Page 41 of The Absence of You
It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last, but one day I will get him back for all of this. I just need to bide my time, and when I finally get to exact my revenge, that piece of shit will wish he’d never been born. And then I’ll have the rest of my life to become the man I want to be. Someone Dahlia could be proud of.
It’d be foolish for me to do anything now, though. I knew I was just a kid. When I made my move, I wanted him gone for good, and I wanted to be in a position to be able to support myself. I grasped a strand of Dahlia’s hair and tucked it behind her ear. My eyes scanned her face, trying to commit every detail to my memory and freeze this moment in time until she was back here in the next school holidays.
She bit down on her bottom lip, and I felt my body react. It was doing that a lot this summer, and not for the first time, I wondered if she’d felt this shift between us, too. I edged my body closer to hers. I was suddenly aware of the rise and fall of her chest, her warm breath on my cheek as her breathing quickened.
GRAYSON - PRESENT
I’ve seen Dahlia every night this week for swimming lessons, and she has completely surpassed my expectations. As much as it pains me to admit it, she doesn’t need many more sessions. She could easily join the rest of the class now. Not that I’m in any hurry to tell Coach. I plan to make the most of the excuse to spend time with her. We haven’t taken things any further physically, but my self-restraint is being seriously tested.
Being with her is addictive. For the last few years, I’ve used alcohol or swimming to escape from my reality, but with Lia, she gives me that same escape and so much more. I feel free from all the shit with my dad, and for those few hours we are together, I’m more than an extension of him. She has always had the ability to make me feel like I’m worth something, and I’d forgotten just how good that feels. At the back of my mind I know I should be putting a stop to it. This shit with my dad and Charlotte isn’t going to go away. He has evidence of the things I’ve done, and I know he wouldn’t think twice about using it against me.
But he’s still away in London and it’s easy to put it out of mind while he’s not here. Dahlia and I have plans to watch a movie together tonight. She’s due in about half an hour, so I head into the kitchen to heat the oven up. I’ll throw a couple of pizzas in when she gets here. There are plenty of soft drinks chilling in the fridge, and I unpack the six-pack of beer and put them in too. I’m not sure what her favourite drink is, so I got a bottle of raspberry vodka and another of Fireball just in case she’d prefer one of those.
I’ve bought a variety of crisps and chocolates, too. All things we used to eat as kids. Original Doritos, toffee popcorn, and Oreos. It looks like way too much for two people now that I’ve unpacked it all. I check my watch for about the tenth time, when I hear the doorbell. Why am I so nervous? It’s just Lia. You’ve probably had a hundred movie nights together. I wipe my sweaty palms on my joggers and check my hair in the mirror in the hallway before I answer the door.
“Hey.” Lia is dressed casually in black leggings and a pale blue baggy jumper, her hair is plaited loosely, stray curls escaping. She hands me one of the bags she’s carrying.
“Hey. I brought a couple of snacks. I wasn’t sure what you’d like.” She follows me into the kitchen and unpacks her bag. We both laugh when we realise she’s bought all the same snacks that are already on the counter in my kitchen.
She picks up the bottle of vodka and turns it over, scanning the label. “Are you trying to get me drunk, Grayson?”
“Shit, no! I just wasn’t sure what you’d like to drink.” I take it from her and put it back on the side. “I’ve bought soft drinks too, honestly, I just didn’t know…”
“I’m only joking. It’s really thoughtful of you. I’ve never actually tried Fireball. But I think I need to line my stomach before we drink anything too strong. I’m a bit of a lightweight. I didn’t drink much back home.” Fucking hell, I’m so insensitive. Her mum’s in rehab and here I am, buying her bottles of fucking hard liquor.
“Shit Lia, I didn’t even think. We don’t have to drink. I make a decent hot chocolate, and I’ve got coke and stuff.” I open the fridge, scrambling round for the soft drinks. I’m making a real mess of tonight.
“Grayson, hey, stop.” She touches my back lightly, so I turn to face her. “I like to drink. Maybe I shouldn’t with everything that’s happened with my mum, but I do. I just didn’t have much of an opportunity, that’s all. I didn’t exactly have a huge social circle,” she shrugs. “Plus, I liked to stay sober, so I could look after my mum. But here, I can relax a bit. Be a normal eighteen-year-old for once. I’d love a beer if that’s okay?” She reaches around me and pulls two bottles out of the fridge. I can’t help but check out the way her tight leggings hug her curves as she bends down. She straightens up and hands one to me with a grin.
