Grayson Reid Jansen

"—Alright. My work here is done, good job, Grayson." Chandler said to me. We took a step back and admired the groundwork we did for my project.

"I gotta say, I'm proud of what you've done, son." He looked over his shoulder at me and grinned.

"Eh. I still have a long way to go." And at my rate, it was looking to be around six months.

"Still, I'm proud of you, son — I mean, boss." When Chandler corrected himself, he put his hand on my shoulder and we laughed it off. It was even weirder, him calling me "son" now that he knew about Brea and I.

The two of wandered around the site, just talking.

"So when you gonna tell Brea about Angie?" I asked Chandler about his girlfriend. They've been together for a whole year but Chandler said he wasn't ready for anything serious which meant not telling his daughter about her.

His eyes squinted and mouth turned up. "I don't know if I should."

"Now, weren't you just mad at her for keeping secrets and lying to you?"

"It's different, I'm her father." My head shook. Chandler hung his and chuckled. "It doesn't work like that, huh?" To answer his question I just shook my head again.

"I suppose you're right, it is time. Soon, I promise. Thanks for always keeping me in check, Gray. I'll have to tell your parents you're doing alright."

"Please, don't tell them anything. Christ, they're past the point of caring about me, it's an obsession now."

"I know what you mean, but they just want you happy."

"Trust me, I am."

"Does my daughter have anything to do with that?"

"No offense, chief, but I don't know if you wanna know that information."

"Please, spare me the details about you having sex with my daughter. Just, is she worth it?"

"She's worth it, sir. Just complicated, is all - stubborn and difficult."

"Yup, that's my daughter. She doesn't make anything easy. Poor thing, she's distraught over that Kaign boy. Fucker." Chandler spat.

I squinted my eyes from the sun, too. "Wait, she's still upset about that?" It shocked me because Brea didn't ever linger on something especially anything a guy would do to her. It made me wonder if she was ever that upset over me.

Chandler nodded with a scowling look on his face. "She'll get over it soon. I hope."

"Yeah, me too."

Something didn't sit right with me. I didn't like the fact that Brea was actually losing sleep over the likes of Kaign. He was gay, there was no changing that. In fact, I knew all along, how didn't she? I wonder how she stayed in a relationship with him for over a year? It just makes you question if she's over him, and if she wasn't then I couldn't continue whatever it is we had going on.

"Welp. I'm off to this other project. You got this."

"I got this." I reassured myself.

Chandler slapped my hand and left the site, leaving everything up to me. It was a big task but it was my task and I was ready for something so big to prove myself and work on my craft. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be an easy journey, though...

======

It was almost four, I was on time for varsity soccer practice.

I walked inside and went straight to my office but spoke to people I knew on the way.

The athletic trainer, Mary, stopped to chat with me about the health status of my two players who were injured. She gave me good news and care instructions for the boys and sent me on my way. Before I hit the door to my office, though, I noticed Ms.Price staring me down across the hall.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's impolite to stare, Ms.Price?" She and the two other teachers she was with giggled. They then walked away so Ms.Price could approached me in private - err, as private as we could get in a public high school.

"You never replied to my text, I got worried." She breathed down my neck.

"You're a risky woman, aren't you, Ms.Price?"

"Something tells me you like to call me that. Something also tells me you've thought about us."

I chuckled. "You've got the wrong idea, Bethany." She backed off and folded her arms across her busty chest.

A minute later, her boyfriend, Jared, came strolling down the hall. "How are ya, Jansen?" He asked me with a grin. He even shook my hand.

"Couldn't be better." I smirked, leaning against the door.

"Hey, honey." He pulled her by her waist and kissed her cheek.

I silently laughed as Bethany gritted at me.

"I gotta go finish grading some tests, I'll see you at home for dinner." He said to her and walked away.

"Like I said; risky woman. Excuse me." I cleared my throat and entered my office alone.

======

Saturday morning. I spent what was supposed to be my day off, at the work site to get a head start.

"Hey, Gray, we goin' to Sal's for lunch, you coming?" Asked one of the workers, named Paul.

"Nah, ima work through it. Thanks, though. Take an hour." I generously gave them. Ecstatic because we had been working hard, the crew wisely carpooled to the restaurant downtown.

Bethany had been texting me, still one the same shit. She was thirsty and usually I'd take advantage of that but this situation was a bit different. Not only was she in a relationship, but we worked together and I had Brea on my mind.

And as if by magic, she appeared.

"Don't hate me, I know we haven't talked in a week but I bring food." Brea stepped up on the platform and coughed up a box of pizza just the way I liked it, too. She knew me well.

