Hi! Thank you so much again for the kind comments and everything on the last chapter, It all makes/made me unbelievably happy! This isn't a super long chapter or anything and it's mostly just a filler but I was having fun while I was writing it so I just let it ramble a little. Next chapter should be (if I work it properly) when things start to get a little all over the place, so hopefully I figure it out and it's enjoyable. Either way, thank you for coming this far, I really do truly hope that you enjoy this and have a great day!

The two young lovers all but stumbled out of the summer house together, giddy and still wrapped up in some state of lust.

Truly, Greyson had half a mind to drag her back inside and stay there for forever. Hell, he could get food sent to them and he'd do his best to keep her entertained. Anything to keep her close.

Hand in hand, something that neither of them drew any attention toward, they walked. Their feet carried them slowly back toward the house, their hips bumping softly every few steps in some playful nudging. They spoke languidly about anything and everything that either of them had on their minds, though Greyson's mind was still admittedly rather empty, save for thoughts of River and her enchanting lips.

Around them, the trees rustled their own ancient stories to one another.

It was, more or less, like old times. Time before Grey had been stupid enough to let anything come between them, something he didn't plan to do again.

Eventually, their slow pace slowed some more. Neither of them seemed to want to be back in the company of the rest of the family just yet, though they couldn't find reason enough to still them in their tracks.

"What's that whole thing Ava was talking about earlier?" He eventually asked. He wanted to talk to her, to ask her things, to get her to chatter away. He wanted to know every part of her, most of all the parts that she hadn't properly yet shared with him.

Beside him, she groaned lightly. Not something she wanted to talk about, perhaps. Only, as he readied to change topic, she spoke. "Honestly?" She started, dragging in a breath. "I have no fucking clue." She laughed as she spoke, but he could see something deeper in her features.

"Someone's stealing, right?" He probed. Sure, he'd drop it if she didn't want to talk about it, but he was curious, dammit.

Unbothered, she nodded once. "Stealing customer data. That's what the cops think, anyhow." She scoffed lightly. "I just... I don't know. It's super weird. I don't even know that we've got anything worth stealing on there. The computers are kind of ancient, but they take security pretty seriously when it comes to customers. Like, sure, our staff stuff is sketchy, but all the payment information is locked up tight. We've got some high end members, we have to lock that shit up. I think some of it's on the cloud, maybe? Man, I don't freaking know. It's all too technical for me."

As River spoke, Greyson could see the annoyance under her brow. He did everything he could not to reach out and smooth it with his thumb, knowing that they were nearing the house. Only a hundred feet or so before the furthest reach of the backyard was beneath their feet. Then, River stilled them. Still in the tree, out of sight.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "You upset I didn't tell you about it?" She asked, perceptive as ever. Of course she'd noticed, she noticed most things.

Unable to hide his smile, Grey simply shrugged, toeing the ground. "That'd be pretty pathetic, huh?" He grumbled, looking at her shyly. Naturally, he earned a playful shove before she pulled him right back into her by their joined hands.

"There's nothing pathetic about you, Grey." She assured him with a genuine smile. "I guess I didn't think it was important. I know it wasn't me, so whichever moron they fire for this will be in the rearview soon. Maybe I figured you'd be just about tired of me bringing drama into your life." At that, she bumped him once more, looking almost hopefully up at him.

He couldn't believe what he'd just heard, seriously. "River," He started with a groan, watching as her face took on something akin to embarrassment. "Come on, you can't seriously think I blame you for... for what? The losers with no lives who just sit around my apartment building all day?" The idea was, at best, absurd.

She breathed deeply, seeming a little concerned. "I mean, I know you don't, but maybe I should have waited until we were in the elevator before-"

"Before what? You looked at me, that's all they saw." He cut her off with an apologetic hand gesture. After all, that was all they'd seen. Sure, anyone could guess where that look had taken them, but it was just a look.

"Like I wanted to eat you."

Greyson shrugged, grinning. "Right, the same way I was looking at you. Do you blame me?"

"Shut up." There was the same old note of annoyance that he'd known and loved as a teen.

"Do you?" He prompted, wiggling her for long enough with their joined hands to earn a chuckle.

"Obviously I don't, jackass." There it was again. God, how he'd missed that.

"Exactly."

At that, River rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She grumbled, but the smile on her face put butterflies in Greyson's stomach.

There was a brief silence, one in which they both simply breathed. Briefly, River glanced in the general direction of the house, but she didn't make to move.

