After the messed up night at the lake and Noah came to her rescue one more time, Grace decided she had to avoid him, be out of his way, and stay as out of his sight as much as possible, and so far, everything had been just fine.“Thank goodness for that.” She whispered to herself.It wasn’t easy, but she had been able to do it for a whole week. She knew it might not be a big deal for others, but for her, it was. She had been making sure to work around his schedule, leaving her room only when he was gone to work, or leaving very early to open the shop, and coming either very early or late, depending on whichever worked for his schedule.Walking alone was becoming a normal thing for her and she only had to look over her shoulder just a few times.“You better learn to stop doing that.” She thought mentally, sighing as she thought about what it would be like not having to look over her shoulder ever again.What had happened with Noah might not be something others would be embarrassed of,
After Grace was done with dinner, she placed everything on the kitchen table, and as she walked out and reached the door, the front door opened, and Noah walked into the house, his eyes connecting with hers immediately.“Hey, you’re back early.” He said, and Grace just nodded, then she remembered Diana was at the backyard sipping the orange juice Grace had squeezed for her while waiting for Noah.“Huh, your girlfriend is here, she’s waiting for you at the backyard.” She said, trying not to make a face as she said that.Grace wasn’t sure what to think about the woman, but it was none of her business.Noah’s expression shifted to confusion. “My girlfriend? What are you talking about?”Grace hesitated before responding, “She said her name was Diana.” Was that what she called her name? She wasn’t sure, but the look on Noah’s face told her she got it right.“Yes, Diana, she’s waiting for you at the backyard.” She repeated.Instantly, Noah’s mood darkened. Diana, the woman who had broken hi
Charlotte paused as her hand picked up the apple from the fridge and she turned to look back at Grace over her shoulder. She had stopped by to pick up the food Grace told her to come pick up, and was now telling her what happened.“Is that a joke?” She asked her, turning completely now to face her. “What do you mean Noah’s girlfriend was here?” She asked.“I said his ex girlfriend was here, because according to what I heard them both talking about, I could tell it had ended.” Grace said.She hadn’t mean to tell Charlotte anything, but she had asked her why she had made that much food in the first place and before even thinking about it, she had let it slipped out.“So Diana was really in this house?” She asked and Grace nodded.“Yes, that was what she called her name.” Grace walked away from where she was standing to walk to the sink to wash her hands.She didn’t want to talk about that or what she had heard Noah and her talked about. The woman was just really so angry that she had ev
When he stepped into Charlotte’s shop that afternoon, he saw Grace back turned to him and she didn’t jump at the chime of the bell, neither did she turn to look at who it was that had entered the shop.That was good, she was making progress.As he walked to the counter, Charlotte looked at him from the door of the back office slash kitchen and shook her head at him. That was her way of telling him that she hadn’t been able to get Grace to talk.He sighed as she walked to the counter as well, and slipped into the stool that was in front of the counter at the corner. “Hi, Charlotte,” he greeted and watched Grace’s shoulder froze for a couple of second before she turned to face him.“Hello, Grace.” He said.“Hello!” She greeted without saying anything more after that.She was still avoiding him at home, but now he knew it wasn’t just because of the lake situation anymore, or the fact that he had seen her scars. Now, it was because of something Diana had said to her, and that worried him.
They both stared at each other, but Grace wanted to look away, no she wanted to walk away, but she didn’t want him thinking she was hiding something.Maybe she was, and she just wanted it to stay that way.“Is something wrong, Grace?” Noah asked, eyeing her carefully. “You haven’t said one word since we came back.” He said.Lifting her shoulder in a shrug, she said. “You told me we needed to talk, so I was waiting for you to do the talking.”Noah nodded, but he knew she was just being evasive. “Do you mind if we go sit down?” He asked and she nodded. They both walked to the living room and took their seat on separate couches, but then, Noah stood up and walked to the couch she was sitting down at.As soon as he did that, she looked at him for a meeting, then without saying a word, she pushed her head down, her hair suddenly covering her face.Noah reached out a large hand to brush her hair off her face to hold it behind her ear, and then he used his hand to raise her chin up so that s
She was having one of those nightmares again, and it woke Noah up from his sleep as well. Noah stirred in his sleep, the sound of distant whimpers slowly pulling him out of his sleep.At first, he didn’t understand what was happening because he was all groggy and disoriented, then he sat up in his bed, his mind registering the source of the sound.It was coming from Grace’s room.It was Grace.The whimpers grew louder, turning into muffled sobs that echoed through the silent house. Concerned, Noah threw off his covers, wore his slippers, and walked out of his room to pad softly across the hallway towards her room.He would have thought that there was someone in her room making her sound like that, but he had witnessed her having a nightmare before, so he knew that was what it was.In his opinion, he still think that she needed to see a therapist, because she would not be able to break free from whatever it was that was hunting her in her sleep if she didn’t, and that wouldn’t be good
Grace hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I just felt so lost and alone in that place, and I was so scared when I started to run, like I was struggling against nature. I couldn’t find my way back home, and everything was dark,” she explained, her voice still shaky, and Noah listened attentively.Of course, he couldn’t say he understood how she was feeling after that kind of dream, but all he could do was offer her some reassurance and comfort. He needed to help her find relief in the face of all of these, and let her know he was right here for her.He offered a reassuring smile. “You’re never alone, Grace. I’m here, and so is everyone else, including Charlotte, my brother, my parents. We’ll always help you find your way back no matter where it is.” He said.There was no such things as helping her without her willing to be helped though, which was why he needed that talk. Sighing, he pulled her into a side hug one last time, before pulling back from her.Grace managed a small smile
Grace awoke with a start, a fleeting moment of panic seizing her as she sensed someone behind her. Wasn’t just behind her though, because she soon felt his hand wrapped around her.Swallowing, she popped her eyes open slowly, trying not to startle or wake whoever it was.For a moment, confusion clouded her mind; someone in her room wasn’t plausible until the events of last night flooded back. As she turned her head, her gaze met Noah’s calm eyes, and a mix of emotions swept through her.She had not only asked me to wait a little but sleep in her bed, and he had looked at her with an unreadable expression for a while, before he had nodded his head in agreement. What the hell did that even mean?She lay there, gathering her thoughts. The confusion she was feeling lingered within her, because of the warmth she felt toward Noah. Her heart raced with both comfort and unease. She couldn’t ignore the implications of having Noah beside her after such an emotional night.Why had she told him t