Hi! Thank you for choosing to read my drivel, I know it's been a little while but I'm doing my best to get back into writing. My BS that's stopping me from writing more is still ongoing (which is oddly amusing as I recently found out about something to do with a curse on FF writers, in that we all get ill or get hit by busses or something, leading to the insane author notes you see from time to time) but I'm just writing what I can, when I can.

Hopefully this is alright and you're still enjoying. Anyway, enjoy!

Try as he might, he just couldn't understand it.

Even with Teddy yapping away in his ear about something or other, he couldn't get past it.

The whole dinner with Heather had been bullshit. Photos of them sitting together had circulated the internet, more articles about them had been written and, yet again, he was labelled as distraught by HOT FAME Magazine in spite of the fact that he looked nothing but confused or annoyed in any of the photos. Did they truly not have any other descriptors in their arsenal? It was beginning to get ridiculous.

The whole thing only added to his suspicion that she had been the one to feed them false information in the beginning. In all honesty, it didn't shock him all that much, but he'd have been lying if he'd said that it hadn't hurt a little. The end of their relationship was little more than a vehicle to further fame for Heather. That stung. Clearly their years together had meant so little to her that it didn't seem unreasonable to her to do something so... well, so her.

He'd shot Heather a small string of texts, each one ever so slightly more annoyed than the last, though none bordered on rude. His parents had raised him better than to be rude to her, plus he had no way of knowing if HOT FAME Magazine would end up with screenshots.

Sure, the whole thing made a little more sense now. He knew now that the reason for the meal had been that she was missing the freaking spotlight and that she knew that dinner and a few pictures of her crying would solve that, but he simply couldn't fathom what the hell would have made her think that even a second of that was okay. Seriously, as much as it seemed very much like something he should have expected from her, he simply found himself unable to move past it and actually wrap his head around the idea that she'd been so bold as to do it.

Of course, not one of his texts went answered. He knew that she wasn't going to respond, or that if she did it would be with some false innocence that she'd had no idea about the whole thing. Possibly even that she was pressured into it by someone. Anything other than the truth.

"Are you and Heather getting back together?" Amelia asked from across the room just as Greyson's cell buzzed in his pocket. More bullshit from the magazines no doubt.

Teddy's laughter was answer enough, loud and boisterous, but Greyson still smiled comfortingly across the room at their younger sister. He could see something akin to worry in her eyes. Had she really disliked Heather so much? "No, Meals, don't worry. She just wanted to see how I was doing after our breakup." He told her, watching her face change. A little happier for his answer, it seemed.

Still, there was something else there. "You should date River next." She stated simply into the air, letting her words hang heavily in the room.

Either side of her, their parents hummed their agreement. Well, their dad chuckled softly and their mom smiled down at her book, acting as if she hadn't heard. Fuck, did they know? No, they couldn't have. Still, a blush grew, spreading up his cheeks.

He scoffed in the dimly lit room, thankful for the dark movie as it helped to hide him from them. "River and I are just friends, Meals." He stated as firmly as he dared, ignoring the sudden rush of emotions that balled in his gut.

He wasn't ready to date again, not so soon, but would dating River have really been so terrible? Sure, he truly wasn't anywhere near ready to date and he and River really were just friends, but if he had been ready to date again, well, maybe dating someone he knew he was sexually compatible with wouldn't be a bad thing. Plus, it wasn't as though they didn't get on. Not to forget her freaking body-

"Right." Teddy scoffed, laughing as he playfully shoved his brother. "You and Ranger are texting all the freaking time."

He wanted to correct Teddy on River's name but he knew that was what his brother was looking for. He was looking for some kind of reaction, some proof of annoyance. No, he had to stay cool. "You don't text your friends? Or is it just that you don't have any friends?"

Chuckling, Teddy shook his head. "None that look like her." He stated easily, earning a light admonishment from their mother. In the darkness, Greyson saw red.

Light enough to be playful, he socked Teddy's leg, glad to hear a shocked yelp. "Dude, stay away from River." He grumbled. He did his best to keep his tone light but he knew he hadn't succeeded. If anything was going to give him away, it was that.

