As much as Brian's words have hurt me, I can't let it ruin the rest of my day. I'm going to have a good time at dinner tonight. I have to. I can't let something as little as some gossip ruin my day. I mean, what did I expect? To actually be treated equally to all of the other men in the office? Not fucking likely.

I hear my phone buzzing lightly on my bed as I rush over and answer it.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Nat! I've been trying to get ahold of you all day." I hear Nathanial's voice speak into the phone.

"Hey, sorry." I sigh, trying for the third time to put my hair into a decent looking ponytail. "I"ve been busy with work and getting ready for tonight." I mutter.

"Oh, what's tonight?" He asks with a suggestive tone.

"I'm going to my boss's house for dinner." I say.

"Is it like...a date?" He asks with humor laced in his words.

"No, absolutely not." I huff. "It's something his friend is hosting. His best friend is the head of HR in our company. So, my boss's sister is in town or whatever and they invited me to dinner. It's actually at Shane's apartment but they live in the same building." I explain.

"And Shane is...the boss?" He asks, trying his best to follow along.

"No, Shane is the friend." I correct. "Anyways, what's up?" I ask.

"Has Mom said anything to you lately? Or Dad?" He asks.

"I mean, I saw them a few days ago but that's it. Why?" I ask.

"They still haven't tried apologizing to me." He states.

"Well, are you surprised?" I question. "I mean, come on. It's Mom and Dad. Of course they aren't going to apologize. Right now, they think you have betrayed them." I remind him. "I don't agree with it, but it's exactly what they're thinking right now."

"Well, I haven't done anything wrong. I mean, I'm married for crying out loud! I don't even live in California anymore." He grunts.

"I know, I know." Listen, I'll talk to them, okay? Just relax. Maybe we can all get together before you go back to Miami." I shrug.

"Maybe." He mutters. "Anyways, I'll leave you to whatever it is you're doing. Call me later, okay? Love you." He says before ending the call.

By the sixth attempt at a high ponytail, I finally get it to look decent enough to head to Grayson's place. Well, Shane's place, actually.

After seeing how Grayson and Shane have looked outside of work, I decide to dress as casual as possible without looking pathetic. Leggings and a sweatshirt will do, i'm sure. I mean, this isn't anything too fancy, right? Knowing Sofia will be there, though...

Shit, maybe i'm better off just wearing what I would wear to work.

Before I can change my mind, I hear my phone vibrate once more. Grayson's name flashes across my screen and my heart skips a beat.

"Let me know when you're here and I'll meet you in the lobby."

I quickly send a reply and hurry out the door.

-

I can tell how the area changes as I get closer to Grayson's place. His apartment- or condo, I should say- makes my apartment look like an actual garbage can. Everything about me is garbage when standing next to him or Shane. To everyone's surprise, the two are humble about it. You would never tell how much money they have from what they wear or how they act. It's a comforting thought, really.

As I pull into the same parking spot as last time, I send Grayson a text saying that I just parked.

I can do this. It's just dinner. Coworkers have dinner together all of the time. There is no reason to panic right now.

But not everyone has a crush on their boss, either.

When I see Grayson wave at me from the door entering the lobby, I feel myself relax slightly. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt, making me feel better about my casual pick of clothes. I smile at him as he approaches my car.

"Hey." I say, locking my car.

"Hey. I'm glad you could make it." He says with a small smile.

"Yeah, I am too. Thanks for inviting me." I reply as we walk into the building.

"So I should warn you now. Sofia is...well, she's more than likely going to get wine drunk." He says with a small cringe. I let out a small laugh, knowing that even one glass could get that girl tipsy.

"Hey, she knows how to have fun." I shrug.

"Yeah, that's true." He adds with a small. "Shane is pacing her, but she's a free spirit. She does what she wants." He adds.

"She'll keep it entertaining." I add.

"That much is true." He laughs. "Shane is making some kind of lasagna, I think. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, for sure! Nothing I love more than carbs." I laugh.

As we approach Shane's apartment, I can hear laughter on the other side of the door. It's coming from Sofia, i'm sure. When Grayson opens the door, I see both Shane and Sofia peek their heads around the corner.

"Finally!" Shane exclaims. "I've been waiting for the guest of the night to arrive." He says with a bright smile.

"Yeah, for real! You can't leave me alone with these two. All they want to do is talk about work and play Mario Cart." Sofia tells me, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with wanting to play Mario Cart!" Shane defends. "Plus, you think it's cute. Don't lie." He adds with a wink.

Sofia rolls her eyes and makes a exaggerated gagging noise, causing Shane to roll his eyes right back at her in reply.

"Anyways, want a glass of wine? We have white and red." Sofia exclaims with a little dance in her seat. Her excitement over having someone over and offering them wine is cute. Her excitement over everything is cute. She's a genuine human, I can tell.

"She's allowed to have some, but you are being cut off." Shane says sternly.

"Okay, daddy." Sofia says with another eye roll.

"Don't start something that you can't finish." Shane mumbles in response. I look over to see Grayson not paying an ounce of attention to either one of them. He's examining one of the wine glasses carefully. After looking at each one, he hands Sofia the cleanest one.

"Red or white?" Sofia asks and she takes the spotless glass from Grayson's hand.

"Red, please." I say. I watch as she pours the glass full, and slide it over to me with a smirk. As I take a sip, she quietly fills her own glass back up.

"Sofia." Shane says with a tone of disapproval.

"Hey! We're celebrating! This is my coming home party." She defends as she takes a long sip.

"As happy as we all are to see you back in LA, I'm pretty sure you don't want to celebrate in my bathroom with your head in the toilet." Shane adds.

"God, you throw up one time and everyone thinks you're weak." Sofia mumbles to me, rolling her eyes.

"There was also Christmas break." Grayson adds, taking a seat next to me.

"Okay, let's not forget the time that I had to pick Shane up from the bar because he was too intoxicated to even call a cab." Sofia defends.

"So, we've all had our fair share of drunken moments. Well, except for Gray." Shane shrugs.

"I don't really drink." Grayson says when I look over to him.

"I love that for him." Sofia adds. "Is the food almost done? I'm starving." She groans.

"Patience, Princess Sofia. It's just about to come out of the oven." He informs her.

"Do you want me to make you a plate?" Grayson asks me as Sofia and Shane bicker some more at one another.

"You don't have to! It's fine." I say.

"I know, but you're our guest. I want you to just relax." He says, getting up from his seat and grabbing two plates.

"Thank you." I say softly. He smiles up at me from the other side of counter as he starts preparing our plates.

Any nerves I was feeling earlier have vanished now. Let's just hope I can keep this up.