Chapter 22 Jaxon

For some reason that I couldn’t quite fathom, the guy was practically jumping out of his seat to hit on Grayce, and I had this annoying lump in the bottom of my throat which grew by the second. It had been easy enough snagging him for her, especially after I told him that Grayce was my ex-girlfriend, and she had simply been too much in the sack for me to handle. Granted, that probably wasn’t the ideal way to land a decent guy for her, but that’s how she wanted it done … So what else could a decent wingman do?
“She said you looked familiar, so I told her I’d ask for you,” I said. “She can be shy sometimes.”
The guy—Gary Something—was staring across the bar to where Grayce was making conversation with Alex. Neither of them was looking at us, and I was impressed by the cool she kept. For the first time tonight, I noticed the outfit she was wearing; a pair of bell bottom jeans paired with a baby blue tank top, a denim jacket over her shoulders, and brown boots on her feet. She looked kind of cute, especially since her hair was down instead of up, cascading down her back and over her shoulders.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met her, but she’s cute,” Gary said, interrupting my silent observation. “I can handle that.”
“I’m sure you can,” I said and forced a smile that felt phony even to me. Gary looked back over, brushing that preppy-boy blond hair out of one eye. Grayce seemed to think that jocks like me were the jerks, but she didn’t know that it was the innocent-looking guys like Gary who were the real culprits.
“You two are ex’s?” he confirmed. “I find that a little bit weird.”
“No need. We’re just friends now, strictly platonic. It was never going to go anywhere; we both knew it.”
Lies, lies, lies. You just can’t admit that you want her for yourself, can ya, Jaxon?
“Well then, don’t mind me,” Gary said. He took a drink of his beer and winked at me like we’d been best bros forever. “Thanks, dude. I think I can show her a good time.”
Before I could react to that—either by laughing or punching him in the face, I wasn’t sure which—Gary stood up and made his way over to Grayce. I watched her smile at him as he leaned up against the bar counter, flashing some stupid, phony smile at her. Part of me hoped she would see what an asshole Gary was and give him the same bitch slap down she always rejected me with, but there was no sign of that as she took the hand offered to her and gathered up her jacket. Gary put down some cash to cover his and her tab, then he snaked his arm around her shoulder, whispering something in her ear. She nodded at him, still smiling politely, and they headed towards the door.
Grayce shot me a glance as they passed, but she didn’t say anything. I looked back at Alex, wondering if she would decide that this guy was too much of a tool to let him take Grayce anywhere, but she didn’t make any move to stop them.
“Dude,” I said, getting up from the table. “I can’t believe you let her leave with that guy.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex asked. She was ringing up someone’s ticket, not bothering to look at me. “You’re the one who snagged him for her. Wingman style, remember?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think she’d actually go with him,” I said, and Alex finally looked up at me.
“Isn’t that the whole point?” she asked. “Besides, he seems fine. And he’s cute.”
“He seems like a grade-A jerk,” I corrected her. “And he’s not cute. He’s a male version of Paris Hilton.”
“Grayce can hold her own, Jaxon,” Alex said. She slammed the register shut and looked at me. “After all, she’s got plenty of experience at this point dealing with your shit, right?”
“Irrelevant,” I said. “I’m not trying to get into her pants.”
“So, let her be. She’s fine. Grayce isn’t a whore, okay? She likes to get to know a guy first before she jumps into bed with him. Unlike someone we know.”
“It’s not Grayce’s intentions I’m worried about,” I said. I didn’t like the way this was going. I didn’t like the thought of Grayce out there with that guy . . . I didn’t know him, and she sure as hell didn’t know him, so it made me antsy to think of how all of this might end. I almost regretted hooking her up. If this jerk hurt her, it would be my fault, nobody else’s. Should I have refused to be her wingman?
“Chill out, Jaxon,” Alex said. “You underestimate Grayce. Leave it alone.”
Unfortunately for me, Alex made it clear that the conversation was over. Nothing more was said as I finished my beer, grabbed my coat, and headed home alone. On the walk back I texted Grayce, wondering if she was still with the dude, or if she’d bailed early. Despite how much I tried to think of something other than Grayce on her impulsive “date,” I couldn’t clear my mind of every evil intention this guy may have had.
Grayce never answered my text, and I knew that because I found myself checking my phone every six and a half minutes to see if she’d replied yet. I was insanely tempted to call her and check-in, but I also knew how ridiculous and needy that would be. Why did I care so much? Grayce wasn’t my girlfriend. Hell, she was barely a friend, and it wasn’t my business to hear about her shitty date. For all I knew, she and that douche Gary were in the middle of boning under his sheets, and that was something I had no intention of listening to.
My apartment was quiet. No raging party was happening tonight. I laid alone in my bed, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling, willing myself to fall asleep so I wouldn’t miss class in the morning. I knew that Grayce’s mom Sidney had left to fly back home earlier that day, and Grayce probably wasn’t handling it well. Was I responsible if this guy truly was a jerk and took advantage of her at her most vulnerable? Alex didn’t seem to think so, but it was difficult not to wonder if I’d gotten her into a mess with this guy.
I rolled over in my bed, making a mental note to wash my sheets and pillowcases. So many women had been through my bedroom in the last few weeks that it didn’t even smell familiar anymore. As I allowed my thoughts to wander, something inside of me was thinking about Grayce again, how she always smelled so peculiar, a spicy vanilla mix. As I thought about it, I fell asleep, imagining her scent on my pillow.