Still, entirely unphased, Teddy simply laughed. "Oh, relax. I'm just saying, she looks good. Not my type at all, but hey, I'm sure it's all the same in the-"

"Son." Their father's voice was firm, cutting the eldest son short. If there was one thing that their parents didn't tolerate, it was any kind of talk that objectified women.

Shit. Greyson had practically forgotten it wasn't just the two of them. He was glad to have had Teddy shut the hell up though. Seriously, who the hell did he think he was? Sure, he was rich, handsome, all that crap, but River... River was so much more that all that stuff. She had actual substance to her. Like, sure, she was stunning and her body was incredible, but she was everything else too. To put it simply, she was more than Teddy could have ever wished for, so he should have kept his mouth shut about her.

Luckily, whether it was fate or some other equally kind force, a knock at the door shut them all up. Phoebe, almost certainly. "I'll get it." Greyson all but leapt up from his seat, ignoring as Teddy did a pitiful job of telling their parents that he hadn't meant anything by his comments.

Being out of the room did little to dull the silent anger that had been brewing in his gut. It wasn't anything hot and fierce, nothing serious, but it had been there non the less. A few more minutes and he'd have probably shoved Teddy off the couch just to watch him fall. After all, they'd been raised differently; to respect women before anything else. Hell, he'd have been annoyed for any woman, not just River, right?

Phoebe, he knew, would be on his side. She'd protected him for Teddy's boisterous antics from the very first day that their parents had welcomed him into the family. Sure, she'd teased him like any other sister, but she'd always looked after him and had always been ready to go to war with Teddy for him. Hell, she'd always been ready to fight with Teddy for just about anyone, not that Greyson could fault her for that. For a professional businessman, Teddy sure knew how to act like a kid.

He swung the door open almost excitedly. Sure, he wasn't going to tell her about River, but he was excited to set her on Teddy and watch the resulting showdown. Only, it wasn't her.

"River?" He tried so very hard to keep the shock and excitement from his voice.

The cock of her eyebrow, however, told him that he'd failed. A small smirk worked away at her lips as she looked him up and down before she released a low whistle. "Look at you, all dressed up for your fancy gala." Her voice was low, sultry almost. He couldn't help but find himself transported back to opening his apartment door for her, where she'd teased him in the same manner for being in a suit at home. Naturally, that invited thoughts of... more. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" There was amusement in her tone as she spoke.

With his eyes locked on her, he realised he'd been caught reminiscing. "Right. Yeah, uh... of course. Come on it." He near enough choked on his words. That blush that had been rising had finally forced it's way onto his cheeks, spreading over his chest, face and neck. It consumed him whole, making him want to briefly tug at the stupid bow tie around his neck.

As he stepped aside, holding the door wide open, he couldn't help but hold his breath as she stepped inside and past him.

One deep breath almost had his knees buckling. She smelled incredible. It wasn't anything special, no expensive perfume or anything like that, just some cheap breath mints and whatever deodorant she'd used. It was intoxicating though, driving him wild. Fuck, he just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and feel their skin sliding together again. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and breathe her in for as long as she would allow.

She stood there with him, waiting as he cleared his throat lightly and shut the door once she was inside. Then, possibly just to drive him insane, she reached up and tugged lightly at that damned bow tie. "Cute." She chuckled, sending his mind spiraling into nothing but thoughts of her.

Just as quickly, she was gone, winking once as she left him there. She went right to the living room to greet everyone, leaving him to all but pant as his mind and body reeled. Holy shit. What the hell was wrong with him?

Worryingly, the flush in his chest seemed to be spreading yet again. With River on his mind, it began to travel south. "Fuck." He grumbled uselessly.

Naturally, the sound of Teddy's voice was enough to pull him from his thoughts. Greyson rushed back toward the living room just as his brother was talking to her. "You know, we were just saying to Greyson that he should date you next, Ranger. Right, Meals?" Teddy locked eyes with his immediately infuriated brother over River's shoulder, grinning devilishly.

From her spot on the couch, Amelia was grinning and nodding furiously. "You're so much nicer than Heather!" She insisted, earning a laugh from Teddy as Greyson groaned internally.

