more than this | grayson dolan (book one)

thirteen

I stare at my reflection in the mirror and cringe at my appearance. My damp hair is re-tied up in a messier bun and my skin is already breaking out.

Grayson's sweatpants barely fit me and his baggy baseball t-shirt is way too oversized for my small body. I can't believe i'm going to be face to face with his parents looking like this.

Normally I would never give a shit about my appearance, but this is different. The Dolan family is like royalty in our small town and I already know i'm going to get questioned about every detail regarding my life.

I slowly exit the bathroom and walk down the long hallway. Peeking my head into Grayson's bedroom, I see him sitting at his computer desk. I awkwardly walk in and place my bag containing my wet clothes on his bed.

"You look great." He laughs while eyeing me.

"It's not like I have options." I mutter as I turn back to face him.

"Kim is almost done preparing dinner." He moves around in his chair.

"I thought your moms name was Lisa?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"It is, Kim is our chef." He shrugs.

"You have a chef?" Of course he does, why would this surprise me?

"Only on the weekends, and she mostly cooks for my parents."

I bite down on my lower lip as I look around his bedroom. How do people live like this? And why wasn't I one of the fortunate ones in the world to get the privilege to?

"We can go down now." He stands up and heads for the door. I nod and follow him down the long staircase, hoping I don't trip on the ends of the sweatpants.

He leads me into the dining room and I instantly stop in my tracks. Lisa is sitting at the table in a floral dress, sipping a glass of red wine.

A man wearing a button down shirt and jeans sits at the head of the table, looking down at a newspaper.

Ethan and Lanie are also seated, which makes me feel better. Grayson clears his throat to draw attention, causing all of them to turn around.

"Stella! I didn't know you were here." Lanie smiles as she looks at me. She's wearing a white strapless shirt paired with a yellow mini skirt.

"Yup, here I am." I mutter as Grayson guides me over to my seat.

I sit down across from Lanie while he takes a seat next to me, sitting directly across from his twin. Both of his parents are at the head of each end.

The table is long and has a marble pattern to it. To add more wealth to the room, a glass chandelier is hanging above us.

"I'm really happy you joined us for dinner." Ethan flashes me a wide smile.

"Thank you for having me." I politely smile at his mother.

"Sean, Grayson has a dinner guest." Lisa motions toward her husband.

The man folds up the paper and looks at me. I can tell he's taken back by my appearance, and I don't blame him. Lanie looks like the beauty while I look like the beast.

"And you are?" He studies my facial expressions.

"Stella, sir." I let out a tiny laugh to calm my nerves.

He slowly nods as he glances back toward Grayson. A woman walks into the room with chicken cutlets and mixed vegetables on each plate.

Two bowls of chicken caesar salad are placed on each end of the table and glasses of water are being filled to the brim.