"You have any idea who it is?" Grey asked her, wanting to simply remain there, chatting with her. "The thief." He then clarified.

She took a deep breath in before letting out a humorless laugh. "A moron." She stated simply, shrugging. "I don't know if anyone's stupid enough to do it, but they'll get caught."

In spite of Greyson's wishes to simply stay in the woods together, they instead began to head back through the yard before long. River was first time drop their joined hands, though she didn't look across to see the look of hurt that Greyson was quick to wipe from his features.

Luckily, there wasn't anyone still outside to see them returning at the same time together, nor was anyone there to see the way that River quickly fixed her own hair before they stepped inside. Greyson's hands, it seemed, had messed it up a little more than he'd realised when she'd been blowing his mind.

Together, they headed straight for the kitchen, hearing the telltale signs that most of the family was in the living room.

Having worked up quite the appetite with River, Greyson was nothing short of starving. Watching her grab things from the mass of food that was all now on the kitchen island, he had to hide his smile with a tucked chin. God, she really was adorable. Even just watching her squirrel away food into her waiting cheeks one tiny morsel at a time as she glanced over the rest, she was beautiful. Granted, she still wasn't his type, hence why their arrangement was so perfect, but he could think a friend was beautiful, right? He could. She could be beautiful and funny, she could be perfect and all of those things.

Had it really already been barely an hour since they'd been in the summer house together? He almost couldn't believe it. Fuck, he could still feel her hands on his skin. Her lips on his-

"Sausage?" River offered as she brought one of the offending items directly to her lips with a pointed smirk, so very clearly teasing as her other hand offered him another of the same item. He was immediately glad that they were alone in there, though he knew that they had to be quiet to avoid being heard.

Snickering, he gently batted away the outstretched hand, watching her smirk deepen and she dropped the offending item onto her own plate. "You're a jerk." He grumbled, still trying to keep his smile under wraps as she did him the courtesy of pretending not to notice his infectious joy.

He was glad to hear the light snort of her laugh around the phallic food.

They hung out in the kitchen together for a little while longer, both of them picking at food and flirting softly for the time that they were alone together.

Alas, it wasn't long before Elliot found his way in, looking to sneak some fatty cuts of meat while Kate wasn't looking. Conversation flowed naturally between the three of them, but it soon turned to bikes. More specifically, Elliot asking if River wanted to give his new one a go.

With River's attention elsewhere as she eagerly agreed, Greyson found himself trailing behind her like a lost puppy when she followed his uncle outside.

Bikes weren't his thing, not at all, but seeing this childlike excitement in River was freaking adorable. That and the groan that she let out at the sight of Elliot's bike. Yeah, that sure hadn't hurt things.

Now, the bike in question? Well, it had two wheels. There was a seat. Greyson even spied handlebars. Further than that though? Simply put, that was as far as his expertise went. He was content to never find himself sat on a bike for as long as he lived. Hell, he hadn't even ridden a pushbike as a kid, not confidently at least. So, as River threw her leg over the beast, nodding happily as Elliot talked to her, Greyson was simply content to witness.

With the simple press of a button, the thing roared to life. It was loud. Like, loud enough the Elliot was suddenly shouting at River as he politely grabbed her own helmet from where he bike sat a few feet away. He handed it to her, still yelling as she out it on. All the while, Grey couldn't help but wonder what the appeal of all this was.

Granted, looking at River? Well, she looked fucking good on that thing. Maybe he was still in some kind of post-head bliss, he didn't know, but seeing her as she maneuvered such a machine so confidently was definitely doing something for him.

Together, River and Elliot were like giddy kids. So, while he may not have had any idea what they were geeking out about, it was sweet all the same to be able to watch them.

When River, with Elliot's permission, rode off on his bike down the driveway, Elliot came over to Greyson and slung his arm over his nephew's shoulder.

He'd always liked being part of a family that liked physical touch. He hadn't gotten much of it from his birth parents, so he saw the Greys as making up for lost time from the moment he was comfortable and confident enough to let them love him. "Nice bike." He told his uncle, wrapping his own arm around the other man's back in some half-hug. "Real shiny." He then added.

Immediately, Elliot laughed and dragged the younger Grey over to the steps that lead up to the house. They sat down together there, not caring about the thin layer of grime on the stone slabs that had yet to meet a pressure washer. "Yeah, I saw you admiring it. You get a good look at it? The bike?" He shot back, setting a blush on Greyson's face immediately.

He wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what was being said. He'd been seen checking River out. Unlike when Teddy brought up River, it didn't feel so much like an accusation from his uncle. "It's a nice bike. Looks like it's got a good... uh, exhaust?" Try as he might, he could bullshit his way out of this one. Hell, he wasn't even a car guy, let alone a bike guy.

Beside him, Elliot just chuckled and shook his head. "Your Aunt Kate finally lets me bring my new baby here and you can't even tell me what color the paint is, can you?" His laugh was infectious. Greyson couldn't help but smile, even as his cheeks flushed deeper. "Man, I miss those times sometimes. Being so young and in love. Handsome as hell, too, you little bast-"

"In love?" Greyson barked, wide-eyed. "Hey, I'm not-"

"It's a turn of phrase." Elliot waved a dismissive hand, but Grey wasn't so sure. "Come on, fill me in on everything, kid. Your dad says you've been pulling some crazy-long nights at work. Why? Being the boss's kid is meant to have perks."

And just like that, the conversation was turning. Whether Elliot had seen how quickly Greyson had gotten flustered or not, the younger man was simply glad to be talking about anything else. He felt these days as though anyone only ever wanted to pick his brains about his relationship with River. So, with a smile, he got into it.

Sitting on the steps with Elliot, chatting away, Greyson was happy. Truly happy. It was nice, he decided, to have this. So many folks had all the money in the world but no real familial love, he couldn't believe sometimes how lucky he'd been to get landed with an abundance of both. While his birth family hadn't provided him with either in his earlier years, he didn't hold it against them for the most part, he was simply glad to have been able to find himself so fortunate later on.

River was back before long, parking the bike up in silence and clambering off as Grey and Elliot finished up their conversation.

"Good ride?" Elliot asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good ride?" River scoffed back at him. "God, that thing's smooth as butter." Her voice was little more than a jealous groan.

Oddly, Grey found it funny. He'd have bought River a whole damn garage full of bikes if she'd have let him, but he wasn't allowed to spend his money on her, for fear of her wrath. She really was something else.

As the three of them remained outside a little longer, River jokingly told Elliot that he was more than welcome to take her bike for a spin if he wanted. Not at all afraid of the shabby old bike, he accepted. He hopped onto it excitedly as Kate, Ava and her husband Dean poured out of the house. "See," Ava started with a roll of her eyes. "I told you you'd find him out here playing with bikes, Mom." She chuckled good naturedly at her father with both her mother and her husband as he excitedly pulled on his helmet.

"Good lord, is that thing safe?" Kate asked, looking directly at River. Though the question was teasing, there had been a clear note of worry too.

Laughing, River shook her head. "Oh, hell no. That thing's falling apart." The pride in her eyes when she looked at that horrid bike was priceless. She then looked to Elliot as he began trying the ignition. "You'll have to kick it. My poor girl's tired, really needs a good boot sometimes."

After a few failed attempts at kickstarting the bike, Elliot finally got it choking to life. Greyson didn't believe in inanimate objects holding any kind of favour toward their owners, not for a second, but it was oddly hilarious to hear the bike run a little clearer when River jokingly patted it in some comforting motion.

"The bite's high as hell!" She yelled to Elliot over the engine's ruckus, getting a heavy nod from his helmet. "Really rev it high and let out a good half an inch before you're ready to start feeling for it!"

Again, Greyson had no idea what was going on, but he was having fun. River was fun, especially around his family. She melded into them so very easily, just as she always had.

Watching his uncle Elliot stall River's bike a solid five times in a row was amusing to say the least. Once he finally got the thing moving, he did what River had done and took it down and along the driveway for a ride, all the while with Kate visibly cringing.

The rest of the day was honestly much of a muchness. Everyone seemed to find some kind of a second wind of energy once their full stomachs had settled and the grandparents among them had awoken from a nap. Bikes were put away and the family took themselves back outside. Greyson tried to hang around with everyone and not just with River, but he admittedly found himself beside her more often than not. When time for the family's mostly friendly ball game came around however, they were separated by none other than Teddy.

"I hope you don't mind me stealing her, Grey." His older brother had chuckled at him, arm slung so very casually over River's shoulders as she snorted and rolled her eyes, used to his antics.

Chuckling, Greyson held his disappointment below the surface. "Even River can't make you win." He instead shot back at his brother.

Naturally, River cocked a playful brow. "Oh, I'm sorry, whose team always won when we were kids?" She asked, looking between the two brothers for an answer.

