Grayson's POV

I need a favor." I say, walking into Shane's office. He glances up at me from his phone and nods for me to continue.

"Sofia is in LA, and I need you to keep her company today." I say.

"Hold on, what?" Shane asks, holding his hand up to pause me.

"Sofia is in LA." I repeat.

"Yeah, I got that part. But since when? For how long? Since when?" He asks, leaning forward in his seat. 

"She's transferring to a college here. So she's moving back from Wisconsin." I tell him.

"She's moving back?!" He exclaims loudly.

"Yes."

"So...she's probably going to be here today." He says with a nod.

"Probably. That's why I need you to keep her busy. I'm going to lunch with Natalia today." I explain."Well, at least I think  I am." I mumble.

"Ahhh, I see what this is about." He says, lifting his eyebrows at me slightly.

"You do?" I ask.

"Yes. You want me to keep Sofia distracted so you can go and flirt with Natalia. Hey, I get it. I have absolutely no problem with keeping your insanely hot sister entertained." Shane says with smirk.

"That's so gross." I reply with a cringe.

"To you, yeah. Okay, don't make plans tonight. Come over to my place for dinner. Is she staying with you?"

"Yeah, just until she finds her apartment. She wants to go apartment hunting tomorrow." I tell him.

"Okay, good. My place for dinner. Got it?" He asks.

"Got it." I say.

 "So has she like...said anything about me?" He asks.

"Why would she say anything about you?" I ask.

"I don't know, that's why i'm asking." He replies.

"What would she say?" I ask.

"I have no idea, Grayson. That's why I was asking you if she has said anything about me." He says slowly.

"She hasn't." I reply.

"Okay, well....listen, you know I love you, yeah? You're like a brother to me. Family. We're family." He tells me.

"I know."

"Well, here's the thing. I really want to go on a date with your sister." He tells me seriously.

"A date? With Sofia?" I ask.

"Yeah." He nods.

"Why?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"Because I like her." He says with a small chuckle. I nod, taking in this new information.

"Is that not weird?" I ask.

"Why would it be weird?" He asks with another laugh.

"When you met her she was eleven." I shrug.

"Yeah, nearly ten years ago. It's different now. She's clearly not eleven anymore." He informs me.

"So why don't you ask her out on a date?" I ask.

"Well, I wanted to see what you thought of it first. You're my best friend. So, your opinion kind of matters to me."

"Why would I care?" I ask.

"Because that's your sister." He laughs. "And you're my friend. I don't want things to be weird."

"I don't care. If you like her, then ask her." I shrug.

"Do you think she'll say yes? Or do you think she'll be like...weird about it?" He asks.

"Why would she be weird about it?" I ask.

"Again, because she is your sister and I am your friend. That can be weird to some people."

I nod in understanding, "She'll say yes." I say.

"Really? Why do you say that?" He asks.

"She likes you." I tell him.

"Wait, what? How do you know that?" He asks, nearly jumping out of his seat. 

"She told me?"

"When?!" He exclaims loudly.

"Last Christmas." I admit.

"I thought you said she didn't say anything about me!"

"She didn't. She just told me that she had a crush on you." I say "That's not about you, thats about her."

"Okay, well that would have been good information to have like five minutes ago." He sighs.

"Okay, well...then it's settled. I'm going to ask her out. Great." He says.

"Great." I reply with a nod. "So, just keep her company while I'm out. I'm not too sure how long I'll be gone." I say honestly. If we do go to lunch, I hope we stay out as long as we did last time.

"You know, you should invite Natalia to dinner tonight. That way, there wouldn't be as much pressure on you. Plus, it would be a great excuse to see her again. You know, after hours." He says, wagging his brows suggestively.

"I don't know about that. Sofia will be there." I say, "You know how she can be sometimes."

"She'll be fine. A little ball of energy never hurt anyone."  He replies. "Plus, I think the two would actually get along just fine."

"You think so?" I ask.

"Yeah, for sure. I mean...they're both females around the same age. Well, kind of. Natalia is older but I'm sure they can bond over One Direction or The Bachelor. You know, girl stuff." He shrugs.

"I don't know." I mumble in an unsure voice.

"I'm inviting her. Then, it won't seem as weird." He says, standing up from his seat.

"Wait! Right now?!" I exclaim quickly.

"Yes right now, you pussy. Now come on." He laughs, nudging my arm.

"No." I say quickly, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. "Don't ask her." I say quickly.

"Grayson." He says, giving me a look of what I'm guessing is annoyance.

"I don't want to invite her to something like that. Not yet, okay? I'm barely getting used to even talking to her at lunch." I admit. "I'm not ready for that."

Shane sighs and walks back over to his desk. "Fine, but I'm only giving you a week. After this week is up, you're asking that girl out on a date. A real date. Not these little lunch escapades you're attending." He says, pointing a finger at me.

"Okay, okay." I say, nodding my head in relief. "I have work to do." I say before exiting his office.

I feel the growing paranoia caused by the thought of asking Natalia on anything even close to a date. The thought of her saying no is absolutely humiliating. The thought of it alone is enough for me to ward off any future dates that might have happened. There is no way in hell that a girl like Natalia Zamora would ever go for someone like me. There's absolutely no way.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and begin scrolling through the list of emails in my inbox, not staring up for even a second. Suddenly, I feel the crash against my body and the cold liquid cover my shirt and jeans. I look up from my phone in surprise to see Natalia standing right in front of me.

"Oh my God. Again?" She exclaims, taking a napkin and pressing it against my shirt quickly. I'm too surprised to even answer. "This is the second time we've crashed into one another. We really need to start using a code word when turning corners." She says with a small laugh. I stare down at her as she speaks.

"I'm sorry." I say quickly.

"No, it's not your fault! I'm the one who spilled my water all over you." She replies. "I'm so sorry."

The water stain is large and the feeling is uncomfortable against my skin. I know I'm not going to be able to stand the feeling for long, but thankfully I have extra clothes here in the office. It's moments like this that remind me exactly why I keep them here.

"Maybe we do need a code word." I mumble, taking the napkin from her hand and wiping it on my shirt.

I hear her small laugh instantly and the sound is something that I want to hear for the rest of my life. It's soft and happy. When I look down at her, I smile, pleased that whatever I just said was amusing to her.

"I was actually about to come and see you." She says, offering a small smile of her own.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Yeah. I wanted to take you up on that lunch offer." She tells me. "I think I would rather go with you than with Justin." She says with a small wink. I feel my cheeks flush instantly.

"I would love that." I admit. "Let me just go to my office and change. I can't stand the feeling of wet clothing on me." I explain.

"Oh, that's fine. Again, I'm so sorry." She says.

"It's not problem, really." I reply honestly. "Do you want to meet by the elevator in five?" I ask.

"That sounds great." She replies with a smile. "See you in a few." She replies as she walks quickly towards her own office.

I feel the anxiety of the social interaction that will have to be held during this break. The feeling has my hands clenching and my heart quickening it's beating. I rush to my office quickly, closing the door behind me.

I can do this. I can do this.

Natalia isn't just anyone in this building. She's the first girl here that I've ever held a real conversation with. She's the first person, other than Shane, that is willing to share their lunch break with me. Most importantly, she's the first person to make me feel semi normal.

With all of this in mind, I feel my heart beat slow down and my breathing relax once more. With all of these things in the back of my head, the anxiety I had only felt moments before nearly vanishes.

Over everything else, I am nothing but pleased to know that I get to spend a second lunch break with Natalia.