Cross My Heart

It had been two months since that night first night with Findley. There had been a few nights following it, when Grayson would receive a panicked phone call from Oliver, begging for her help. But as the days wore on, the calls eventually slowed. Oliver was learning how to be a father rather quickly and Grayson couldn’t have been any happier for or prouder of him.

As for Grayson, when she wasn’t helping her best friend with his baby, she was working her rear end off at Drop Dead and working on developing products for Acey’s make-up line, which Oliver had been more than thrilled to be a part of. He’d even offered to pay for any expenses that came along with it, but that wasn’t what Acey wanted; she only wanted to help expand his company, whilst fulfilling her own dream – not his money, and everyone had respected her that much more for that.

Currently, Grayson was ringing up a final customer, something she hardly ever did simply because Oliver had insisted upon giving her the job that she had no need to work the register; her job was to help with designs. However, since Oliver wasn’t in the shop today, and they had had two employees call in sick, she’d offered to help out.

Being that it was a Friday, the shop was a bit more busier than was normal during any other weekday. They were constantly having to restock the shelves, and it seemed as if every employee let out a sigh as Acey went to lock the doors, ending their day work day.

“I love Fridays,” the red head smiled, earning her a crazed look from everyone around her. “What? At least it keeps you busy,” she shrugged.

Grayson laughed as she continued counting the money in her drawer. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m aware,” she snickered, climbing up onto the counter to sit. “So, are you coming out with us tonight?”

“I wasn’t aware there was anything going on tonight?” Grayson mumbled.

“That’s because I just decided it!” Acey grinned. “So, you in?”

She hadn’t gone partying since the incident at Lee’s house, and to be quite honest, she was a little afraid of what would happen if she had alcohol in her system again. “I don’t know …”

“Oh, c’mon, Gray! You haven’t gone out in forever! Please,” the girl whined, pouting out her lips.

Grayson sighed, knowing she was going to give in. “Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not getting dressed up.”

Acey laughed. “I can deal with that. Do you need help with anything?”

She shook her head, writing down the last dollar amount on the sheet in front of her. “I’m finished, actually, but thanks.” She turned to Brandon, who had been working the register beside hers. “Got your numbers down?”

He set his pen down. “’Ere yeh go, boss,” he smiled.

Grayson rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Brandon. Have a good night,” she told him as he grabbed his coat from under the counter.

“Yeh, too, Gray,” he laughed before walking out.

Acey grinned as she hopped down from the counter. “You know why he calls you that, don’t you?”

“Acey Jensen, don’t start with me,” Grayson warned.

“It’s because he thinks you and Oliver are shagging!” the red head bellowed, laughing.

“You’re not funny,” Grayson said as she began walking to the back room.

“But it’s true, Gray!”

“Well we’re not. And even if we were, Oliver would still be the boss, so it makes no sense.”

Acey rolled her eyes. “Hello, Grayson!” she said, waving her hand in front of the brunette’s face. “This is Oli’s empire! And if you two were together, this would all be yours, too! Hence, you, in a way, become boss lady!”

Grayson cracked up. “You’re all insane!”

“Deny it all you want, but it’s the truth!” Acey said as she grabbed her coat. “So, Matt and I’ll come pick you up around nine, okay?”

“Sure,” Grayson nodded.

“See you then, boss lady!”

She shook her head, smirking. “See you later, crazy ass!”

After leaving the papers in the correct drawer in Oliver’s desk, she turned off all the lights and locked the back doors as she walked to her car. She sang along to horrendous pop songs being played on the radio as she drove home. When she reached, she skipped up to her apartment, and was surprised to see that Leah was already home.

“Did you get fired?!” Grayson questioned, having a slight heart attack.

Leah laughed and rolled her eyes, picking up her glass of red wine. “I’ll have you know, I’m pretty confident when I say that my job is secured.”

“Then why are you home so early? I mean, you just never are,” Grayson commented as she kicked off her shoes and took a seat at the kitchen counter.

“So … turns out my arrogant boss is actually a pretty decent guy,” the older girl smiled. “He asked me out on a date tonight.”

“Oh my God! Leah, that’s great!” she shrieked, wrapping her arms around her sister.

Leah laughed. “Yeah, I think so, too. I haven’t gotten laid in awhile, so this could be good for me.”

Grayson groaned as she pulled out of the embrace. “You can’t sleep with him on your first date!”

“Well, maybe not, but there are certainly other things we can do!” she winked.

Grayson acted like she was gagging. “You disgust me.”

Her sister cackled. “What’re you doing tonight?”

“Acey and the guys are going out, so she invited me to go along.”

“You’re going, right?”

“I said I would, though I don’t really feel like it.”