"My team." Greyson crossed his arms firmly over his chest, doing his best to keep the smile from creeping onto his face while his brother was around.

River disagreed. "Oh no, baby, that was my team." She laughed, entirely unaware of how that single word had jabbed him in the gut.

"Ooh, baby?" Teddy sang boisterously, getting a gentle sock in the gut from River. A familial touch, no doubt.

"Oh don't worry, I'll call you nice names too, Princess." She jibed back, shoving him away with a playful force. As Teddy turned and jogged off to choose the last few team members, River shot Greyson a wink. "You like that, Grey?" She asked, so very clearly teasing in spite of how quietly she'd spoken. Her teasing, it seemed, was for his ears only.

Greyson, once all of the choosing was done, had found himself on a team with his sister, her fiancée and a small army of cousins. A few of them didn't want to play, as was the case most years, so Elliot came to bolster Greyson's side as his own daughter and her husband decided to sit it out.

The ball game wasn't ever too serious a matter, but seeing River follow Teddy over toward their end zone, Greyson decided that he would win. Sure, his team, whatever. He just wanted to beat Teddy. It mattered to him, in that moment, that he beat Teddy in front of River. Childish, he knew.

When it was time to start, Elliot tossed the ball across the center line to Teddy. "You guys can start." He told his nephew.

In response, a devilish grin before the ball was thrown back. "No, you guys can. I insist. On account of you having the... uh, weaker team." He snorted at his own joke, earning a few giggles from the cousins on his team, though River made no such noise of amusement.

Though Teddy's comment could have been seen as sexist since River and Lara were the only women on his team, Grey and everyone else knew that he was actually saying it on account of the other team having his uncle Elliot to make up numbers. Even then, they were a man short against Teddy's huge team of himself, River, Callum, Thomas, Jacob, Lucas and Lara, totaling seven. Where they totaled seven, Greyson's team consisted of himself, Phoebe, Jen, Elliot and Amelia, eventually adding his own father in some attempt to even them out with six to Teddy's seven.

As soon as Christian stepped onto their makeshift pitch, Teddy's attitude changed. If one thing was clear, it was that their father was going to target him like hell. "Hey now... two adults?" The young Grey chuckled anxiously.

From across the field, Amelia cackled. "You're an adult!" She called at him, earning nods and snorts from just about everyone.

The game began well enough. As expected, Christian was the first to tackle Teddy, quickly setting the precedent that full contact was expected.

There was naturally some leeway around who was doing what kind of tackling. Amelia, for example, wasn't getting thrown across the floor or flattened by anyone, but that didn't mean that her brother, River or her cousins simply ignored when she found herself with the ball.

To Greyson's delight, he and River seemed to have worked out some unspoken agreement that they were gunning for one another. Namely, when she had been running for the ball alongside him, in spite of her being faster than he was by a mile, she chose to plough directly into him and send them both hurtling to the floor before either of them could get the ball, leaving Elliot to swoop in behind them and grab it.

When they'd hit the soft grass, landing mostly on Greyson, River had managed to roll straight back onto her feet with a pleased smirk as she shot off before Greyson could even finish scrambling to his feet.

It all continued in much the same fashion as they played. Christian targeted Teddy. Teddy targeted both of his sisters. Elliot hounded his own kids and Jacob, Callum's boyfriend, who was practically his son as far as he was concerned. River and Greyson beelined for one another. Hilariously, Amelia made a point of tackling Teddy and hard as she possibly could at every opportunity, even when the ball was nowhere near either of them. If nothing else, it made for interesting viewing.

At some point, Lara and Lucas both ducked out, at which time Phoebe and Jen followed suit, keeping the numbers as level as possible.

Though someone was keeping a track of points, it sure as hell wasn't Greyson. He was busy trying to keep River, easily the most athletic among them, from scoring every other freaking minute.

When she found herself with the ball, running with it tucked under one arm, Greyson saw his chance.

He was directly where she'd need to be. She'd have to get past him to score and he didn't plan on allowing them.

So, as she was running, narrowly missing Amelia as she leapt to try to grab her babysitter, Greyson saw his chance and took it.

River was already aware of where he was of course, but she didn't seem all too worried.

As he poised himself, crouching slightly, ready to drive himself, she grew closer with each passing second. Teddy was putting everything into trying to catch up on the other side, desperately trying to shake off his own father.

With barely ten feet between them and River showing no signs of stopping or slowing, Greyson lurched.

