)

Grayson straightened his silver tuxedo, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn't wanted to attend the party just because Xander had urged him to, but because he couldn't bear listening to the hotel guests talking about Mason Valentine all night.

As he turned around to leave, he accidentally knocked over a pile of photos he had taken of Alison for their IT project. They scattered across the floor, and he reached down for them.

As he gathered them, he couldn't help but notice that on each photo Alison had purposefully posed with a certain facade in each one. It was as if each pose and expression was a clue in a game, much like the ones his grandfather had made for them. Her eyes, though stunningly blue, seemed to hold a certain sadness.

As he sorted through the pictures, one caught his eye. It was a photo of Alison on the balcony, her white dress almost see-through, accentuating her curves. Another was of her in the pool, floating with her eyes closed. He quickly shuffled through the remaining photos, not letting any thoughts linger. But then he saw one he hadn't noticed before - a photo of him and Alison. She must had taken the camera when he was getting out of the pool, and positioned her arm to capture the both of them. It was the only photo where Alison looked genuinely happy.

Grayson took a deep breath and raked his fingers through his hair, trying to clear his head. Alison is my IT partner, and nothing else, he repeated to himself.

Alison was just a friend and he couldn't afford to catch feelings for her. He couldn't bear the thought of breaking her like his family did to so many others, like what happened to Emily. He pushed the thought aside and turned his attention to the party he was about to attend.

Grayson stood in front of his full-length mirror, checking his appearance one last time. He carefully put the photos back on top of his desk and headed out to the party.