"Oh?" River, however, just chuckled and all but threw herself down next to the younger girl who had moved to sit beside Teddy while Greyson was out of the room. Teddy, he figured, had probably lured her over with some bullshit about setting him up with River. "You know, I don't think your brother could handle dating me. I'm a handful, Meals." She didn't once look up at Greyson as she spoke, but he immediately knew it to be anything but the truth. She clearly just didn't want to talk about it and wasn't looking to shit on his ex. Unlike Heather, River actually had some class.

Somehow, Greyson had actually managed to forget about the fact that River babysat Amelia. So, while he and the others went to a charity fundraiser, she would be sitting at home with his younger sister. Had it not been for charity, he'd have considered staying back and watching movies with them both. Hell, he'd have sat there all night doing Amelia's homework with her, so long as River stayed.

Fuck, he really was being pathetic, wasn't he?

It wasn't until River reached out and grabbed his hand that he was brought back to the present. He was aware of everyone looking at him for barely a second before she tugged him into the seat beside her, rolling her eyes. "It's like talking to a zombie." She teased, looking at Amelia as the young girl laughed at the joke.

She'd clearly said something while he'd been distracted. She'd probably asked if he was going to just stand there all night.

He cleared his throat with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, I was just-"

"Imagining your wedding day?" Teddy teased, now with both Amelia and River acting as a natural barrier.

Whether to help Greyson out or to simply ease the growing tension, River piped up. "Only if you'll be my flower girl, Theodora." She reached across the teen between them and lightly tickled Teddy's jawline, resulting in Teddy's boisterous laugh, a swat at River's hand and an assurance that he'd make a beautiful flower girl. It was a teasing, almost sibling-like gesture, but Greyson didn't like it.

As pathetic as that made him, he didn't want her touching Teddy of all people. He wasn't that person though, right? No, no, he was better than that. He hoped.

Saved by both the gods and the doorbell though, he was given an opportunity to leave the room. "Phoebe." He grumbled, forcing himself out of his seat in order to stand and get the door again. As he went, he made sure not to look at River. He couldn't stand the thought that he might see her touching Teddy again, not when he wanted her to touch him, dammit.

Fuck, maybe Teddy's comments earlier had gotten to him a little more than he'd realised.

Still, opening the door to Phoebe was a relief. She and her fiancée, Jen, stepped inside in a whirlwind of positivity and pure love. Phoebe hadn't always been that way, but Jen had really grounded her and brought the happiness out of her.

Naturally, Greyson hugged them both, thanking Jen as she told him how handsome he looked, assuring them both that they looked stunning. It, of course, wasn't a lie. It was no secret that the Greys knew how to dress well and that they did so all of the time. In part, he figured some thanks was owed to their Aunt Mia, renowned designer with as many different branches and brands as any one person could oversee before growing mad. She had, after all, always been there to keep them all dressing with the latest trends.

In the foyer of his parents' home, Greyson realised that, looking at his sister and her fiancée, he truly had been robbing himself during those years with Heather. He didn't figure that the two of them had ever looked as happy together as Phoebe and Jen did, not even for a second.

Walking back into the living room with them both, his heart seemed to grow three times.

Not all that long ago, when he and Heather had entered a room together, she'd received tight-lipped smiles from people who were long since tired of her antics and negative toll on Greyson relationships with them all. While his family was never rude to her, they hadn't ever felt it necessary to hide the fact that they, simply put, tolerated her for the sake of their son, their brother, their loved one. She had been around for so long, either ignorant to their distain or simply unbothered, that he'd almost forgotten how different it could be.

There she was though, River, practically leaping off of the couch to wrap her arms around his sister and Jen.

At their immediate, excited shouts of her name in greeting, he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been all these years. This was how they should have been reacting, had he not been dating someone with the attitude of sandpaper. Where Heather had been abrasive, all too keen to moan and bitch about how close he and his folks were, River was everything else.

"Oh my god, you both look incredible!" River's compliment, as Greyson couldn't take his eyes off of her, was sincere. Her smile was real, there was no taunting in her tone, she even pulled them both in for a second brief hug.

With Phoebe and Jen grinning at River, thanking her profusely, Greyson made himself a promise.