Leah gave her a look. “I’m your older sister, so listen to me: go out, get drunk and allow yourself to have some fun! You act like you’re thirty-three instead of twenty-three,” she scolded.

Grayson pouted. “Whatever. I need to go change,” she said, noticing that the time was already nearing eight-fifteen.

“Wear something that’ll show off that juicy booty of yours!”

“Shut up, Leah!”

“What!? You should be proud! I’m jealous that mom gave all that donk to you!”

Grayson only laughed as she shut her bedroom door, going for her closet. She pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a dark blue and white striped top that would fit her loosely. She tossed both onto her bed and slipped out of the clothes she was wearing. She quickly slid on the jeans and shirt, and when she looked into the mirror, she couldn’t help but to turn around and take a look at her butt. The tightness of her jeans definitely made her rear look larger than what it normally was, but she couldn’t exactly say she hated it; it truly was an asset. She put on a pair of silver earrings, slid one ring over her right middle finger, and finished with a black bracelet on her left wrist.

Grayson left her room, going for the hallway bathroom. She took the make-up bag she and her sister shared from underneath the sink and went over the liner she already had decorating her eyes, making the lines appear fresh. She brushed her lashes with a few coats of mascara and instead of putting on foundation and powder, she opted to just go for a bit of blush. Feeling satisfied with that, she bent over and grabbed the can of hair spray on the counter, spraying her entire head with it. She set the can down before running her fingers through her hair as she stood straight. Her waves were prominent this way and held body.

“Good enough,” she shrugged before turning the light off and leaving the room. She grabbed her phone and checked the time, seeing it was already eight-forty-five. She chucked the device onto her bed before grabbing her all black, low-top Converses. She slipped her feet into them and pumped a few sprays of perfume over her shirt and hair. She grabbed her purse and phone and walked out into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. She fiddled with her fingers until a knock came on the door. She jumped up and went to answer it. Acey smiled widely in her face.

“All set?” she asked.

Grayson nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Great, let’s go!” Acey cheered.

“Leah, I’m leaving! Good luck with your date!” she shouted, grabbing her black cardigan and purse.

“Thanks! Love you!” her sister shouted back.

“Love you, too!” Grayson called before slipping out the door.

“So, guess who decided to come out tonight?”

“Who?”

“Oliver,” Acey smiled as she opened the building’s door, allowing them to step outside.

A sigh escaped Grayson’s lips. “I’m telling you, Ace, it’s not going to happen.”

“And why is that?” she asked, laying her hand on the passenger door handle of Matt's car.

“Because the last time we tried, he rejected me. Again,” Grayson stated, her tone bored.

“Are you shitting me?”

“Afraid not.”

“Oi, get in ‘ere! We’re gonna be late!” Matt yelled, making Acey roll her eyes.

“Let’s go before he has a cow. But I am sorry, Gray. I really just don’t understand Oliver.”

Grayson laughed. “Join the club, Ace.”

There was little room for conversation on the way to the pub, as Matt blared the sound of a heavy band, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel every now and then. Grayson watched as Acey and he would quarrel here and there, laughing at the meaningless insults they threw at each other. By the time they were parking, Acey had called him a ‘dickhead’ at least five times.

“Quiet down, meh bird. ‘M gettin’ a ‘eadache,” Matt complained as he threw an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.

“Don’t make me knee you in the balls,” she retaliated, making him laugh.

Grayson followed in tow of them, trying not to feel envious of her friends’ relationship. When they entered the bar, it only took them a moment to find the booth where their friends were seated. Matt slid in next to Jona on the right side, Acey sliding in after him, taking the last spot. She turned to her left, noticing that, of course, the only available seat was the one next to Oliver.

“’Ey, love,” he smiled.

“Hey, Oli,” she nodded, slipping off her sweater and putting it behind her. “How’s Findley?”

“She’s great. Meh mum and dad were quite ‘appy to ‘ave ‘er fer the night.”

Grayson laughed. “I bet.” She felt a kick against her shin and looked over at Acey, slightly glaring. “What?”

“Come with me to get a drink!” she said, standing up.

Grayson sighed. “Be right back.” Oliver nodded his head and she lifted from her seat, walking alongside Acey to the bar. “I know you and you better not be planning anything.”

“I would never do such a thing!” the red head gasped, holding a hand over her heart as if her feelings had been hurt.

“I’m sure,” Grayson laughed.

Acey stepped to the bar and turned to look at her. “What’ll it be?”

She shrugged. “Something strong.” She tapped her fingers against the wooden counter, listening as Acey rattled off an order to the bartender. She hadn’t noticed the presence beside her until they began speaking.

“’Ello, beautiful.”

Grayson looked over her shoulder, seeing that the voice had come from none other than the man she had met at Tesco not so long ago. Her lips pulled north. “Adam?”

