Page 34

Greyson

“You ready for the mayhem to begin?” Chase chuckles as we round the back of his truck.

“Can’t wait.” I playfully roll my eyes.

It’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and like I promised Lilly the other day—who still felt skeptical about it—I’m spending it with Chase and his family, who have become my family over the years.

“Omg,” a squeak comes from behind us, we both spin as Mrs. Kingston stands with the front door wide open and does a happy dance, clapping her hands together excitedly. “My boys are home!”

“Here we go.” Chase shakes his head, a soft smiling grazing his lips as his mom rushes toward us.

“God, I missed you.” She runs toward Chase and wraps her arms around him, squeezing him tightly like she’s afraid he’s going to disappear.

“Mama.” He laughs, getting knocked back from the force.

“Look at you,” she holds onto his arms, leans back and pouts. “You look so grown up.”

“Ma ma.” He lifts his fingers to her face and wipes away the tears falling down her cheek.

“What? It’s been months since I last saw you,” she pats his cheeks. “Look at your beard…you look so old.”

“Mama!” He gasps. “I’m twenty-one!”

Opening the back of his truck, I take our bags out so Chase and his mom can have their moment. And I find myself smiling as they talk. The way he interacts with his parents and siblings is adorable, it’s a side not many people have witnessed.

And I’ve told him on several occasions that he should start showing this side to people more, most of campus believes he’s just a sour soul, but that’s far from the truth. If they saw the real him, they’d love him even more. But his response to that was a scowl and a very kind “fuck off”—I’m being sarcastic about him saying that kindly.

“Oh, don’t remind me,” she playfully rolls her eyes. “One minute you’re coming out of my vagina, and the next you’re a grown ass adult.”

“ Mama !” He scolds her. “Nobody needs to know about your—”

“Oh, shush,” she swats him on the arm. “It’s natural to talk about those things.”

“Yeah, but nobody wants to hear you say the word vagina.”

“ Vagina, vagina, vagina .” She chants several times before Chase puts his palm to her mouth.

“God, Mama.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighs.

She grins at him before turning her attention to me. “And there’s the son I didn’t birth.” She grabs my arms and pulls me into a hug.

I smile into her shoulder as I hug her back. “Hi, Mrs. Kingston.” I mummer in her ear.

She pul ls back and swats my arm too. “Greyson Montgomery,” she scolds. “What did I tell you about calling me that?”

“Uh, not to…” I scratch the nape of my neck awkwardly.

“Exactly,” she tries to look pissed off, but the slight curve of her lip gives her away. “It’s either Wendy, or Mama—which ever you’re comfortable with, okay?”

Smiling at her, I nod my head. She knew about my past—the whole family did—and not once have they made me feel like a burden for being here, it’s like I fitted into the family perfectly. Even if it was slightly awkward for me at first.

In freshman year when the guys were all packing to get ready to head home for Thanksgiving, they asked me why I wasn’t packing, and I told them I had nowhere to go—which wasn’t a lie—and was spending Thanksgiving alone in mine and Theo’s dorm room.

Chase grabbed a duffle bag from the closet, threw it at me and told me to pack because he was taking me home with him, and he didn’t want to hear a “no” coming from my lips.

I was hesitant at first, I didn't feel comfortable invading the little time he had with his family, but he was persistent, and I ended up going. Chase hadn't explained the actual reason I was there because he stated it wasn't his business to tell, but I ended up breaking down in his yard the night before Thanksgiving and his mom walked out asking if I was okay, and I ended up revealing everything about my childhood to her.

She cried with me and decided there and then that I was officially part of the family.

“Right,” clapping her hands, she grins widely. “Let’s get into that house! It’s fucking freezin g out here.”

Grabbing both bags from the floor, we follow Mrs. Kingston into the house. I place the bags onto the floor by the door so we can take them upstairs later, and then we walk into the kitchen where Mr. Kingston and Nova are laughing at something on her phone.

At the sound of our footsteps, they both look up and their faces light up.

“My boys!” Mr. Kingston grins, standing from the kitchen stool and stalking toward us.

“Hi, dad.” Chase smiles, pulling him into a hug.

“Chasey boy, my lord, what is that on your face?” Mr. Kingston reaches his hand out and rubs it along Chase’s beard.

“It’s a beard,” Chase rolls his eyes. “I know you can’t grow one but—”

Mr. Kingston shuts him up by smacking his arm, making us chuckle. “Your Mama likes me clean and shaven.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Fucks sake, not this again,” Nova slaps her hands to her face in embarrassment. “You’re in your forties, nobody—especially your kids, want to know about your sex life.”

