Page 22 of State of Grace

She probably thinks I’m a psycho fan who will take her back to her apartment and kidnap her to talk at length about the hetero-normative storylines, Alexis thought to herself as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“I’d feel better if you walked them home, please. The ice cream shop is down the street and around the corner from her apartment. I pointed it out to you yesterday, remember?”

“Yeah, but,” Blake shrugged as she looked to Isla for assistance.

“Baby, they’ve made the walk home a thousand times safely. They’ll be fine.”

“I understand that,” Vera’s voice was slightly lower as she leaned closer to Isla, “but I watched this documentary the other night.”

“Not the human trafficking one,” Isla groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Vera was notorious for believing every depraved thing she saw on TV and panicking over the probability of it happening in Moonflower Cove. “I told you not to watch that one.”

“And I didn’t listen.”

“Do you honestly think human traffickers are here in Moonflower Cove?”

“This is exactly how it starts,” Vera pointed a finger at Isla as a smirk played on both their lips. “It starts with the whole ‘not my town’ mentality, and before you know it, we’re featured on Dateline or worse, in a Lifetime movie.”

“Honestly, Vera, I am canceling the ID Network tomorrow.”

“I’m only saying that I think it would be safer if…”

“If I walk them home.” Blake sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But what happens if the evil human traffickers try to get me.”

“Please,” Vera waved her off, “I’ve seen you fight on TV, and if you’ve got an ounce of your mother in you, you’ll be fine.”

“Fine,” she let out a defeated sigh, “let’s go.”

“Great, we’ll meet you at the ice cream shop.” Vera smiled victoriously.

As Vera, Isla, and the kids headed down the street toward the ice cream shop, Blake, Alexis, and Harper went in the opposite direction toward her apartment. Harper focused on stepping on every crack in the sidewalk in front of them as they walked. At the crosswalk, Alexis took Harper’s hand as she stood between the two of them. Alexis didn’t notice that Harper had also taken Blake’s hand until the signal changed, and they walked across the street. The way that Blake seemed perfectly content to be walking hand-in-hand with a five-year-old made Alexis feel even more guilty to have snapped at her earlier.

Arriving at the apartment, Alexis unlocked the door and sent Harper upstairs as she lingered out on the sidewalk with Blake.

“I’m sorry for earlier.” Alexis nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I didn’t mean to snap at you about the storylines. I know you don’t have control over that.”

“It’s ok; it’s not like you’re the first person to ever snap at me for it.” Blake’s laugh fell flat as she put her hands in the pocket of the lightweight jacket she was wearing. She had the hood up over her head, but her long hair was flowing in soft curls out from under it. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s frustrating for me too. But, at the end of the day, it’s a job, and I gotta do what the boss says.”

“I get that.” Alexis nodded several times. “I do.”

“And I meant what I said.”

“About what?”

“About your fanfic. It is fantastic. You should listen to Sophia and Vera and publish it.”

“Please.” She waved off the comment like an annoying bug. “It’s not that great.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” The conviction in Blake’s voice caught Alexis off guard. She was used to compliments from Sophia and Vera but hearing it from Blake had an entirely different effect on her. “I’ve read a lot of shitty fanfics, and yours wasn’t one of them. If this is something you want to do, go for it.”

“Look, I’m flattered, but…” Alexis hoped Blake would understand what she was about to say without wanting to ask any questions. She’d made it a point to keep her life as private as she could, and the last thing Alexis wanted or needed was for the world to know who she was. “I’m not comfortable putting my name or face out there for people to know who I am.”

“Such a shame.” Blake licked her lower lip slowly as a smirk formed on her lips. She took a step closer to Alexis and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear unhurriedly. Her blue eyes sparkled in the glow of the street lights like the ocean on a moonlit night. When she spoke again, her voice was lower, sexier. “You have such a pretty face.”

“Not as pretty as yours.”

Oh my god, Alexis! Stop talking.

For the second time that night, Alexis wished for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow her whole. She’d never been able to take a compliment, but she had no idea how to take one coming from Blake freakin’ Calloway. Had Blake seriously said she was pretty? Had Alexis heard her correctly? And had Alexis seriously said ‘not as pretty as yours’ in response?

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