Never again, for them, would he settle. He would never settle for what he thought was expected of him. He would seek out happiness. He would seek out love. He would find all of this for himself and would cling to it with all his might.

Not with River, of course. They were, after all, just friends... friends who got that kind of reception from his folks.

Fuck. Look, he wasn't falling for River or anything stupid like that, okay? He was just... well, appreciating her? Yeah, that sounded about right. It just so happened that the idea of waking up to her each morning wasn't all that offensive an idea either. But again, they were just friends, so maybe, he figured, that was how everyone felt about their friends.

A single thought about Beaufort "Boof" Steward, a high school friend of his and Heather's, quickly trashed that idea, not that he allowed himself to think about that for so much as a second longer.

"We were just talking about Grey's love life." Teddy told their sister a second later once everyone had gotten back to sitting down. "Specifically, Meals thinks he should date River next, right?"

Naturally, Greyson had found a way to sit beside River. She smelled so fucking good, so good that he had to stop himself from turning and taking a firm breath of her hair.

On the same oversized couch, Amelia was on the other side of River with Teddy on his other side as they had been before. On the opposite couch, Phoebe and Jen had sat comfortably enough with their parents, having hugged and greeted them warmly as ever.

Beside him, River chuckled.

All too quickly, Greyson realised that he had an arm across the back of the couch. It was lying directly behind River's head. Comfortably, she had her head lolled back against his bicep, something that he truly hadn't even paid any mind to until then. Feeling his brother's accusations, he yanked it away and crossed them both over his chest, missing the briefly confused looked from River.

"Oh?" Phoebe prompted, a single, elegant brow raised, intrigued. "Do tell." Beside her, Jen smiled, seemingly knowingly.

A single look at her was all it took. Greyson realised that he'd snatched his arm away too quickly, too obviously. Fuck, did they know what he and River had done? "Shut up." He groaned, hoping for a moment that it just seemed like regular sibling moaning and not anything telling or defensive.

Eager as ever, Amelia practically bolted up in her seat between River and Teddy, beaming. "River's so much nicer than Heather was!" She immediately blurted, looking with adoring gaze at the woman in question.

Unlike Greyson, River seemed to be finding the whole thing utterly amusing. As he was shying away into the soft, plush surface of the couch beneath them, silently cursing the fact that he'd sat next to her and simply given them more ammo to use, River was laughing gladly, giving back every second of teasing.

"Hey, come on, now." She said through a laugh. "Heather wasn't that bad. You know, this world has a way of being not-too-kind to young women. I'm sure that deep down, she was probably a little intimidated, right? I mean, your family is, like, super famous. Plus, Teddy's a raging asshole-"

"Hey!" Teddy, in spite of it all, was laughing even as he spoke.

"Language." Their mother admonished lightly from the corner, though she was saying it out of habit more than anything. Like the others, she adored River and, in all honesty, didn't really care all that much about cursing.

All the same, River held her hands up in some mock surrender. "Apologies, Mrs. G."

Fuck, River really was that good. She, who had suffered under Heather's tyrannical rule during their school years, was defending her. She was freaking defending her bully of all people to the Greys, all for what? Because, in spite of everything, she was just better than Heather had been morally. As much as Greyson didn't like to speak badly about most people, he was slowly but surely realising just how dark and damaging Heather had been. He certainly wasn't any kind of distraught to be without her.

With some more jokes and laughter from all but Greyson, the Grey family was finally readying to leave once Taylor gave them the signal.

Taylor was, as far as Greyson figured, practically part of the furniture. Not in a mean or objectifying kind of way, more just that he'd basically been a part of the family for just about forever, longer even than their mom. He was a kind, older man who worked fewer hours with each passing year, but who refused to retire in spite of the family offering him a more than generous payment package and retirement plan for his years of service.

