Him & I

Calm Before the Storm

And out there in the spotlight's shining heat
As I stare out at endless faces
It's like the eye of a hurricane
And I'm blown away to distant places
In every reflection it's you that I see
When night comes down I'll be back in town
So give your love to me
In the calm before the storm
——Calm Before the Storm, Keel

September 17, 2018

Training camp started in a week and Grayson was feeling a range of emotions. Nervous, anxious, excited, scared. It would hit him in random moments and he'd feel his heart rate pick up a little.

He'd been trying to focus on being rested and ready. He knew the season would be long, would be a grind. And he needed to have both his head and his body right to deal with it.

And he wanted his relationship right too.  He knew that there would be challenges, that it wouldn't always be easy.  But Cait had promised him, sitting on a rock in a Colorado canyon, that they'd always work it out. 

Their summer hadn't always been relaxing.  There had been endless travel, some drama and some tension.  But now Grayson wanted a clean slate.  A clear mind and strong body for what was ahead.

So he wanted to spend these last few days doing the things he needed to do and then spending time with his fiancée. Cait would be in New York for a few days while training camp was going on. And then he'd have games and practices and lots of other things to occupy his time.

He'd convinced Cait to keep her schedule as clear as she could for the next few days.  Grayson wanted to spend his time with her.  He knew she had her own responsibilities, but this felt like the last chance for them to just relax together before the season swept him up and away. 

He had today off.  And he woke and immediately rolled to the other side of the bed.  But it was empty. 

That made him frown.  He pushed himself up and went into the bathroom.  Then he grabbed a pair of boxers and followed the sound of the voice coming from down the hall.

"- we bid the project with noncombustible, instead of fire resistant construction?" Grayson heard her ask.  "What version of the ICC codes are in effect in that jurisdiction?  And what's the use classification?"  He poked his head into the office to see Cait, in only one of his button down shirts, on the phone.  She was looking at her computer, wearing the little tortoiseshell glasses she rarely wore, and her hair was in a messy bun.  She listened to the answers to her questions and made some notes.

Grayson crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned against the door jamb. When she didn't immediately notice his presence, he softly cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at her.

Cait looked over at him standing there in nothing but his boxers, which frankly weren't hiding much, and promptly fumbled her phone. Her lips parted slightly, as she tried to get control of the phone. But she put her pen down.

"I'm going to have to take another call," she managed to get out, not moving her eyes from him. "It sounds like this is something we need to consult the architect about before we can get a better cost estimate. Just keep me posted. Thanks everyone."

She disconnected and spun her chair in his direction. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought we agreed that we were gonna spend the day together," Grayson told her.  "I know you're a corporate big shot and all right now, but you didn't even make it past breakfast."