"You're kidding!" Vanessa's mouth was to the floor. "I'm making popcorn."

I laughed. "I'll wait here."

Vanessa mumbled "Oh my gosh" as she exited the room.

I laid back on her bed, smiling. I was going on a date with Liam. Liam, a sweet, good-looking guy wanted to go out with me.

My train of thought was derailed by ringing. I felt for my phone and answered without looking at the number.

"Hellooo, Zephyrine speaking." I sang into the phone.

Laughing came from the other line. "Oh good, I was worried I called the other Zephyrine I have on speed dial."

I sat up. "Grant."

It was really good to hear his voice. After the last time I saw him, I was worried he may be angry with me. I'm sure there was an uncomfortable conversation after I basically announced that Grant and I slept together. It seemed I was wrong. I should've known, Grant gets over things quickly. He's not one to hold a grudge.

"Hey Rinnie? I have a question."

"I may have an answer."

I heard a door shut on the other side of the phone. I pictured him going into his room and shutting himself in.

"Do you still think about it?" He sounded hesitant.

My heart sped up. I told myself there was no way he was talking about what I thought he was talking about. "I think about a lot of things, you're going to have to be more specific."

He sighed. "Well, I'm here with this whiskey okay? I'm in my thoughts I guess." More sighing. "I keep trying, but I can't do it."

Then, it dawned on me, he was drunk. It was a solid minute before I realized I didn't say anything. "Grant, please put the whiskey down and elaborate."

"One second, I've got one, maybe two more sips until I reach the bottom of this bottle."

I stood up. I wasn't about to leave him alone in this condition. "Stay there, I'm on my way. Are you at your house?"

"You're coming over?" I heard him shifting on what I assumed was his bed.

"Yes, I'm coming." I quickly grabbed my things and moved to the door.

"Did you guys exchange numbers?" Vanessa said, carrying an overflowing bowl of popcorn.

I tried to cover the other end of the phone, but it was too late. "Who are you exchanging numbers with Rinnie? Oh wait, never mind. Liam."

Vanessa stared at me, confused.

"I'm sorry Ness, I need to stop drunk Grant from terrorizing the neighborhood." I pulled her into a hug. "I really want to finishing talking to you about all this though. "

Vanessa hugged me back. "It's okay, Grant shouldn't be on the loose even when he's sober."

I grew anxious. I don't think I'd ever seen Grant actually drunk. I just wanted to be by his side. Something was wrong.

"I'll come back as soon as I figure out what's going on with Grant."

I felt really bad leaving Vanessa hanging yet again, but Grant was in no condition to be by himself. I told myself at least I spent an hour with Vanessa, that was something. I left and hurried over to Grant's, going way over the speed limit. I knew that if I didn't hurry he was likely to wander off. It was a miracle I wasn't pulled over.

When I pulled into the shack, I saw the lights still on. I ran over to the door and knocked hard. To my relief, I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. 

Grant stood in front of the door; hair slightly disheveled. He looked like a hot mess in the best way. I felt irritated that even on his bad days Grant looked amazing.

He pointed a finger at me. "What are you doing here?"

I pushed past him. "I'm here to do your favorite thing, talk."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna have to veto that." He stumbled a little into the kitchen. For being drunk, he did a decent job of covering up the fact he could barely stand. "Wanna drink?"

I followed him into the kitchen. "Actually, I want them all." I sat all the alcohol on the counter, then began dumping it down the drain bottle by bottle.

Grant looked horrified. "Umm, excuse me. What is this?" He moved between the sink and I. He was only inches from me. I didn't move.

"You're cut off." I tried to move him out of my way, but he stood his ground.

"Why are you really here Rinnie?" He titled his head slightly to the side.

I put my hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"

He looked stunned by my question. He used the counter to steady himself. "I can't hook up with Trisha."

"What do you mean?" I was happy about what he was telling me, but I wasn't sure why he was telling me it.

He reached for a drink and I slapped his hand. "I don't think so." I scolded him. "Talk."

Grant laughed. "Did you just slap my hand?"

"Talk." I repeated.

I knew it'd take a lot of time and convincing to get Grant to open up about his feelings. He hated talking about himself. He refused. I was determined though. So, after some time and arguing I could usually get him to talk to me.

"Every time I try to, I picture someone else." He looked away from me.

I moved my hand from his arm to his face. I turned it to meet my eyes. I kept the silence, hoping it'd encourage more explanation.

Grant took a step back. "You're making it hard to concentrate."

I squinted at him. "How?"

He took a breath and removed my hand from his face gently. "I see you Rinnie. When I'm with her, I imagine she's you."

My jaw dropped. "You see me?"

He didn't speak, just gave me a subtle nod. It was a bittersweet feeling knowing I was on his mind. I wanted to be on his mind like he was on mine, but it made it a lot harder to pretend nothing had happened. It was harder to go back to what we knew as normal.

"When did this start?" I took his hand and lead him to the couch.

He shrugged. "Basically, since I started talking to Trish again. There were a few times when we were kissing that I saw you. I only saw you faintly and you disappeared quickly, so I just ignored it. Then, we tried to you know and I saw you full fledge. I'd swear I was touching you. I had to stop myself from saying your name."

I did my best not to lose my composure. I knew if I showed any sort of reaction, Grant would revert back to jokes.

"I think about what happened almost all the time. I think it's normal we think about it. It's pretty recent, we're both still processing. The intensity should go away with time. I'm sorry it's affecting you and Trisha's relationship."

Grant closed his eyes and leaned back. "Keep talking."

I laid in his arms. "Why?"

"I like the sound of your voice so much."

I looked up at him. "You're sweet."

He opened his eyes. "I thought I was the drunk one."

I rolled my eyes. "Grant."

I laid my head back down on his chest, then realized. "Is this allowed?"

He tightened his grip on me. "I don't care."

I laughed into him. "Maybe if it's not working, you should stop trying."

He stared at me through bloodshot eyes. "I think you skipped some important parts of that conversation."

I went to sit up, but he refused to loosen his grip. I had no problem staying in his arms. "Maybe you should stop trying to hook up with Trisha if it's not working. Like maybe wait?"

His eyebrows raised. "Wait? I'm not good with that."

"Grant, how long did it take for us to get in bed. I had to convince you. Not that I'm saying you were like waiting for us to do that. Just that I know you don't require sex to have a relationship. I think you can do it."

He smirked. "First of all, you didn't have to convince me. I only said no because you were drunk and my best friend. Second of all, I definitely thought about it before. Lastly, I do require sex."

"At least give it a chance. Try building that foundation before hopping in bed. It's the key to a healthy relationship."

"I thought the key to a healthy relationship was good tension." He smiled at me.

I shook my head. "That's important, but not the key." I felt his chest rise and fall.

He tossed my hair around. "No braids?"

"Not today." I yawned. "What time is it?"

He shifted to get his phone out of his pocket. "2am. You should probably just stay here." We'd been talking for hours.

I was too tired to protest. I didn't even remember falling asleep.