Take Me for Granted

Chapter 12: Aribel

I’d made out with Grant McDermott in my own house—willingly. Who the hell am I?

Aribel Madison Graham did not get caught up in guys, let alone in a guy like Grant McDermott.

And now, I’m referring to myself in the third person. I was seriously going off the deep end. I was way too smart for all of this.

The girls had stayed in town with Cheyenne’s family and didn’t get back until late Sunday night, when I had already been in bed. I’d made sure I was up and out of the house the next morning before anyone could talk to me. I’d known that Cheyenne had spoken to Grant about coming here, and I wasn’t looking forward to her harassing me about what had happened.

When I couldn’t avoid my roommates any longer, I finally returned home. Prepared for the worst, I tried to act like nothing was different, but Cheyenne had decided to stake out the apartment. I passed by her on my way to my bedroom, and she jumped over the couch to block my path.

“Where have you been all day?”

“At school,” I responded, trying to walk around her.

“Not with Grant?”

“Grant who?”

“Don’t play coy with me! I need details! Grant asked me for our address, so he could come see you Saturday night. What happened?”

“You gave some random guy the address to our apartment?” I shook my head, just thinking of the absurdity of it all. “What if he came here to kill me?”

“So, he was here?” she squeaked.

Gabi and Shelby sheepishly walked out of their rooms. Shelby waved at me and bit her bottom lip as if it would keep her from demanding details just like Cheyenne. Gabi looked as far off in her own world as ever.

“Yes. He was here. He came, he saw, he conquered. Can we move on now?”

I tried to walk around her again, but she grabbed my arms and started jumping up and down.

“Conquered? As in, you had sex last night?” Cheyenne asked.

“Do you know me at all?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Oh my God, don’t spare us the details!”

I stared at them in disbelief. They actually thought I’d gone through with it. How could they think that I would give it up that easily? It wasn’t like I was forty and had never had sex. I was only nineteen years old. What’s the big deal? I hadn’t been interested in any guy enough to give myself up, and since it hadn’t happened yet, I just wasn’t willing to let it all go so freely. I wanted there to be a reason to do it. I wanted to want to do it. And all I’d ever felt was nervous, disgusted, and to be totally honest, scared.

But I wasn’t about to tell them that. It was easier to deflect the conversation.

“Did you hook up with that guy you were talking about?” I asked instead of answering Cheyenne’s question.

“No, but that’s not the point. Grant McDermott was in our house. He came here to see you!”

Shelby stepped forward. She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder and piped up, “You know Cheyenne is never going to let you do your homework until you tell her what happened.”

And neither is she obviously.

Fair point. Nice move, Shelby.

“Grant came over and knocked on the door until I answered. We kissed, we talked some, and then I made him leave.” I left out the part about the record label and the second kiss. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to talk about the former, and I kind of wanted to keep the latter to myself.

They all looked stunned. What did I say?

“He just left?” Gabi whispered.

“Well, he asked to see me again, but yeah, he just left.”

“Okay, you’re like a Grant McDermott virgin, so let me fill you in,” Cheyenne said.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. “Aren’t all of you Grant virgins?”

“We follow him around to his shows. We know him and how he operates,” Shelby explained.

“How he operates?” I asked. I thought I knew where this was going, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Grant can have whoever he wants. Yeah, he plays guitar and sings, but there’s more than that. He has a presence onstage, and if you had paid attention the night we went, you’d understand.”

“Okay,” I drawled the word out.

“But he doesn’t date, Aribel,” Gabi said.

“Right!” Cheyenne cried. “He doesn’t date. He doesn’t just kiss a girl and leave unless he’s not interested, and he must be interested because he never leaves a show empty-handed.”

“Are you supposed to be endearing him to me? That sounds disgusting.”

“Okay, maybe a little, but he drove over an hour to see you. After just a kiss, he asked to see you again and then left. Grant McDermott is not acting like himself with you, Aribel.”

“So?”

“So, are you going to see him again?” Shelby asked earnestly.

“Everyone in New Jersey might die if Grant starts dating,” Gabi murmured to herself.

“Look, I’m not dating Grant. If anything, you have all convinced me that I shouldn’t see him anymore.”

“But you want to,” Cheyenne said with a wink.

Maybe I did.

It was the strangest feeling in the world, but I kind of did want to see Grant again. He hadn’t been so bad once he actually stopped and talked to me about something other than getting in my pants. And that last kiss.

I shivered slightly at the thought of it. Kisses like that made me lose touch with reality, and I knew that if I saw Grant again…I wasn’t going to stop him from kissing me.