethan scolded Grayson by yelling his name. He shrugged and continued eating.

Sage apologized on Grayson's behalf, "Beck I am so sorry for that, I think Gray is just concerned for his brother, given his past." What does that mean? What happened that made his brother snap and disrespect me like that?

"Listen I don't know what happened in the past, but this has never been about money to me. I didn't even know he had money when I first saw him, and even for two years after that. Ethan is sweet and he is so nice to me. He could never spend a dime on me, and I'd be one hundred percent content with that." I spewed. I was being honest. "Any issues you have with previous women should be taken up with them. I don't deserve th-" I was cut off by the sound of Ethan's chair on the floor next to me. He gently grasped my arm, guiding me to follow him.

"You don't have to explain yourself to him," Ethan says sweetly to me, "Thanks for dinner." his tone changed as he spoke to his brother, sounding angry. He took my hand and led the way out of the house. The moment we left the room, I felt my eyes well up with tears. I didn't deserve that, he made me feel sleezy. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having a sugar daddy, but to use that as a means to make me feel like shit? I'm not taking that.

The door shut behind us and he stopped me immediately, embracing me. I gripped his black dress shirt and felt his grip on me get tighter. "Please don't let him ruin us, he's the only one who sees you that way." He whispers into my ear, kissing my head. He pulled away and lifted my chin, bringing my eyes to meet his. Is this really how he's reacting to this? He just up and left the dinner that his brother planned for him, no questions asked.

Just as we were about to pull out of the long driveway, the door to the house flew open and out came Sage, running after us, not bothering to shut the door behind her. Ethan put the car in park. He told me to stay in the car, and he got out to talk with Sage. A moment later, she's waving at me to get out of the car. I do, and she gives me another big hug. I like Sage. She tells me how sorry she is for Grayson's behavior and wishes us a good night.

Ethan and I get back into his car as Sage goes back inside. We sit in silence for a moment before he speaks, "I won't ever put you in that situation again, I am so sorry." I can see that he is embarrassed, stressed, and angry. I put my hand on his face, reassuring him that it's not his fault. We were silent on the way back, and I wondered where we were going.

_

I don't know if anyone is interested in this book anymore, but I am going to work on it regardless. I'm so sorry for leaving you all hanging, transitioning to adulthood is hard.