In the second before they collided, River tossed the ball. It sailed directly over to Teddy as he managed to free himself. River and Greyson flew into one another like two bulls in a freaking China shop. Greyson, arms wrapping firmly around River's body as their feet were lost in the mess, managed to flip them well enough that they landed harshly on his back. For all the power that he'd put into the tackle, he obviously wasn't going to risk hurting River.

On the other hand, River landed practically straddling his hips. Undeterred though as they both immediately made to get to their feet, Greyson making some attempt to swing River around to his other side so that he could run off, he realised the mistake that he'd made.

River was not only fast and strong, she was nimble and skilled. It didn't matter how much physical strength he had on her, he didn't have the same skillset as she did.

Though their was little point in their scuffle, he wasn't going to complain, least of all when she was on top of him.

For every time that he tried to grab and literally throw her, she was faster. She grabbed whatever she needed to, rolling him expertly beneath her until she was holding one of his arms roughly into his back. He struggled uselessly for another few second before huffing and going slack. "Okay, asshole." He laughed, defeated.

Chuckling, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. Her breath fell in sharp pants against the shell, sending a shiver through him that he was glad to have hidden between the ground and her frame. "If you wanna roughhouse with me, Grey, you just gotta ask nicely." She purred, far too quiet for anyone else's ears as they were all still running around them. Then, without another word, she hopped up off of him and hooted victoriously. God, he even found that attractive. "Huh, what was that? Three time high school wresting champ? Oh, of the state?" As River bigged herself up playfully, literally flexing her arms and abs as Greyson clambered to his feet, he was silently berating himself for how freaking hot he was finding her idiocy.

Grinning, he shoved her playfully before they both ran off in search of the ball.

God, did he want to roughhouse with River? Was that normal? Okay, he didn't want to actually throw her around or anything, but he definitely saw the appeal in some playfighting, like the kids they'd done as teens when River had started practicing sparring with an eager Taylor and, when Taylor was busy, he'd step in to get flipped around by her. Only, now he wanted it to end in fucking. Well, that was something to figure out at a later date, that much was certain.

The game didn't last too much longer. Once Amelia dropped out, River started going easy on them all. It was clear to anyone that she was fitter than the rest of them and they were struggling to keep up. Even once Callum, Jacob and Thomas dropped out, only leaving River and Teddy on that side, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, both Christian and Elliot gave in, announcing jokingly that they refused to compete against someone who worked in a gym all day. Greyson briefly considered carrying on, but with Teddy's victory cry and River's removal of her shirt to dab at her damp forehead, his attention was officially off the game.

As they all headed off of the "pitch", River sidled up to Greyson, nudging him softly.

"Hey, you still have some old t-shirts in your room? If so, you mind if I steal one for right now?" She asked him easily, either unaware of the things that her semi naked upper half was doing to him, or unbothered. Or, he considered, she was evilly testing him.

Trying not to swallow too damn hard, aware of a few pairs of eyes watching lightly, he nodded. "Uh, yeah. You want me to show you where they are?" He offered, though he was silently pleased when she shook her head and assured him that she could find them herself if he didn't mind her digging around in his old room. Granted, the idea of sneaking off to his old room was beyond appealing, but he had a suspicion that no one would ignore them both being gone at the same time again. They'd been lucky with the summer house.

She was barely gone two minutes, but the sight of her when she came back, clad in one of his old graphic tees was almost too much. God, he really was pathetic.

For the remainder of the day, the family mostly relaxed around the house and in the garden. Nothing of any real importance happened further than mildly interesting conversations.

When it was dark out and finally time to head home, River and Greyson left at just about the same time, agreeing over text as she got onto her bike that they'd see one another again soon. A few family members wished River luck with the whole situation at the gym, getting her thanks and her hugs in return before she was speeding off.

They texted for a lot of the night, right up until Greyson found himself drifting off to sleep.

As I said, a bit of a "nothing" chapter as far as story goes, but it's all moving along little by little! I know how I plan on ending the story and I've got a bunch of plot points I want to hit along the way, so right now I'm just figuring out where they all fit and writing what I can whenever I've got it in me.

I know I end each chapter with a "thank you " and saying how much it means to me that anyone's reading this and I just wanted to reiterate that. Writing is one of my favorite things in the world and it truly does mean so much to me that anyone enjoys my drivel. Comments and whatnot make my day and I just really wanted to stress how genuinely thankful I am. Have an awesome day and I'll (hopefully) see you next time!