more for us | grayson dolan (book two)

twenty one

My fingers tap on the grand piano in the penthouse while my eyes stay glued on the sheet music. I've been practicing Somebody to Love for the past week, and it's pretty challenging. It's such a long song and the notes are tricky. The first part is a little easier than the second half, but that doesn't make it any less complicated.

Letting out a breath, I pull my hands away from the keys and stare at the songbook in front of me. I rub my lips together and flip through a few more pages.

"It sounds beautiful, baby." Grayson's voice is startling as he sneaks up behind me.

"I'm having a hard time with the second chorus. I have no idea why, it's all the same." I let out a frustrated sigh as I place a hand on my creased forehead.

"It's a really long song and you're playing it perfectly." His figure appears next to me as he sits down on the bench.

"Not perfectly, but I'll get there." I shake my head and look back at him. "Is Jake still in the shower?"

"Yup, he's been in there for a few minutes. Maybe I should check on him." He lets out a laugh.

"He's probably trying to relax as much as he can. He'll be at the shop late tonight."

"Is Paul still texting you with updates?" He whispers while leaning closer to me.

"Yeah, he tells me how Jake's doing at work. So far so good." I shrug my shoulders.

Since the incident last week, I asked my brother's coworker to keep me updated on how he's doing on the job. I want to make sure he isn't slacking off or doing any lazy work. He seems to be back to his old self, according to Paul.

"He's been living with us for a whole week, I think it really helped him." Grayson nods while wrapping his arm around my waist. The simple touch of his hands on my body causes my heart to beat faster.

"Okay, almost done." I hear Lanie huff from the dining room.

"With your designs?" I call out loud enough that she can hear me from across the penthouse.

"Yes, finally." Her voice says.

I turn my head and see her walking into the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Ethan is trailing behind her, holding onto the hot glue gun Lanie's been using for the past few days.

"I feel like you've been working on these designs for ten years." Grayson teases with a warm chuckle escaping his lips.

"Trust me, so have I." My best friend takes a long sip of water before releasing the bottle from her lips.

"You guys are going to love the clothes she made." Ethan says with a wide smile.

"I can't wait to see everything." I nod in agreement.

"You'll see everything on the runway. I have a meeting with my models in a few minutes, so I have to go back to school." She glances at the clock and lets out a groan. "I also need to drop off my portfolio. Crap."

"Just breathe, everything will be okay." I try to calm both her and myself down. I turn back to the piano and look at the notes in front of me.

"I'm going to gather my stuff and then head out. Do you want to come with me, babe?" I hear Lanie ask her boyfriend as I continue to focus on the book.

"I was going to hang back and do some research on law schools so I can apply to a few in the upcoming weeks. It might take awhile, but let's grab dinner when you come home." Ethan tells her.

His response causes my eyebrows to furrow, so I turn to look at Grayson. He has the same confused expression on his face. I have a feeling we're both thinking the same thing. Ethan not going somewhere with Lanie? That's weird. Those two are inseparable, they're practically attached at the hip.