Safe With You

Is it faith or Fate?

~Greyson~

Winston hasn’t stopped laughing for fifteen bloody minutes.

We’re sitting in my office at REH — me at my desk, him sprawled across the visitor’s chair like he owns the place, and Markus perched on the edge of the window ledge sipping his coffee, grinning like the devil himself.

“So let me get this straight,” Winston says between bouts of laughter. “You kissed Alyssa Rose. At the school car park. During drop-off.”

Markus chuckles. “In front of other parents. Classy move, brother.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Can we not broadcast it like a bloody headline?”

“Oh no, this is brilliant,” Winston says. “You’ve gone full rom-com dad — next thing we know, you’ll be showing up at the school bake sale in an apron.”

“Don’t tempt him,” Markus adds. “He’s already halfway there.”

I throw a paperweight at both of them. They dodge it easily, laughing harder.

“You two are insufferable.”

Winston wipes his eyes. “Oh come on, mate, it’s about time someone knocked you off your pedestal. You’ve been all cool and collected for years — now look at you. Wrecked by a woman in a car park.”

“She’s not just any woman,” I snap before I can stop myself.

The words hang in the air, heavier than I meant them to. Markus exchanges a look with Winston, then turns back to me, his tone softening.

“Then stop pretending she is,” he says gently.

I sigh and lean back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t even know what this is anymore. I just know when I saw her this morning… everything else went out the window. I couldn’t not kiss her.”

“And now?” Markus asks.

“Now?” I run a hand through my hair. “Now I can’t stop thinking about doing it again.”

Winston smirks. “Careful, you’ll start sounding like me.”

“God forbid,” I mutter.

Markus laughs, setting his coffee down. “So what’s your plan, lover boy? Because from what you’ve told us, Alyssa’s not exactly the type to let someone close easily.”

“She’s not,” I admit. “But I don’t want to push her. I just—”

The office door opens.

All three of us look up.

And there she is.

Alyssa.

But not the Alyssa from this morning — not the flustered mum at school drop-off. This is CEO Alyssa Rose: confident, poised, breathtaking.

Her hair’s styled in soft waves that catch the light, her makeup is flawless, and she’s wearing a deep emerald-green wrap dress that hugs her curves in ways that should honestly be illegal. The heels add just enough height that she meets my eyes without having to tilt her chin.

The entire room seems to shift around her.

Markus sits up straighter. Winston mutters a quiet, “Bloody hell,” under his breath.

I’m on my feet before I even realise I’ve moved. “Alyssa.”

“Greyson.” Her tone is calm, composed, but there’s something playful flickering behind her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, more surprised than anything.

She tilts her head. “Well, since you decided to kiss me in front of half the parents at St. James this morning, I thought I’d return the favour — by disrupting your day for a change.”

Winston practically chokes on his laughter. Markus just smiles knowingly.

Alyssa ignores them entirely, eyes fixed on me. “You’re coming to lunch with me.”

It’s not a question. It’s a statement — one I’d be a fool to argue with.

“I am?” I manage.

She smirks. “Yes, you are. And before you start with that whole I’ve got meetings line, I’ve already called your assistant and cleared your schedule for the next two hours.”

Markus whistles low. “Christ, she’s efficient.”

“Remind me never to get on her bad side,” Winston adds under his breath.

Alyssa throws them both a charming but deadly smile. “Wise decision.”

Then, to me: “You’ve got five minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.”

She turns and walks out — that perfect sway of confidence leaving silence in her wake.

The door shuts softly behind her, and I swear both my brothers are staring at me like I’ve just won the bloody lottery.

“Well,” Winston says, stretching out the word. “You’re done for.”

Markus grins. “In the best possible way.”

I run a hand over my jaw, still half in disbelief. “What the hell just happened?”

“You got claimed,” Winston says cheerfully. “By the hottest woman in London. Congratulations.”

Markus nods, that infuriating older-brother wisdom in his tone. “Don’t mess this up, Grey. When a woman like that chooses you — especially after what she’s been through — you don’t take it lightly.”

I nod, already reaching for my jacket. “Yeah. I don’t intend to.”

As I pass them on my way out, Winston calls after me, “Hey, try not to cause another public scandal this time, yeah? One car park kiss is enough for the week.”

I flip him off over my shoulder without slowing down.

The elevator doors close, and my reflection stares back at me — equal parts stunned and thrilled.

She came here. For me.

Whatever’s happening between us, it’s real. And if she’s willing to meet me halfway, then I’ll move mountains to keep up with her.

By the time I reach the ground floor, I spot her waiting by the car park, arms folded, sunglasses on, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

And just like that, I know — this isn’t business anymore.

This is something worth risking everything for.