Page 50 of Necessary Time

“I’m right here,” Wesley snapped, grabbing his phone and throwing all his weight into Grayson’s shoulder. “Will you let me out?”

Grayson climbed out of the booth and Wesley went after, making his way to the other end of the restaurant to what I assumed were the bathrooms, but I wasn’t sure. Grayson sat back down and uttered a tired sigh.

“I know you don’t like me,” he said to Hendrix, and it was news to me. “But your brother is fine. I won’t let him make any stupid decisions.”

“I don’t dislike you,” he said.

Miles arched a brow, mirroring Grayson.

“Wes is an adult,” Grayson said. “He’ll get a job when he needs one. He’ll talk to David when he’s ready.”

“Do you know what happened between them?” Hendrix asked.

By the way Grayson paused before answering, I knew Wesley had told him the story, and I wondered if he and I were the only people who knew. Something about that made me feel bigger than I deserved. That Wesley trusted me enough to share something he’d been holding so close to the chest that only his closest—albeit newest—friend knew.

“That’s a yes,” Miles said. “Don’t ask him about it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not fair,” Grayson said, scratching his chin. “Your brother is my friend, he trusts me. I’m not going to lie for him, but I will keep his confidence.”

That was the ticket. Grayson wouldn’t lie about things between Wesley and me, but he would skirt around the truth enough to keep the secret. By coming clean about knowing Wesley and I had spent time together in and out of the house, it gave him enough to work from that he could be honest without spilling the beans about what he knew. It was genuinely admirable, and I studied him with a newfound respect.

Grayson definitely gave off a “give no fucks” kind of vibe, a terrifying mix of Miles’s confidence and Wesley’s wit. I wondered if it was only to hide the real parts of him from public view, something I was all too familiar with. But I also knew, with time, he’d open up enough to Wesley and I was sure they’d become even closer friends. And I was glad for that. Wesley needed someone like Grayson in his corner and, from what I could tell, they were already well on their way to establishing something good together.

Grayson let out a huff and narrowed his eyes in the direction Wesley had wandered off to. Again, he climbed out of the booth, but instead of going off, he turned back toward me.

“Will you go make sure he didn’t hotwire my car and flee the country?” Grayson asked me. “I need another drink so I’m going to go steal that bottle from Marzena.”

“Right.” I stood up, hip popping as I straightened. “I can’t imagine he’s gone far.”

“I can go,” Hendrix offered, but Miles rooted himself in place.

“You’ll do no such thing.”

“We’ll all be right back and then everything will be like we never had this entire conversation.” Grayson flickered his stare from Hendrix to Miles, then took a handful of long strides and let himself into the kitchen.

I made my way toward the bathroom, tucked into the far corner of the restaurant, where I found Wesley sitting on the bathroom counter, his legs swinging, feet kicking back and forth. I waited until the door closed all the way behind me, but still kept my space from him.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Overwhelmed,” he admitted.

I took a step toward him, then another, and took his face into my hands.

“Take a breath,” I whispered.

His entire body rose on the inhale and sank when he breathed it out.

“There you go.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” he said. “And then Hendrix…”

“You don’t have to explain to me.” I traced my thumbs over his cheekbones until some of the tension left his face.

“I do need to find a job.”

“Do you want help?” I asked.