MADELINE POV

How could my feelings for this man change so much? I was attracted to Grayson just like he had told me. I didn't want to believe it but I knew it was true. Now I needed to get the hell out of here before I did anything more stupid.

As I tried to stand up Grayson held me in place.

"You're not running away this time."

Dammit, I knew him well and he wasn't going to let me go until he got his answer.

"I..." As I stared into his eyes I couldn't help but recall the kiss we just shared. I felt nervous being around him now and I didn't like the feeling.

I had never felt so vulnerable being around him before. It made me feel weak and I hated it. I couldn't even look at him in the eyes.

'Come on Madeline you can do this.' I told myself.

"I won't run away, so can I sit in my chair now?"

I was able to say it without turning away from him.

"Of course, you don't have to ask." He laughed.

I hated how he pretended like it was ok for me to move when he had held me in place when I tried to leave earlier.

As I stood up I felt him caress my hand and out of instinct I pulled it away. My heart was beating fast and I couldn't find a way to calm myself down.

I turned around and faced him. Maybe standing up would give me more courage to answer him.

"I am not attracted to you in the slightest. I didn't feel anything for you while we kissed. I hope you can leave me alone now."

I had lied to him just now. But it was the right thing to do right?

He didn't utter a word and instead just stared at me. I really hoped he would accept my answer and let me go.

After a while he finally stood up. He then walked towards me and moved his head lower as he whispered something in my ear.

"I don't believe you." He kissed my neck and then walked away. I heard the front door open and close so I knew he had just left.

I touched my neck still feeling the warmth of his lips linger on my bare skin. I took a deep breath feeling more at peace now that he had left. This would give me enough time to process what had just happened.

I decided to clean up a bit. Since Grayson had cooked it was time for me to do my part. I grabbed the plates and took them to the kitchen. Then I washed the dishes and wiped the counter.

Finally I had finished. Maybe some fresh air would be good. I walked upstairs to grab my bag and the key to the house. Then I headed downstairs to look for Grace's car keys. She said I could use her car which I was happy about. I locked the front door of the house and left.

Maybe going to central park would be a good place to think. It was peaceful and it reminded me a lot of my mother. She would always take me there as a child just the two of us. It was the only place my mother and I ever felt safe.

After about a 20 minute drive I finally arrived. I sat under a tree and took out a book from my bag. Reading always managed to relax me. I got so engrossed in the story I was halfway done with the story at this point.

"Madeline, is that you?"

I closed my book and looked up at the mysterious stranger. To my surprise it was Dylan.

"It is you!" Dylan seemed rather happy to see me.

I stood up and put my book away. Then I walked towards him. He wore black sweatpants and a blue t-shirt. White earbuds hung around his neck and he appeared a bit out of breath.

"Hey Dylan, are you out on a run?"

"Oh, yeah, can you tell?" He smiled at me.

Wow, this man was hot even when he exercised.

"The getup kinda gave you away." I answered.

I walked over to the bench and sat down. Dylan followed and sat next to me.

"So what brings you here on a saturday afternoon?" He asked me.

Well, a guy I saw as a brother my entire life kissed me twice today and I actually kinda liked it. He confessed he loved me while fucking his girlfriend and I happened to be in the same room just locked in a closet.

"I really needed some fresh air and what better place to relax than central park."

He didn't need to know the real reason I came here.

"Well I'm glad because it gave me a chance to see you again outside of school."

My cheeks were a bright red at this point. He was actually happy to see me again! I guess I wasn't the only smitten one.

Although I couldn't help but feel guilty for being interested in Dylan after Grayson had opened up to me about his feelings for me. On the other hand Grayson did have a girlfriend and I was free to date whoever I wanted.

Yes, I accepted that I was indeed attracted to Grayson but it didn't mean I was obligated to be with Grayson. He was well aware that I wasn't in love with him.

"Do you like New York? Is it different from Boston?"

"Somewhat, but I really like it here. It's lively and people have been pretty welcoming."

Of course they would you're smoking hot!

"That's good to hear. I was wondering what your mom thought about the cookbook you bought her? Did she like the one I recommended to you?"

"She loved it! Apparently it was the exact cookbook she was looking for."

I truly found it sweet how his face lit up when I mentioned his mother. He reminded me a lot of Grayson and how sweet he was with Grace.
Grayson truly cared for his mother and helped her with anything she needed. Helping her with breakfast was a kind gesture he did I wasn't even aware of until now.

Oh no! Why was I thinking so much about Grayson now? After the kiss and his confession, I had completely changed my perspective on him.

"Well it's getting late and my family will start to worry."

I stood up and grabbed my bag.

"Of course, no worries. I should probably head home as well."

"It was really nice talking to you Dylan. See you at school."

"See you around."

We waved goodbye and I began to walk away. I felt someone staring at me and looked back to see Dylan looking at me.

He gave me a shy smile and I couldn't help but laugh. I waved goodbye and finally walked away.

I got in my car and drove back home. Maybe Grayson was back, but how would I face him again? Things were a lot different this time.

As soon as I arrived home, I headed upstairs to my room. Grayson probably wasn't back yet since I didn't see his car in the garage. This would give me plenty of alone time to relax and be worry free.

I grabbed my phone from my bag and almost immediately got an incoming call from Lisa.

"Hello" I answered.

"Thank god you answered! I have been worried sick after Grayson called me and said you weren't home. I tried to contact you but you wouldn't answer your phone. It's pretty late and I know you don't normally go out this late."