The dark haired boy nodded his head. “Glad yeh remembered meh name, Grayson.”

“And you remembered mine,” she smiled.

Adam laughed. “It’s not everehday yeh meet a beautiful bird wiff the name Grayson.”

“I guess not,” she cackled.

“Here’s your drink. I’ll see you at the booth,” Acey stated, sliding her a glass before giving her a wink and walking off.

Grayson rolled her eyes, but took a sip of the drink, the strong liquor pleasing her taste buds. “So … how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been alright. Workin’ mostleh, but it brings meh moneh,” Adam grinned. “And what about yeh, beautiful?”

She tried not blush from the pet name. “The same, mostly.”

“And ‘ow’s yeh babeh doin’?”

Grayson nearly choked on the liquid in her mouth as she blushed a deep shade of red. “I, uh … I don’t have a baby.”

Adam’s brows furrowed in confusion. “But I saw yeh cart that day … yeh ‘ad a bunch’o babeh stuff.”

She nodded her head. “It was for my friend’s baby,” she explained.

“Oh,” he said, his pale skin now turning a light pink. “’M sorreh fer jumpin’ teh conclusions. ‘S a terrible ‘abit,” he smiled, letting out a nervous laugh.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Grayson assured him.

“Well, I’ll let yeh get back to yeh mates. I’m DD tonight, unfortunateleh, but I just wanted to come say ‘ello.”

“I’m glad you did.”

Adam grinned and grabbed a nearby napkin, taking a pen from his back pocket. He quickly scribbled something down before shoving the napkin her way. “’Ave a good night, Grayson,” he told her before walking off.

Grayson looked down at the napkin, reading what had to be his number. She smiled and folded the paper, stuffed it into her pocket and grabbed her drink before walking back to the booth. As she sat down, she noticed Acey grinning at her and from beside her, she felt a harsh stare.

“’Oo were yeh talkin’ teh?” Oliver questioned.

“Adam. He was the guy I ran into when we were at Tesco shopping for Findley awhile back,” Grayson explained, although she wasn’t sure why she felt like she had to. “He was just saying hi.”

“Right,” Oliver said slowly before taking a sip of his drink.

“He was pretty cute, Gray. You should have gotten his number,” Acey commented, clearly delighted with the whole situation.

“He, um, he did give it to me actually,” Grayson mumbled, lifting her glass to her mouth.

“Go, Gray!” Vegan cheered, tilting his beer her way.

“Oi, yeh can’t go callin’ blokes cute. ‘M the onleh one yeh can say that about,” Matt pouted, looking at the red head.

Acey laughed and pecked his lips. “You’re cuter,” she winked.

“Damn right,” he cheesed.

As the night wore on, more of the band showed and rounds of shots and drinks were being bought left and right. By the time it hit eleven, Grayson knew she was drunker than she cared to admit. Proof of that was shown when she got up to dance with Tom, earning her a few questionable looks; Grayson hated dancing with a passion. She usually tripped over her own feet or stepped on the toes of the person she was dancing with. Either way, it never ended well for her.

Tom’s hands lingered on her waist, helping her sway them to the rhythm of the music. “Yeh propeh pissed, Gray,” he laughed.

“Shh! I’m fine,” she slurred, pressing two fingers against his lips to keep him quiet, which only resulted in him laughing harder. She frowned as she stepped on her own foot. “Fuck me!”

The blue eyed boy grinned. “Fanks fer the offeh, and I totally would, but ‘m afraid Olleh’d ‘ave meh balls fer that one!”

Grayson burst into a fit of giggles. “You’re funny, Tommy!” He smirked, amused with her drunken state.

“Fink I can cut in?” Both looked to see Oliver standing behind his brother.

“’Old onto ‘er good, Olleh. She can bareleh stand,” Tom instructed before pressing a kiss against her cheek. “See yeh latah, love!” He walked away before she could say anything.

Oliver’s large hands gripped her waist, and he smiled down at her. “Yeh look nice, Gray,” he stated.

Those words suddenly helped to sober her up a bit. “Oh, fuck,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

“What?” he questioned, clearly confused.

“Nothing. Just keep dancing,” she sighed.

An upbeat techno song came on, and without warning, Oliver pulled her closer to him. It was then she could smell the traces of vodka in his breath. Her eyes traveled up from his lips to his eyes, noticing how clouded they appeared to be. He was much drunker than his body language showed. Grayson merely shrugged her shoulders, too inebriated herself to care, and began moving her hips against his.

