Things Liars Say (#ThreeLittleLies #1)(25)

“I’m not doing anything!” she shouts with a laugh.

“Stop being irresistible. It’s rude.”

She rolls her sparkling eyes. “You think everything is rude. And why is that?”

“Because I’m here and you’re not,” I blurt out. “I meant that it’s rude you’re being cute when I can’t touch you. Shit. I didn’t mean that if you were here, you’d want me to touch you. Or even want us to be together.”

Why am I still talking? Shit.

“Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t.” Greyson lowers her phone so it’s hovering just above her face, giving me an extreme close-up. She wiggles her brows. “Are you a cuddler, Calvin,” she whispers into the screen.

“Uh, no.” Her bottom lip juts out in a mock pout. “Yes. Yes I am.”

She studies me through the camera on her phone, hazel eyes seemingly raking the planes of my face. “I wish I could touch you. I love your face.”

Fuck it. I’m going for broke. “Not as much as I love your face,” I announce in a lovey-dovey tone of voice. Seriously, what the hell has gotten into me?

I glance over at my door and make sure it’s locked. I so do not need anyone busting in here right now.

“Wanna bet?” Grey teases. She’s gazing back at me with doe eyes and an adoring smile, and it’s f*cking killing me that she’s so far away. Well, theoretically speaking, of course. Realistically, it’s less than an hour.

“Sweetheart, don’t mess with the bull or you’ll get the horns,” I throw out lamely, trying to be clever but sounding like a complete horse’s ass instead. I hold back a whiney groan.

“Horns? That sounds exciting.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

“Are we flirting?” I ask, to be sure.

“You’re hopeless.” Greyson laughs. “I don’t know about you, but I certainly am.” She lolls her head on her pillow and bats her lashes at me through her phone. “You could step it up a notch. You’re a little rusty.”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t usually bother.”

“So, what is it you usually do?”

“Nothing. I do nothing.”

Her pert little nose wrinkles in thought. “Alright, but what if you’re trying to… you know.”

“Get someone to sleep with me?”

She nods, and I let out a deep bark of laughter. Greyson’s blonde hair billows out around her head, and she looks like an angel.

“What, like it’s hard?” I clear my throat before continuing. “Well. Okay, honestly? Ugh, how do I put this?” I scratch my head. “Girls are easy, okay? All we have to do is show up to a party, and…” I pause for a second. “Yada, yada, yada.”

Grey gasps back a surprised laugh, dropping the phone and rolling over on her bed. The phone falls on the bed, camera facing the ceiling—I can’t see her, but I can hear her wheezing, “Yada, yada, yada? God, Cal… That was priceless… I love it…”

I wait her out. When she’s finally done giggling, she sits up, propping herself up against her headboard, and wipes a tear from the corner of her eye.

“It’s good seeing your face,” she says quietly. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

I feel my expression soften, and I think my goddamn heart just fluttered in my chest. God, I’ve turned in to a sap.

“It’s because we’re not, you know—a thing.” Why is that so painful to say? Why would I say that? Get a grip, dude.

“I know,” she says softly. Sadly.

We regard each other silently then, the mood changing from carefree and teasing to serious. Greyson’s hazel eyes question me from the small screen on my phone. She tucks her hair behind her ears, almost self-consciously, and we both smile stupidly.

I take a deep breath, gathering up my courage. “Greyson, I—”

Someone bangs on my bedroom door, and just like that, the spell is broken. Fuck, f*ck, f*ck.

“Shit. I should…”

“You should…

“Get that,” we both say.

“Talk to you later?” Grey asks into the camera.

Yes. Later.

“Night, Grey.”

“Night, Calvin.” The quiet, gentle way she says my name, and how she’s watching me as I end the call, has me awake all night.





Cal: Morning, sunshine.

Grey: :)

Cal: I think my roommates were on to me last night. I think they knew it was you.

Grey: How so?

Cal: Must have looked guilty after FaceTiming when I opened the door. They heard your voice on speaker phone but were convinced I had a girl in my room. What pains in my ass.

Grey: Note to self—if I’m ever in your in your room, hide in closet?

Cal: Like I’d ever want to hide YOU.

Grey: You are so perfect. Adorable.

Cal: Well, you’re gorgeous. Does that make us even?

Grey: I swear, I want to smush you.

Cal: Smush me? God, I hope that’s not all?

Grey: Well… no.

Cal: Shit, we have to stop this. I’m about to walk into a team meeting. I can’t be all freaking smiley. I’ll get sacked in the nuts.

Grey: You are such a prude.