Unproven Chapter Fifty Six "Calm Before the Storm"

Ary snuggled in closer to Grayson as they gently swung in the hammock he'd installed near the edge of the woods of his massive back lawn. He was reading a book for his American Lit class so they'd been silent for the past hour, and she found her thoughts bouncing from one thing to another.

It had been two months since the day she'd met his father, her only meeting, and since then she and Gray had spent so much time together she was beginning to wonder where he ended and she began. He'd told her about the conversation he'd had with his dad just after she'd met the man, and she had to admit James had a way with words. She totally understood how difficult Grayson would find it to ‘remember’ love was real. In turn she'd told him about her mother's love theory and he'd seemed utterly fascinated. James had not experienced it either- just as she'd thought- his own mother dying shortly after he was born.

Gradually Gray had revealed details of his life that no one on Earth was privy to, mostly said without emotion, but sometimes the pain was so thick it was tangible. When the latter occurred he tended to shut down a bit for a day or so afterward, covering his discomfort with humor. She wished he could just let go, but understood that things didn't happen overnight. She just had to be patient. There was definite progress and that's what mattered.

Unfortunately the closer she'd grown to him, the farther she'd drifted from Andie. Her friend had begun dating Grant about a week after the day of the hash brownie and spent most of her time with him and his friends, people who had no love for Grayson and his crew. As for Sonya, she was still secretly dating Mark so Ary spent a good deal of time with her, especially on the phone, but the situation was precarious. She was worried that when it finally fell apart Sonya would become as jaded toward Grayson's social circle as Andie was, making juggling their relationships that much harder. Selfish, she knew, she should be more concerned about how badly Sonya would be hurt. And she was concerned, it was harder and harder to fault Andie for her feelings about Grayson since she felt pretty much the same way toward Mark. But in Gray's defense there was nothing secret about their relationship and he treated her like a Goddess publicly and privately. Mark on the other hand...

"Mark is such an asshole," she said aloud.

She felt Grayson snort against her neck, "So what's new?"

She shifted slightly so she could see his face. "I realize that Sonya is allowing him to use her and therefore nearly as culpable as he is, but I can't stand it. Every time we go to a party and some other girl is in his lap I want to scream in his face."

Grayson stroked his knuckles lightly down her arm. "I know, but it's not as if she's unaware of it. She revels in the fact that while they come and go she remains a constant, even if no one, or next to no one knows about it. I think she gets off on it actually."

Ary sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you want me to do something? Say something to him?"

She shook her head. It wasn't the first time he'd offered, and every time she'd turned him down. Sonya had made it abundantly clear that she was happy with things the way they were and Ary was afraid anything she or Grayson did would only hurt the situation. Especially since Grayson wasn't even supposed to know about it.

Still... It sucked.

Andie had no idea. Sonya had pleaded with Ary not to tell her, knowing how she'd react and Ary had agreed. Andie's disapproval would not change anything, she should know. She felt her heart squeeze. It had been nearly three weeks since they'd hung out because the only way they could was alone due to Andie's unyielding hatred.

Dori had stepped in once again, becoming the girlfriend Ary needed, though it was always in the back of Ary's mind that her loyalties belonged to Grayson. And in the very back of her mind she understood that Grayson's loyalties also belonged to Grayson. She knew he loved her, but once in a while she worried it wouldn't be enough, despite how much closer they'd become. His father had left them alone, but she was afraid there was a time limit on that. Particularly since it was one of the few things that Gray was evasive about.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, breaking into her musings.

She smiled at him though it felt a touched forced. "Oh just Mark and Andie…I don't know."

His nose wrinkled, "So two depressing topics. I think we need to go do something and get your mind off shit you can't change."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and swung their legs over the side of the webbed rope, hoisting them to a standing position.

"Three weeks until Christmas break," Gray commented as they made their way back toward the house.

Ary noted his tone was less than enthusiastic and looked up at him in question. He stopped moving and sighed, looking away from her as he spoke. "My father has decided I'm going to Europe for the duration, to meet influential people important to my future...I'm sorry Aryanne. I really wanted to spend four weeks with you in a ski lodge, nothing about this so-called business trip is appealing to me."

