I woke up the day Emma got back from Paris earlier than usual, wanting to hit the gym before I saw her. I puttered around the house, to see if Grayson would join me. Surprisingly, I found him in his room, not asleep, but lying lethargically in his bed.
"Hey, you awake?" I asked, shaking his bare shoulder gently.
"Yea," he mumbled.
"Wanna workout?" I asked.
"No," he stated.
That was weird.
"What's going on? Do you not feel good?" I questioned, crouching down so I was eye level with him.
"I feel like shit," Grayson informed me.
"Do you need to go to the doctor? What hurts?" I pressed, growing concerned at his vagueness.
"My heart," Gray said pitifully.
"Aw, Gray," I said softly.
"I just miss him a lot today," Grayson said simply.
"Me, too," I said quietly. Grayson squeezed his eyes shut. A tear dribbled out. I look away. I had seen him cry more in the past few months than I had in my entire life.
"Well, Dad wouldn't want us wallowing around," I said boldly. "I know that for sure,"
"Yeah," Grayson said weakly, turning on his side to glance up at me.
"Come eat breakfast, I'll make something," I offered.
"Do not make something, just put cereal in a bowl, if you can even manage that," Grayson said condescendingly, pulling on a shirt.
"Whatever," I waved him off, then made my way to the kitchen. I set out a few bowls and decided to let Gray pick his own cereal, making little work for myself. I pulled out my laptop and sifted through the pictures until I found the 4OU folder. Looking through those pictures always made Grayson feel better.
Quietly, Grayson slid into the chair next to me and peered over my shoulder. I breathed out "Kyle," with a grin when I clicked past a few pictures with him. Then came the show in New York we did that our family came to. The pictures of Cameron and us, Mom and then Dad. Grayson tensed when I came upon one that showed the profile of him and Dad, Grayson with one hand on the side of his face.
I shut my eyes quickly.
"Damn," Grayson mumbled. "That seems so long ago,"
I squeezed his shoulder. "I know."
"I'm gonna...take a shower," Grayson decided. I chose to let him be, and went and did my workout. Grayson was out of the shower and standing on the porch when I went to take my shower. I still hadn't fully figured out how to deal with Grayson when he was grieving. I didn't know how to deal with my own, anyway, but I knew I needed to be stronger for him when he wasn't.
I peeked out the glass slider.
"I'm picking up Emma from the airport, will you be okay?" I asked gently.
"I'm fine, I called mom," Grayson informed me, "She's coming in next week. Drive safe,"
"I will," I assured him. "See you in an hour,"
And I left the house, taking the short drive to LAX. I texted Emma telling her I was here, and then I spotted a fluffy jacket near baggage claim. I called her, guiding her to the car, and I carefully jumped out to grab her bags.
"Hey!" I called, holding my arms out. She rushed towards me, a big grin on her face. We hugged quickly, and I threw her bag in the trunk and then retreated to the safety of my tinted windows. Elbows on the center console, Emma brought me into a kiss, cupping my cheeks.
"Oh my gawd! I missed this jawline!" she cried, rubbing her thumb against the stubble on my jaw.
"Yeah, I missed you too, Emma," I said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh you know what I mean, I'm so glad I'm hoooooooome!" she cooed.
"How many coffees did you have on the plane?" I asked blankly.
"Quite a few, Mr. Ethan," Emma giggled.
"Never say that again," I insisted.
"Eteeweetee," Emma whispered.
"Who told you that?" I demanded.
"Only your twin brother," she taunted.
"Shut up right now," I smiled at her sparkling eyes. She laughed hysterically. She looked so beautiful.
"You're so pretty," I said softly. "Also, are you drunk?"
"Nah..." Emma sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm jet-lagged, wanna cuddle?"
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