Just like him, his wife, Gale, was no different. She only really came to help out for events these days since Greyson's folks had long since hired a new chef, but she'd lit up with joy and adoration as she'd been tasked with thoroughly training the new girl. The new girl in question, Camille, was an ex-addict who had taken a few wrong turns before landing the job, but had proved to be nothing short of fantastic and an amazing influence on the Grey children. Between her and Gale, they were about the only people who had been able to convince Greyson to eat full meals when he'd first arrived. He'd been so terrified to go back to where he'd come from, so scared to lose it all, that he'd been too anxious to eat; too anxious to overstep and somehow mess up. They had taken time with him and it had certainly paid off.

So, with the cars all pulled around to the front of the property, it was time to leave.

They filed out with the security team, clambering into cars according to whatever Taylor ordered. Greyson counted himself lucky to have been seated with Phoebe and Jen, nowhere near Teddy.

Sadly, the silence didn't last long as they'd gotten moving.

"It's nice seeing you and River around one another again. You guys were always so close." Jen's voice, while mostly casual, was probing. Beside her, Phoebe hummed her agreement.

Sitting up front with their security and driver, Mason, Greyson simply sighed deeply and did his utmost not to blush when he felt his cell vibrate in his pocket. For some reason, he was certain that it was River messaging him, but he refused to check it while his sister and her fiancée were right behind him. "Yeah, it's nice seeing her again." He said instead, refusing to meet the pairs of eyes that he could feel borreing into the back of his skull.

Mercifully, the drive wasn't all that far, as had been the intention of them meeting at their parents' place instead of elsewhere.

Though Greyson had grown just accustomed to the fame and the fanfare as the rest of his family, he still didn't exactly love the flashing of cameras or the shouting that came with the territory. They were, of course, small prices to pay for obscene wealth.

His cell was practically burning a hole in his pocket by the time they were in the building, so much so that he was quick to excuse himself to go to the bathroom before he'd even shaken a single hand of any other rich attendees.

In the safety of a cubicle inside a ludicrously gold bathroom, he finally took out his cell. As the screen came to life, a grin snuck onto his face.

River. 19:32

"Hope I didn't overstep fooling around with your folks earlier...? I'll make it up to you somehow"

Holy shit.

Fuck, okay. What the hell was he meant to say to that?

With a goofy grin, he typed out his response.

Greyson. 20:01

"Not you, don't stress. Alos, pretty sure it's my turn to make it up to you, right?"

Greyson. 20:01

"Also* oops"

Spelling aside, he figured he'd done a pretty decent job. About as decent as he could have done in those circumstances. After all, he definitely didn't want to be getting any kind of hardon in the bathroom, least of all in a place like this one. Still, he couldn't stop himself from sending just one more, hitting the send button before he could stop himself.

Greyson. 20:02

"You're not working tomorrow, right? Come over later? I'm starting late tomorrow"

With that sent, he stuffed his cell back into his pocket and headed out of the bathroom.

Inside the huge main hall, the rest of his family in attendance had arrived. The Grey family had huddled up together and had found the two huge tables that they would all be seated at.

Everyone was happy to see him, just as he was happy to see all of them. His grandparents were there, his aunts, his uncles and his cousins. Conversation was lively and the drinks were flowing, but he held off a little. He gave himself a two drink allowance on the off chance that River was happy to meet at his place later, figuring that the two flutes of expensive champagne would be out of his system long before he had to be any kind of sober. They also gave him just enough of a relaxed buzz to engage in all of this mindless, social bullshit.

The room was full of loud people with egos almost as large as their wallets. Initially, it had terrified him as a kid, seeing just how easily his new family had fitted into this world. Shockingly enough, it had been befriending River that had helped him, truly. She, just like him, had been poor all her life. Being able to try to make this world less daunting for her as their friendship grew, in turn, meant that he had to learn to navigate it. Nothing had been quite so terrifying once he'd wrapped his head around it all for her sake.

Later on in the evening, as ridiculous amounts of money was being thrown around on whims, Greyson chanced a glance at his cell while no one was looking.

The guy two tables over may have just bought a date with a supermodel, but he, Greyson Grey, he was the lucky one. After all, he'd be going home with River Nivalis later.

Well, I'm sure you can tell what's happening next chapter! I'm writing it as I'm typing this, so hopefully it won't be too long before I post again.

With that in mind, I won't go on for too long now. Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think as I adore feedback, it truly means the world to me. Further than that, have an awesome day!