Him & I

You Say

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know
You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don't belong, oh You say I am yours
——You Say, Lauren Daigle

Before Jack could answer his daughter, his phone buzzed and he rolled his eyes.  "That'll be Joan, making sure I don't overstay my allotted time," he sighed. "And we haven't finished our conversation from yesterday."

Cait swallowed hard at that.  "You'll be in tomorrow," she managed.  She didn't want to get into this now.  She wanted to go home and deal with her fiancé first.  And there was only so much drama she could handle in one day.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You were unusually quiet in the meeting today."

"I just have a lot on my mind," she said softly. "But go home before Joan gets mad at you. Connor's probably home from soccer by now and you should have dinner with them. We'll talk tomorrow."

Jack frowned at that. "Promise?" he asked.

"I promise, Dad," Cait sighed.

*****

Grayson got home and just took some time to sit outside and try to relax. And convince himself to be calm and listen to Cait. She'd seemed despondent when he spoke to her earlier and he hated it when she sounded that way. He preferred Cait happy and laughing. But he knew that she had dealt with his meltdowns and self-doubt, both on and off the court. And he would do the same.

He ordered a pizza. Her favorite spinach, tomato, artichoke, and eggplant concoction. And waited for her to get home, with new resolve to keep his cool.

*****

Cait stepped into the apartment much as she had the day before, hesitantly. She'd been anxious to get home. But now she had to confess to Grayson just how dumb her London scheme had been.

Grayson was standing in the kitchen. He took one look at her and crossed the distance between them in a couple of long strides. He stood in front of her. "Are you okay?" he asked, studying her carefully.

"I don't think so," she whispered.  She looked pale. 

Grayson frowned at that.  "Cait, I know we had an argument.  And we should have talked it out yesterday.  But we'll get through it."

She nodded and set her briefcase down.  But when she tried to straighten back up, she got lightheaded and swayed on her feet.

"Hey," Grayson grabbed her. "Are you sick?"

She shook her head. "Just a little dizzy," she whispered.

"When's the last time you ate anything?" he frowned.

She thought about that for a minute. "Lunch," she sighed. But then she decided to be honest. "Yesterday."

"Jesus, Caitlin." Grayson was trying to tamp down the frustration. "You can't not eat just because I got mad. Hell, as often as I get mad, you'll starve to death in no time." He pulled her to a chair and then got a banana from the kitchen, peeling it and handing it to her. "I ordered a pizza for dinner. Should be here soon."