The Monroe Legacy - G.3. Chapter 2 - The Things We Never Say

'Well.... What do you think', Gray asked hesitantly. His hands were starting to get sweaty and his heart was racing. Enamoured with his plan, he hadn't even thought to be nervous, so sure that Aisha would agree.

But she was looking at him blankly, almost.... Disappointed?

'Aisha, can you please say something' he continued, his voice pleading.

Aisha shook herself a little , seeming to be thinking before smiling broadly and saying,

'Sure, I'll move in with you'.

Gray felt relief wash over him though he couldn't avoid thinking that her smile seemed a little forced and her answer a little lacklustre.

'That's great!' He managed, I mean, you don't have to... If you don't want to-'

'No! No, I want to .... ' she jumped in, 'I just thought-' she gestured at the fancy restaurant and the string quartet. 'I thought- . It doesn't matter what I thought.'

Gray let it drop, thrilled that she had agreed though her cagey response worried him a little. He pushed it to the back of his mind as dessert was brought out, he'd wanted to try out the fig tart at Les Flores for months and had finally got a reservation. The rest of the meal passed in an unusual silence, Aisha picking at her food as Gray tried to figure out what the elusive secret ingredient might be.

A week later, as a grinning Aisha and her stack of boxes arrived at the house, all awkwardness was forgotten. Saffron and Sienna helped with moving stuff in, it seemed like Aisha had more clothes than the rest of the family combined. It took so long that the girls claimed he owed them big time. Gray made a mental note to invest in some bigger wardrobes if he ever got round to remodelling.

Gray was beginning to feel like he was in control of his life. With his parents away a lot in Appaloosa and his sisters doing their own thing it was getting easier for him to feel like the head of the family. Now he had Aisha here with him, he could begin to visualise a future. He had a job he loved, every day was a new challenge but he was improving daily, whipping up little garnishes and sauces that were catching the eye of the executive chef. He had a girl he was crazy about, who seemed perfectly happy with their life, well other than that little wobble at dinner, and he had a whole life ahead of him.

The year passed in a blur, he was promoted again, working longer hours than ever. Aisha got a part-time job at a marketing agency so that she wouldn't be home alone so much and seemed happier than ever. The two of them would arrive home exhausted but somehow find the energy to go out for drinks with their schoolmates or spend the evening tangled together in bed.

Before Gray had time to blink the triplets were graduating from high school, Sienna as Valedictorian, and the house was awash with relatives. Hallie and Cai threw a huge party, their first since the move and everyone was having a blast. Gray was pretty sure he'd seen Sienna  sneaking off out of the back gate with a six-pack but honestly he was too buzzed to care and she was old enough to make her own mistakes now.

Saffron was badgering Violet to get her a job at the studio and Violet was grimacing and saying she'd think about it. Gray noticed that his big sister wasn't drinking and wondered if maybe she had something she was waiting to tell them. His suspicions were confirmed when he walked into kitchen to find his tearful mother and father congratulating Violet and Derek, the latter had his arms cradled protectively around his pregnant wife.

Jet was home too, a much more engaged young man than he had gone away though it seemed he'd always have an inclination towards the imaginary. He was applying to join a mounted regiment in the army, hoping to gain experience and earn enough money to start up a ranch once he retired from service.

Many toasts were made in celebration and the next thing Gray knew it was morning, he had a blinding headache and he was asleep on the sofa.

Everything changed in the year that followed. After a few weeks of putting up with his grumbles, Hallie forced Cai to go to the doctor where he was diagnosed with the early stages of prostate cancer. The discovery sent a shock through the family as it was the first time either of Gray's parents had shown any sign of their age. Caught early and with an aggressive round of radiotherapy his tumour was soon in remission but things would never be exactly the same, somewhere a clock had started ticking and Gray had to accept that one day soon he would have to step up and be the father figure.

This shadow of death was balanced by a new life as Violet and Derek welcomed a little daughter, Amelie Charlotte, who was the spitting image of her mom. Aisha adored her sort-of-niece with a far-off look in her eyes which, if Gray noticed, he never brought up.

Hallie was trying desperately to stay out her son's affairs, she like Aisha but she could see that there was something going on. As Gray reacted to his father's illness by working harder and being everybody's hero, Aisha was withdrawing, spending hours alone, obsessing over her figure and the house.

Eventually she decided that she would speak to the young woman, the opportunity arising as they waited in the kitchen for baby Amelie's bottle to sterilise.

Never one to beat around the bush Hallie simply asked,

'Aisha, are you happy?'

In place of an answer Aisha just threw her arms around Hallie's waist and started sobbing. Surprised but determined to get to the bottom of things, Hallie stroked her hair and listened as he son's girlfriend poured out her heart.

'I always thought that Gray and me were perfect, that we wanted, like, the same things. We were supposed to be most likely to get married, he was going to be a famous chef and I was gonna be by his side. 

But then he took me out for this fancy meal, we've been together almost 5 years now, and I was so sure he was going to propose, to make it a forever thing. But he just asked me to move in, and now he works all the time and it's all about cooking and what's next. I've tried so hard to fit into his life, to be the perfect girlfriend but now I'm not getting anything back. I just want what Violet has, a wedding, a big house and a baby and I don't know if he can give that to me right now.'

Hallie soothed Aisha, telling her that she should do something about it, that Gray was just young and trying to do the right thing. That he'd always been a workaholic and that Aisha had to tell him how she felt and go after what she wanted in life.

Little did they know that Gray, home early from work with dinner and flowers, had overheard the whole conversation. He crept out of the house, his mind full of questions. Was he ready to be a husband? To be a dad? Is that what his parents would want from him?

A subdued Gray "returned home" three hours later with a lot of questions still unanswered, not knowing what to expect. Perhaps a tearful conversation, another screaming row about his hours or maybe even to find Aisha packed and telling him it was over. Now he knew what she wanted he couldn't believe they'd never discussed it, they'd been together nearly five years. He also couldn't believe how caught up in his own goals he had been. No wonder she was having doubts.

What he never expected was to find her up in their room in her cutest lingerie with candles lit and music playing. He had barely closed the door when she threw herself at him, tugging at his shirt even as his brain tried to remember the reasons he shouldn't give in to her hungry kisses.

But it had been a long day. Gray was drained, physically and emotionally and as Aisha began to undo his belt his logic began to fail. Why shouldn't they remind themselves how good they were together and save the hard stuff for the morning. Growling deep in his throat, his worry turning to lust, Gray tangled his hand in his lover's hair and, pushing her back on the bed, began to nibble his way down her throat, burying the worries of the previous hours at the back of his mind.

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Read Chapter 3 - Wicked Games now to find out what is next for Gray and Aisha.