We throw a pepperoni pizza in the oven before heading into the games room to choose a movie. I flick through the choices until we settle on Point Break. The original one, obviously. We spend the next two hours stuffing ourselves with pizza and the snacks we bought. I head into the kitchen to get us a couple more beers. When I get back, we pick The Lost Boys to put on next. We’ve both seen it before, but it’s an easy watch. Dahlia gets her vampire fix, and I get my Dahlia fix as she sidles closer and closer to me each time there’s a jump scare. She must know exactly when each one is coming, but she still ends up flinching and hiding behind a cushion.
I’ve given up watching the movie at this point, and I’m just watching her. It’s dark in here, the heavy blinds and curtains designed to be blackout, so the only light is from the large screen on the far wall. I study her profile, as she’s gripped by the movie. She has her legs hitched up, hugging a cushion against her knees. She shuts her eyes tight and readies herself for what’s coming before letting out a small squeal and inching closer to me again. I chuckle, and she must realise I’ve been watching her because she rounds on me.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me, you used to be the same way with this movie!”
“Yes. When I was twelve years old. It is a comedy, you know?” I tease her, but quick as she can, she retaliates by smacking me square in the chest with the cushion she’s holding. Grabbing it from her hands, I swat her lightly back with it. I see it the minute she decides she’s going to start a war. She grabs another cushion and jumps off the sofa and raises her arm to whack me.
I’m slow to react and she catches me across the face. Oh I don’t think so. She is very much mistaken if she thinks I’m letting her get another hit in. I quickly jump up and dive over the back of the large sofa. It’ll be the last thing she expects me to do, but it’s so dark in the room, she won’t be able to anticipate where I’m going to jump back out at her.
I can hear her breathing hard on the other side, but it doesn’t sound like she’s moving. I commando crawl around the back of the U-shaped sofa. Except, I’ve misjudged her. She jumps up on the sofa and is staring at me from above. She’s no longer holding the cushion, but instead she is holding the very full bowl of popcorn.
“Oh shit.”
“Yes, Grayson. Oh shit.” Despite the dark, I can see the wicked gleam in her eyes. She plucks a piece out of the bowl and flicks it at me. She wouldn’t dare.
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Crap. I didn’t realise I’d said that out loud. She tilts the bowl so a few pieces fall out and hit the back of my shoulder. I turn over so I can see her more easily and rest back on my elbows.
“Put the popcorn down, Lia. If any more of that gets spilled, I will have to make you pick it up.” My authoritarian tone does nothing but make her smirk more at me. She kneels down on the sofa and tips the bowl until popcorn trickles slowly onto my chest. Righting the bowl, she plucks one out and drops it onto my face. It hits me on the forehead, and I have to resist the urge to laugh when I see her suppressing her own grin. Instead, I don’t react, and she does it again. Still, I just wait. She sinks down a bit and is now resting over the back of the sofa. She gets brave and reaches down to place one on my face, but I’m ready for her.
DAHLIA
Grayson grasps my upper arms and yanks me over the top of the sofa. I lose my balance and fall on top of him, the bowl of popcorn flipping over and showering us both in sticky kernels. He’s on his back still, me above him, chest to chest, his hands still tightly gripping the tops of my arms and my face just inches from his. I try to wriggle away, sure my weight must be crushing him, but he tightens his grip, hooking his feet around the back of my ankles so I can’t escape.
My heart is racing. I’m sure Grayson must be able to feel it, too. It feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest. I lean down, my mouth barely an inch from his. I dart out my tongue and scoop a small piece of popcorn off his cheek into my mouth, chewing it slowly. Grayson remains still. I swallow it down and meet his gaze.
“Naughty Lia,” he whispers, his eyes fixated on mine. Oh, I’m in so much trouble. I try to wriggle from his grasp again, but he’s got too firm a hold for me to get away. Hmm, maybe I can still get a reaction from him. Instead of trying to free my arms or legs, I tilt my pelvis into his. He keeps a straight face, but there’s a clear twitch below me. I repeat the movement, more slowly this time, and I feel the sensation again. Despite him clearly trying not to react, he is definitely growing harder beneath me. I do it again, but this time he flips us both in one move, so I’m lying on my back on the thick carpet and he’s hovering above me.
He releases my wrists to rest his weight on his forearms, either side of me, caging me in. This time it’s him that tilts his pelvis towards mine. There is no disguising that he’s as hard as steel as he purposefully rocks into me. He hits on my sensitive clit over and over, the rough fabric between us just adding to the pleasure.
