Expecting (Grayson Dolan)

Chapter 1

The morning that Lauren Young had met Grayson Dolan, it was an unnaturally rainy day in Los Angeles. She was a waitress in a small diner, and she wasn't even scheduled to work on that stormy morning. After having two other waitresses not show up for their shift, they called Lauren in, practically begging her to work. So she threw her long red hair up in a bun and tied an apron around her waist and went to work.

Business was slow, and she leaned against the counter, staring out at the rain with her chin on her hand. The chime of the bell hanging over the door broke her out of her trance, and she quickly plastered a smile on her face. "Good morning! Just sit anywhere you'd like." She grabbed two menus from underneath the counter, making her way over to the table.

"Hey guys, can I get you anything to drink?" She said, placing the menus in front of the two boys. They both looked up at her at the same time, and hers widened slightly. They were twins! Not only were they twins, they were incredibly handsome twins.

One of the brothers gave her a grin, her white teeth standing out against his tanned skin. He had messy black hair and bright eyes, along with two little black earrings in his ears. "I'll have some orange juice please." His eyes flickered over to his brother, but he didn't say anything. "Grayson."

The boy's head jerked in the direction of his brother, his cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry, uhm, can I just get a water, please?" He asked, looking up at Lauren. His hair was lighter than his brother's, and it was neatly styled but slightly damp from the rain. A silver earring dangled from one ear, and his hand self-consciously touched his hair. "I'll be right back." Lauren said, giving them a smile.

As soon as she was out of hearing distance, the brothers began talking rapidly.

"Gray, you totally like her!"

"Eth, I've just met her. I don't even know her name." Grayson groaned, pulling out his phone and looking at his reflection. "And I look ridiculous right now, this rain messed up my hair." He said, trying to straighten it up before the waitress comes back.

She sat their drinks in front of them, pulling out a little notepad. "Were you two ready to order, or did you need more time?" Her eyes flickered between the two, waiting on a response. They gave her their order, and she game them a smile in response.

"It shouldn't be long, let me know if you need anything else." She took the order back to the kitchen, heart beating widely in her chest. Those were two of the best-looking boys that she had ever seen in her life. She'd be lying if she said that they didn't make her incredibly nervous. Trying to steady her heartbeat, she didn't go back out until it was time to give the boys their food.

When she went to walk away, she felt a gentle touch on her arm. "Hey, Lauren, right?" The one with messy hair asked. She nodded in return, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you sit with us for a bit? We're the only ones in here, keep us some company." He suggested. "I'm Ethan by the way, Ethan Dolan."

Lauren hesitated for a second before pulling a chair over to the table and sitting down. "I'm Lauren Young." Her eyes flickered to the other brother who still hadn't said anything and was instead focusing his attention on his blueberry pancakes.

"Dude!" Ethan scolded, kicking his brother under the table, making him jump.

"Sorry.. My name is Grayson Dolan." He said, giving Lauren a grin, showing his impeccably white teeth. He offered her a hand and she shook it lightly, making her heart pound in her chest again. She didn't know what to say after that, and she was feeling incredibly awkward.

"So, Lauren, how old are you?" Ethan asked, cutting into his pancakes and taking a large bite.

"I just turned seventeen back in October. What about you two?"

"Just turned seventeen in December!" Ethan said, chuckling to himself. Lauren and Ethan continued to make small talk, while Grayson quietly picked at his food. He inserted himself into the conversations occasionally, but he seemed so withdrawn.

After the twins had finished eating, Lauren stood up to clean up the table when she noticed Grayson checking his phone. "It was really great meeting you two." She told them, sliding the extra chair back to its normal table.

"You too! Hey, if you don't mind me asking, can we get your number? We'll have to definitely hang out again when you have a day off." Ethan said, and she saw him give Grayson a smirk.

"Yeah, that's fine." She said, looking in her pocket for a pen.

"Gray, give her your phone so she can put her number in it. Mine must be in the Jeep." Ethan said, and Grayson gave her a nervous smile as he handed her his iPhone. She typed in her phone number and name, putting a smiling emoji next to it.

"It was really great meeting you guys, but I better get back to work." Lauren laughed, handing Grayson his phone back. Another family was coming into the diner and she walked away to grab their menus.

"Hey Lauren, what about the check?" Grayson asked, furrowing his brows. She shook her head, waving her hand in their direction.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house." She told them, placing a hand on his shoulder and she walked past with the menus in her other hand. Lauren admired how broad and muscular Grayson's shoulder was underneath her hand, and her cheeks heated up.

Ethan stood up, giving her a quick bear hug, with Grayson giving her one next. She was surprised that he gave her a hug, considering how quiet he had been during breakfast. "I'll text you a little later, if that's okay?" Grayson asked, sounding unsure of himself.

"That would be great." She said, giving him a soft smile. The handsome pair of twins waved one last time as they walked out, pulling their hoods up over their heads to keep themselves from getting soaked from the rain. Lauren tended to the other table, ensuring that they had everything they needed before going to wipe off the table that was just vacated. A $20 bill was placed under Grayson's water glass, and she smiled to herself, rolling her eyes. She was kicking herself, because she didn't get his number in return, so she would have to wait on him to text her first. She wasn't a patient girl.

After her incredibly slow shift finally ended, she was relieved to go home. The rain had finally stopped, but the sun had yet to peek out from behind the clouds. Her car was parked in the parking lot behind the diner, and she sighed with relief when she sat down, enjoying the feeling of being off her feet. She drove home slowly, getting annoyed with the never-ending traffic in Los Angeles. When she finally did get home to her tiny apartment, she was frustrated and tired. Lauren took a long, hot shower and ate a quick dinner, wanting to lay down and relax. Once she was comfortable in her pajamas and sprawled out on the couch, she flipped Netflix on and picked up her phone. She decided to watch a romantic comedy, and she was almost halfway through the movie when her phone buzzed.

'Hey Lauren, it's Grayson Dolan. Ethan and I wanted to see if you wanted to come hang out with us tomorrow? We were going to cook some food on the grill and hang out by the pool, if you were interested.'

Lauren had a big grin on her face. She had been hoping that he would text her soon, and she was so excited to spend more time with them.

'That sounds good! What time should I come over, and do you need me to bring anything?'

Grayson's response arrived in less than a minute.

'Noon? And don't worry about it! Your pretty self is all you need to bring.'

He ended the message with a blushing emoji, and Lauren's cheeks flared up in a blush. He was so shy earlier, but now he seemed to have regained his confidence.

'Noon is perfect, see you then. Xx'

To say that she was looking forward to tomorrow was a understatement, and she knew that tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.