Chasing Eden

"Were you ever going to tell me you can play this well?" she asked Graydon, not bothering to hide her irritation.
He shrugged and stood, retrieving his drink.
"What? And have to fight over the piano as well? No thanks." he said, mockingly, though Eden was pretty sure she could swap the words 'the piano' with 'my grandfather's love' and get the true meaning of his words.
"You're really good" she insisted, less abrasively "I'm serious, Gray. I actually... enjoyed that."
He cocked an eyebrow and laughed, mirthlessly and looked as though he were going to say something, but then changed his mind.
"He used to play that with his mother." George offered, then to Gray he added "I haven't heard you play in ages, Gray. Eden is right, you are really good. You two should play together more."
Gray downed the rest of his drink and eyed Eden's for a beat.
"You're right, we should." he said, approaching the sideboard, and his unreadable expression gave her the impression his words might have had a second meaning, which caused heat to flood her cheeks "How about that drink, Nod?" he added, visibly enjoying her annoyance at his use of the old moniker.
She still remembered the first time he had called her that. She had been forced to look up the damn word and she had not been impressed at the realization he had taken his pretentiousness to a new level by finding the word for the antithesis to the Garden of Eden.
"Eat shit and die" she mouthed, but when he brought her a drink, she took it and sipped it thankfully.
"Can't wait for the compelling dinner conversation," he mocked.
"Likewise." she retorted and lifted her glass to him.