This seemed to please him, and his fingertips dug into her sides, pulling her even closer. She could practically feel his length against her front, and as their hips collided time after time, she couldn’t help the moan that vibrated down her throat. She couldn’t recall ever feeling such pleasure. Oliver gave her a lop-side smile and backed her against the wall, hoisting her left leg up to wrap around his waist. He grinded further into her, and this time, both of them moaned from the contact.

“K-kiss me, Oli,” Grayson breathed, her brown eyes staring intently into his.

Without argument, his soft lips molded against her own and his hands cradled her face, not leaving an inch of separation between them. His warm tongue glided against her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, allowing their tongues to explore each other’s mouth. She could taste the mint from his toothpaste and the liquor on his tongue, and it only made her want him that much more. Her hands bunched the front of his shirt into her fists, and she pressed harder into the kiss, making Oliver groan.

He pulled away and looked at her with heavy lidded eyes. He pressed his lower half into her, and she tilted her head back, gasping for air. “Yeh feel that?” he whispered against her ear, his teeth nipping at her lobe. She could only nod her head. “I want yeh, Gray. Fuck, do I want yeh,” he breathed with need in his voice.

“You can have me,” she boldly stated.

There were no words exchanged between them as Oliver snatched her hand and pulled her to their booth. He grabbed his phone whilst she collected her cardigan and purse and without even a 'goodbye' to their friends, they were out the door and into his car. Oliver’s hands gripped the wheel tightly as he sped down streets, and Grayson felt nothing but elation that he had finally said the words she’d been waiting so long to hear: he wanted her.

When they reached his house, both flew out of his car and stumbled through the front door. He threw his keys somewhere into the distance, and before Grayson could blink, he was on her. His mouth found hers and he began walking them backwards, not stopping until the backs of her legs hit the couch, toppling them over.

Grayson giggled into the kiss, and Oliver pulled away, smirking at her. She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling a wave of heat flow through her entire body. Oliver’s lips skimmed down her chin, leaving wet kisses all over her neck. His hands slipped underneath her shirt, and she moaned at the feeling of his cold fingers. This egged him on, and he lifted up from her, pulling her shirt over her head and throwing it onto the floor before doing the same with his own.

Heatedly, he pressed his mouth against Grayson’s again, and she sighed into his mouth as his hips rolled against hers repeatedly. She could feel herself becoming wet, and she wrapped her legs tighter around Oliver’s waist, pressing further against his hardness. He gave a throaty groan and pulled away from her mouth with a loud, wet smack.

He quickly began undoing the button and zipper of his jeans, and Grayson did the same with her own. They both kicked the denims off, and as they did so, Oliver lost his balance, bringing them both down onto the ground. Either of them paid it any attention, though, before attacking each other again. His long fingers rubbed against the thin material of her underwear, only making her centre throb more than it had been before.

After a moment, Oliver hastily pulled her underwear down her legs before slipping out of his boxers. He reached over to where his jeans had been dropped, pulling something from out of the pocket. Grayson listened as the wrapper crinkled when he opened it, and figured it was a condom. She was glad he had at least remembered that, because her mind was in too much of a haze.

With his right knee, he separated her legs and Grayson held her breath as he pushed into her. There was a sudden pain that shot down her lower half and she struggled not to cry out from the sensation. Oliver only gave two more thrusts before completely stopping, and Grayson could feel the muscles in his back tensing.

Something was wrong.

His face suddenly hovered over hers and his eyes were clouded with anger instead of the lust they had been filled with only moments before. “Yeh didn’ tell meh yeh were a fuckin’ virgin, Grayson!” his loud voice echoed throughout the quiet house, stunning her.

Grayson tried to hold back the tears that were hoarding her eyes. “I didn’t think it mattered,” she whispered.

“God dammit! Of course it fuckin’ does!” he shouted before abruptly pulling out of her. He reached for his boxers and tossed her underwear to her. He sat on his knees as she pulled the fabric over her legs, pulling frantically at his hair. “What ‘ave I done?!” he cried.

Grayson ignored the few tears that had rolled down her cheeks and crawled over to him, reaching her hands out to his face. He pushed them away, though, and that made her heart drop. “Oli-“

“This were a mistake! A fuckin’ mistake!” he roared, his accent thicker from the alcohol and anger. “Didn’t yeh know that!?” He looked at her now.

Slowly, Grayson rose to her feet. She numbly gathered her clothes in her hands, her heart breaking with every step she took away from Oliver. Tears were falling freely and quickly out of her eyes, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. This time, Oliver had truly and deeply hurt her.

“Gray, what’re yeh doin’?” he questioned, his voice soft now.

She sniffled as she walked with her head hanging low to the stairs. She turned a bit, lifting her foot to the first step. “It wasn’t a mistake to me, Oliver,” she breathed before running up and into one of the guest rooms, where she eventually cried herself to sleep.