It was pretty dark now. I felt so bad for worrying Lisa she really sounded relieved when she heard my voice. But how could I have not checked my phone? I guess I was too busy taking with Dylan I completely lost track of time.

"I am so sorry for worrying you Lisa. I just went to central park and bumped into Dylan. We talked for a bit and I guess I just lost track of time. I should have answered your phone call."

"It's alright, I am just glad your ok. But it shouldn't be me who you should be apologizing to, but Grayson. He sounded so worried when he called me and asked if you were in my house. I told him you weren't there and it really seemed to have upset him. He's been out looking for you since 5 in the afternoon."

I suddenly heard a car pull up outside the house and realized it was Grayson who had just arrived.

"I think he just got home. I'm going to talk with him and let him know I'm ok. Sorry for scaring you once again. See you on Monday." I said.

"No worries, love ya!"

I quickly hung up and headed downstairs. I felt really bad. Grayson was also really worried about me and had been searching for me for about 4 hours straight. If that wasn't an act of love then I didn't know what was.

Finally I had reached the bottom of the stairs and almost instantaneously the front door opened and closed.

I saw how Grayson looked up at me as he stood in the entrance. His face lit up and he gave a tender smile.

"Thank god your ok. I don't know what I would have done if something terrible happened to you." There was a sound of relief in his voice.

He walked towards me and raised his arms almost to hug me but he suddenly stopped.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't want me to touch you." He looked like a sad little puppy and I so desperately felt the need to care for that puppy. I noticed he looked away from me. Almost to push away the temptation to touch me.

I didn't know what came over me but my feet began to move on their own and I found myself tightly embracing the large man in front of me.

My face rested on his strong chest and I wrapped my small arms around his waist. I could hear his heart beating fast and noticed he was trembling. I began to gently rub his back in hope's to calm him down. He reciprocated and hugged me back. His face rested on my shoulder and his large hands and arms were placed around my small body as he pulled me closer.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you Grayson. I should have sent you a text that I would be out for a while and I'm truly sorry I didn't."

"It's ok, I'm just glad you came back to me." I could hear the ease and calmness in his tone of voice.

I began to move away in order to face Grayson but he hugged me tighter.

"Let's just stay like this for a little while longer, please."

I decided to comply with his request. It was the least I could do after he spent hours looking for me. He was practically begging me to stay with him.

"Ok" Is all I said.

We stood there for a while as we found comfort in each others arms. I loved the warmth Grayson gave off and how safe it felt to be with him.

The fear I once felt for him as a child had completely vanished right at this moment. I could only think of how right it felt to be close to him.

After a while we finally pulled away.

"You don't have to apologize about anything. I completely understand if you needed time away from me. My confession must have truly surprised you and I understand that."

I really appreciated how understand he was. It would take some time for me to get used to this Grayson. Although I really liked it in comparison to his old behavior towards me.

"I still feel bad about having you worry about me and the long hours you were out looking for me."

He gave me a tender smile and grabbed my left hand. His eyes closed and he kissed the palm of my hand with so much love.

"I love and adore you Madeline, just knowing that your safe is enough for me to be happy. You have apologized to me more than enough times already so don't worry anymore."

"Well then thank you for looking out for me." I smiled at him, genuinely content with what he had just said.

"Why don't we head upstairs to our rooms and get some sleep."

"I think that's a good idea."

We walked upstairs and headed towards our own bedrooms. As we got to the top I couldn't help but feel like I needed to thank him some other way.

"Grayson" I said his name. He looked at me as he stood outside his bedroom door.

I slowly walked up to him and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight" I said quickly and immediately ran into my room and locked the door. I sat on the floor with my back against the door as I realized what I had just done.

I had willingly kissed the man I claimed I wasn't attracted to in the slightest. 'What the hell is wrong with you Madeline!' I told myself.
I touched my lips as I recalled the kisses that Grayson and I shared today.

In just one day my relationship with Grayson had changed so much. I actually enjoyed his company and I couldn't help but be excited for what was to come.

I lightly slapped my cheeks as I tried to snap myself out of my thoughts about Grayson.

I got up and looked for some sleepwear in my closet. Then I snuggled up in bed as I covered myself in the warm blankets. My phone was on my side table and I grabbed it to check if I had gotten voicemails from other people besides Lisa.

To my surprise I saw 20 missed calls and a voicemail from Grayson. It felt like I was punched in the stomach after seeing this. He really was worried about me.

I checked the voicemail and listened to what Grayson said.

"Look Maddie, I am so sorry if I scared you away with my confession. If you would like I can stay somewhere else for some time if you feel more comfortable that way. Just please call me back or tell me you're ok. I'm really worried about you."

I could hear the desperation and worry in his voice. It made my heart ache to hear him like that. He sounded so vulnerable it made me want to embrace him again.

In response to his voicemail I decided to message him.

"I'm sorry about today, but thank you for worrying about me. I now know I will be safe with you, goodnight."

As soon as I sent the message almost within seconds I received a reply.

"I will always keep you safe. I love you Madeline, goodnight."

My cheeks were probably bright red. I still couldn't get used to him telling me he loved me all the time.

I put my phone to charge and went back to bed. I closed my eyes and for once I felt happy that I lived with Grayson. His changed personality is what truly attracted me to him. Although I still wondered why he hated me so much as children. He never truly answered that question.

              END OF CHAPTER 5

( What do you all think about Grayson's new personality?🤔 Madeline definitely likes this new Grayson.😁 Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to VOTE if you enjoyed!☺️)