“She tried to ask me about Jordan, if I had my heart broken by her, or if I was still pining for her. That was the only message I almost responded to. I wanted to shut that down real quick. It was shortly after you two went public.”
“No mention since?” I clarify.
“No, man.”
“I’m sorry Griff, that sucks,” Jordan tells him. “I know how messages like that can get in your head.”
I wait for Griff to deny that it’s really bothering him, assume he’ll say he’s only checking them to try to pin down who she is. But he rubs a hand over his jaw again and lets out a defeated breath. “Yeah, so, that’s actually why I’m not going out meeting women. Why no one’s been ‘passing through,’ as you put it, Beck.”
“Wait, it’s because of the messages?” I don’t hide my confusion. I’m not following.
“I know I might sound crazy, and maybe I am, but sometimes I think I’m being watched.”
I dart my eyes to Jordan, suddenly concerned for her. It wasn’t so long ago the person behind this razzleydazzles account took a picture of Jordan going into our old apartment. Either she was waiting for Griff to come or go and Jordan happened to be there, or she was following Jordan.
“You’ve seen someone or noticed anyone following you?”
“Nah, that’s the thing. I’ve never actually seen anyone, it’s just a feeling. And while the messages show this person knows a lot about me, she could have learned it from digging around social media, the Brazen website, stuff like that. She’s either careful not to mention she’s spying on me, or she’s not spying on me and I’m just going crazy.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. But I still don’t get why you can’t go out and hook up with people,” Jordan voices my own thoughts. Griff isn’t scared of this chick, is he?
“You think you’ll accidentally hit on your stalker?” I guess.
“No, not that.” Griff’s chuckle is dark. “I’m pretty confident it’s Fliss. She gives off all the warning bells every time I’ve run into her.” He shakes his head, and it’s distressing seeing my laidback friend worked up like this. “No, I’m not meeting women or hooking up with them because I don’t want this stalker to know about them. I saw the way Fliss looked at Jordan at the airport. Remember?”
I nod, suppressing a shiver at that encounter. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying. You don’t want to turn some fun night with a woman into a risk she’ll get wrapped up in your stalker’s delusions.”
“Exactly. It’s not worth it. I feel like she’s going to break at some point and tell me who she is or show up in person and say something so I can put it all together.”
“But what if that doesn’t happen?” Jordan asks. “You just going to put your life on hold indefinitely?”
Griff flashes one of his charming smiles. “Hooking up isn’t my life, Jordan, don’t worry. I’ve got friends, work’s busy as hell and it’s my dream coming true with Brazen, you know? Skateboarding, my family. I’m good, don’t worry.”
I glance at my girlfriend and she’s rolling her eyes. “I know you’ve got more going on in your life than one-night stands, I just don’t like that this stalker is making you change anything about your life at all. It pisses me off.”
“She’s not making me do anything. It’s my choice. Besides, maybe it’s good for me to go without for a while. It’s giving me some perspective.”
“I’m a little weirded out Jordan’s part of this conversation,” I mutter. “But I want to hear it anyway. How is it good for you?”
“It’s making me think if I want to return to those ways or actually date women, look for someone I could be in a relationship with.”
I don’t know if I believe it. Sure I hope Griff finds someone someday, but it’s really hard for me to picture him dating for real. He’s never shown any interest in a long-term relationship.
Jordan moves to my lap. “Relationships aren’t so bad, Griff. I mean, sometimes you have to share your chair and your beer,” she says as she grabs mine. “But there are perks too.”
Griff smiles at us. “Yeah, I can see that. But you two set a high standard. Not real confident I can meet it.”
I don’t point out all the mistakes we made at first, the roadblocks we hit. Because Griff’s right. It might have been a rocky road to get here, but at least it’s always been clear she’s the one for me. We’re right together, and when that part’s not in question, the rest falls into place. Eventually. In this moment at least, it couldn’t get much better.
The messages from Razzle start coming through when I’m at Mom’s house the next day. I knew Jordan wanted to talk to Griff about all the sponsorship offers she’s been getting, and she made it clear she wanted to do it without me. I’m not offended, I get it. Even though I’m Brazen’s VP now, he’s the one who pushed sponsoring her from the beginning, and he’s always been the point person for her when it comes to Brazen. It’s better that way.
Marco was planning to work on a pergola over their back porch today and I wanted to help him so the timing worked out. We’ve just finished up, and I’m enjoying the newly shaded deck, scrolling through Instagram, when I see the familiar account name pop up in unread messages.
It’s a picture of Griffin and Jordan sitting on the ledge at the top of the Riptide half pipe. Even though I knew they were going to hang and talk this afternoon, the photo hits its intended target. There’s a brief spark of jealousy, but I know it’s purely instinctual and totally irrational. It just so happens that’s a meaningful spot where I’ve sat with Jordan before, but I shake off the emotions and quickly call Griff.
“Hey, what’s up?” he answers.
“You guys are at Riptide?”
“No, we just left. Should be at your mom’s soon.”
“You see anyone following you?”
“Following us? Right now? I don’t think so. Why?”
“I just got a message from Razzle on Instagram. It was a picture of the two of you sitting close at Riptide. You didn’t notice anyone watching you while you were there, did you?”
“Shit. No, I don’t think so. How about you, Jordan?”
I hear her answer a moment later. “It was super crowded. A lot of people were looking at us. I didn’t want to skate, I just wanted to go up there and sit. Damn, I wish I’d paid closer attention.”
“I have an idea,” I tell them. “Stop somewhere together, maybe that smoothie place Summer loves? They have outdoor seating and it’ll be busy right now. If the stalker’s still following you, she’ll want to take another picture to send to me.”
No one says anything on the other end so I continue. “Actually, if you could look super cozy, sit real close, heads together. Look like you’re together. Don’t start kissing or anything,” I add.
“I’m not going to start kissing Griff, Beck,” Jordan says and I can almost hear her rolling her eyes. “But I get where you’re going. What do you think, Griff? You up for it?”