She nodded, swallowing the lump that instantly formed in her throat at the thought of being separated from him for a month, especially when Christmas was in that month and they'd been so excited about the vacation he'd planned.

"I've arranged for Dori to take my place if you still want to go. She's pretty excited about it." He finally looked directly at her and she could see regret and concern in his eyes, taking the sting out of the blow.

She managed a smile, "I understand. Of course I'll go with Dori. We'll have to celebrate Christmas a little earlier then."

He smiled, "I know."

She cocked a brow, "You already have something planned, don't you?"

"Maybe," he hedged, still smiling. He held her tighter to his side and they continued the trek back to his house.

Grayson gazed at Ary while she slept that night, something he usually found far more effective than counting sheep, her peaceful expression and presence lulling him into oblivion. But after a full hour of it he had to concede that it wasn't having the calming effect on him that it generally did.

Careful not to disturb her, he edged off the bed and walked silently out of the room and sat in his home theater.

This impending trip to Europe had been dropped on him like a bombshell a few days ago, and ever since he'd felt an increasing sense of urgency. Though his father had not inquired about the situation with Aryanne, he knew his sire was all too aware of its current stasis. Grayson had allowed too much time to go by without any kind of update and had never taken his dad up on the offer to discuss with him the status of his questions and doubts concerning the existence of love, and the underlying source of the matter. This was partially due to the fact that he'd spent very little time dwelling on the issue, finding one reason or another to put it off until the days had turned into weeks, and then months. And the time that he had spent on it he'd discussed with Ary, who had stated her case just as effectively as his father had stated the opposite.

Her theory on a mother's love and the absence of it, not only in his own life but his father's as well, had been compelling. And not at all unfounded or illogical, there was overwhelming evidence as to the validity of her argument. He knew because he'd done some research and discovered case after case where a mother put her child's life before her own, to the point of giving it up in exchange, which seemed to negate his father's insistence that the most important person in anyone's life was themselves. And she also insisted that this form of love wasn't limited to mother and child, that it occurred between lovers and friends as well. Though there was considerably less evidence to support that claim, it did exist.

If he went to his father with this, he was certain James would find some way to turn it upside down, which would bring him back to Ary who would then do the same. He was beginning to think that he was dealing with not one, but two zealots on two opposing sides. His father scoffed at belief, but wasn't disbelief a form of belief? He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Putting that argument aside, he was still facing a major dilemma. He wanted to keep Ary in his life and his dad had the power to take her out of it. Which meant he needed to jump back into the game, whether he liked it or not, and the only thing he could come up with was a continuation of his summer agenda-to destroy Ary's friendships. Ironically, or maybe serendipitously, it already had its own momentum, with Andie in particular. She and Ary had been drifting farther apart just from his presence in Ary's life. The girl's hatred of him was the perfect catalyst. And as far as Sonya was concerned, she was providing an excellent platform from which he could catapult her from Ary's life as well, by applying just a bit of pressure on The Dude.

He felt a moment's guilt for these thoughts- but only a moment. Andie was an unforgiving, unyielding bitch and Sonya was a weak little flake. Neither of them were worthy of Ary's friendship, so by ridding her of them he'd be doing her a favor. Of course she would be upset, but he would help her through it, he could easily fill the void they left in her life. And it would buy him- them- some time. But he'd have to be extremely careful, no blatant lies like the last time. That had been an amateur move.

Of course at the time he hadn't anticipated Ary's dedication to those she cared about or her capacity to forgive, hadn't understood her well enough, hadn't encountered anyone like her to have a basis of comparison. Because of those qualities it was necessary that her friends, not her, be the ones to turn their backs, since he doubted she ever would.

As his plan took shape he felt a spike of adrenaline, followed by a low level of excitement. He was into this, he realized. Like a junkie about to get his first fix after a period of abstinence. It made sense, he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been playing a game with people of one form or another, using his skills to manipulate, push, or test them. A slow smile spread across his face.

Now he could get some sleep.

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