"I could never hate you. Come here." I settled for a hug.

Brea sat across from me except she was in a chair and I was on a plank.

"My dad's been raving about you nonstop. Says he proud of you and you're really good at what you do."

"Oh yeah?" I asked with a mouthful of cheese pizza that was topped with mushroom and green peppers, dipped in ranch dressing.

Brea nodded with an audible "mhm". Then she went on to talk some more. "You know me, I'm not the jealous type, but I'm starting to think you like him more than me."

I laughed. "A little bit."

We stopped talking to eat for a moment but I broke the silence after a while. "I'm glad to see you smile again." I said after her dad told me about how she'd been upset about her breakup.

"What?"

"Your dad said you been beating yourself up over Kaign. There's nothing you can do about it, the guy's gay. You should be lucky that's over."

"I am, I'm fine."

"You sure about that?" I pried.

"Yes." She answered good quickly to be telling the truth. "It's okay, people break up all the time-"

"It's not okay! Brea, you were just crying your eyes out. Why do you always do that? It's okay not to be okay, you don't have to lie about it."

"I'm not lying-"

"Bullshit. It's not and on and off switch; you can't just snap your fingers and make your feelings go away."

"Yes I can, I always have!"

"Until now."

There was a pause. For the first time ever in an argument, she didn't know what to say.

"What do you want?" I abruptly asked Brea.

"I don't know." She murmured.

"Bullshit." I called it again.

"I-I don't know. I just felt like I had to be with him, so I don't know why it hurts so much."

"Did you love him?"

"Sure, as much as any friend loves another friend. He wasn't much a boyfriend, we didn't do things couples should do, ya know? And, to be honest, I never saw a future for us. Maybe he just wasn't the one."

"There's seven billion people out there, you'll find someone."

"I don't know if I want to."

"So, you're asexual now?"

"No! I want a boyfriend... just not all the shit that goes with being in a relationship; the jealousy, clinginess, lies, insecurities, miscommunication-"

"That's part of the ups and downs of a relationship, Brea."

"It doesn't have to be. It was so easy with Kaign - I guess because he didn't care enough to get jealous or be clingy, but still. See, I don't think that you have to go through that with someone you love, love shouldn't have downs. Arguing, that's fine, but the rest - the lies, cheating - that's not love and if it is I don't want any parts."

There's another moment of silence but very brief before Brea blurted,"I'm done. I'm swearing off guys! Hand me the chastity belt and leave me to die alone." You gotta love how dramatic she was.

"So you don't wanna be in a relationship?" Brea shook her head to say no.

"Not even if the perfect guy comes along?" I asked to make sure.

"Grayson, you're the perfect guy and I'm not exactly dying to get with you-"

"Yeah, well, that's because you're scared."

"Scared of what?" Her eyebrow raised.

"Commitment? Heartbreak?" To name a few.

"As if, a man could never break my heart! If it doesn't work out then I'll just move on." She seemed so sure of herself.

I had to laugh. "You'll just 'move on', eh? Just like that?" Brea nodded with furrowed brows and a poked out lower lip.

"So try it." I proposed, getting in her face for effect.

"Try what?"

"You said you can snap your fingers and turn your feelings off... like a light switch, you said, 'just like that'. So, fall in love with me and then one day...just... stop — and move on."

Brea got up to leave and laughed at me saying,"you're crazy," as she shook her head in disagreement.

To stop her from leaving, I grabbed her arm. "No, I'm serious, Brea. If you're telling the truth, that you have great communication skills and you don't get clingy or jealous, then what's the worst that could happen?"

"I never said I had great communication skills-" She spoke up but I quickly interjected.

"It was implied. So what do you say?" I put my right hand out for her to shake and agree.

Unsure, Brea just looked at it at first. Then, after a few seconds, she joined my hand and asked,"how long?"

"A year." I suggested.

"Fuck you, no." Brea shot me down quick.

"Okay, fine. How long does it take you to say you love someone?" Brea looked at me stupidly because we both knew that she's never been in that position.

"Sorry, forgot. Sheesh, sayyyyy... six months?" I promoted.

"I don't know-"

"Six months, take it or leave it." I put my foot down.

"Is that enough time?"

"You said no to a year."

"I mean I do want to find an actual boyfriend one day."

"Okay, I'll try to act like that didn't offend me. Come on, Brea. Six months, how 'bout it?"

"Jesus Christ. Okay! Okay..." It seemed like she already regretted agreeing.

"By the time this house is built, you'll be in love with me."