“How do you think you were all made, huh? Certainly wasn’t by a stork dropping you off on our doorstep.” Mr. Kingston grins widely, turning in the direction of his wife and winking at her.

If there’s one thing to know about the Kingston’s, it’s that they’re so open with each other about everything. No topic is off limit, no matter how embarrassing. Mr. and Mrs. Kingston especially love embarrassing their children with topics about sex, something I find amusingly funny to watch.

“Greyson, my boy.” Mr. Kingston turns his attention to me, pulling me into a hug.

Oh, the Kingston’s are also a family of huggers too—something that took me awhile to get used to. I’d never been hugged before Mrs. Kingston wrapped her arms around me tightly while I was sobbing, telling her about my childhood.

She held me tightly, offering a sense of security and warmth I’d never experienced before. And it was at that moment that I realized how much a simple hug could mean to someone.

But also, how sad is it that I didn’t experience my first hug until I was nineteen?

“Hi, Mr. Kingston.” I grin.

“Now, now, boy,” he shakes his head as he pulls away from the hug. “It’s Alessio, or dad. You know that.”

“Dad, leave him alone,” Nova rolls her eyes as she rounds the kitchen island and walks toward us. “He’s being polite, maybe too polite.” She teases.

I would say that’s how I was brought up—to be respectful, kind, and caring—but then I’d be lying because I learnt all of that on my own.

Mr. Kingston playfully shoves Nova's arm, and in return, she does the same to him.

“Wendy!” He cries out. “Your daughter is abusing me!”

Mrs. Kingston scoffs as she opens the oven, the smell of cookies invades my nose, and I groan. Nobody bakes double chocolate cookies as best as she does.

“You started it, honey.” She shrugs her shoulders, setting down the freshly baked cookies on the counter.

“No, she did!” Mr. Kingston stomps his foot like a two-year- old.

“It’s like I have five children, not four.” She sighs, pulling her oven mitts off and throwing them at the back of Mr. Kingston’s head.

“Where is Jackson anyway?” Chase asks referring to his older brother.

“Amelia’s parents,” Mrs. Kingston responds. “They’re coming here tomorrow morning.”

“What time is your stupid book club meeting tonight?” Mr. Kingston asks his wife as he shoves a cookie into his mouth, huffing out a breath where it’s no doubt burning his mouth.

“Eight,” she responds, rolling her eyes at his antics. “And my favorite girl is home from college,” she grins. “She texted me earlier saying she made two batches of her double chocolate brownies and is bringing them with her.”

Mrs. Kingston goes to a book club every Tuesday, and there’s one girl that attends—apparently the youngest in the group—that the whole club adores, especially Mrs. Kingston.

She always speaks about her, but I can’t remember if she’s ever mentioned a name because she always refers to her as “my favorite girl” and she’s also tried for years to get Chase to go on a date with her because apparently they’re so alike, but Chase shoots that situation down quickly…every time.

“Wait, She’s back?” Nova grins. “When I saw her she said she wasn’t back until Wednesday!”

“That was originally the plan,” Mrs. Kingston says. “But she said she was done earlier with exams than expected.”

“Oh, I’m totally coming to book club tonight.” Nova’s smile lights up her entire face.

“ Why would you voluntarily want to go to a book club, you don’t even read.” Chase looks at her confused.

“And why would you voluntarily buy a bookstore when you don’t even read.” Nova shoots back.

Oh shit, I forgot about that.

“For my own personal reasons.” He shrugs, taking a cookie from the tray and shoving it into his mouth.

“But what reason?” Nova pries, jolting her hip out as she places a hand there and gives him a look.

“Reasons that do not concern you.” Chase resorts.

They begin arguing while Mrs. Kingston rolls her eyes at them, transferring the cookies onto a plate and then placing them in the middle of the counter, telling us to help ourselves.

I’m not one to turn down cookies—especially not hers—so I immediately grab one and shove it into my mouth.

We talk about how life has been since we last saw each other during summer break. And I tell them about Lilly, making it abundantly clear that we’re fake dating, even if something deep down inside of me is telling me it’s more than that, but I push that feeling away.

I however choose to deliberately not tell them about the sex tutoring part, that’s something I wanted to keep to myself because nobody but Lilly and I need to know that part of the deal.

“Shall we go to Jimmy’s seeing as the girls will be at book club?” Mr. Kingston asks, glancing between Chase and me.

Jimmy’s is the local diner in Fayside that sells the best triple cheeseburgers and Vanilla milkshakes ever. You can’t turn down going to Jimmy’s if someone offers .

“I’ll be down for that.” Chase nods.

“Yeah, me too.” I smile.

“Great,” he grins, clapping his hands together. “Go freshen up, and then we’ll leave.”