Page 38 of Fall From Grace

That was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard him say. “Huh?”

“You have more freckles now,” he noticed.

“Yeah,” I muttered, grabbing my nose. “It kinda happens when you’re out in the sun every summer.”

“You’ve gotten…,”so handsome that it’s devastating to my heart,“taller.”

He arched his eyebrow at me then focused back on the road. “Nothing else?”

“You have muscles now?” I stuttered somewhat, and he smiled.

“Looks like we’re here.”Already?

Dad was standing out on the porch as he let Gus out. “Wait, stop!” I told him. “Just pull right here.” He stopped in front of our neighbor’s house. I exhaled when Dad went back inside, only Gus was outside and he seemed to be a dog on a mission. “He never watches Gus when he lets him out,” I grumbled more to myself.

“Gus?”

It was like Gus knew I was in the strange Jeep ‘cause he came over next to the Jeep and started barking at the door. “What the—” Noah rolled his window down to look at Gus. “Is this short-legged thing Gus?” he turned and asked.

I squinted my eyes at him. “Hey now, I’ll have you know, he’s very sensitive about his height. We told him when he was a pup that he’d grow big like a Husky, so imagine his disappointment when his legs had a stunted growth.”

He burst into laughter as he opened his door and helped Gus in. He hopped in my lap and tried to lick me in the face. “So, they finally let you have a dog.” He sounded amazed.

“It was all thanks to you,” I said, but I didn’t feel like bringing up the day his mom passed away, so I didn’t tell him anymore even when his face told me to elaborate.

I tilted my head and just watched him pet Gus and smile… My heart was still adjusting to having him near me again while my mind couldn’t believe it. “Noah.” He looked up with a smile. “Are you truly okay? You’re seriously in a good home and things—”

“I’m fine, Grace, you can start asking me anything you want to know and I’ll answer.” I believed him. He looked over to the trailers.

“Do you want to see him?” I knew he’d know who I was talking about.

“No,” he said straight away. “He’s not supposed to have any contact with me anyway, but the choice will be mine once I’m eighteen…”

“The trailer’s falling apart.” I scratched Gus’s ears and peered out the window with a frown. “I kinda broke his coffee table Monday,” I admitted.

“You’ve been going to see him?” He didn’t sound happy, he sounded frustrated.

“Don’t give me that attitude, Noah. Do you have any idea how much I cried when I knew they were taking you away and you weren’t coming back? And week after week slipped by without any word from you, I knew you didn’t know my number but what about a phonebook?”

“The number wasn’t listed,” he grumbled.

“I was so scared because I knew you were being thrown in a stranger’s home and I didn’t know where. My parents wouldn’t try to help me. I knew Dad wouldn’t, but I thought Mom would have but she just gave me speech after speech about things righting themselves in time.”

He was the one to speak this time, “I was devastated, I lost my Mom and home all in the same night. I was terrified of saying goodbye to you that night because you were the one that mattered most to me. When I finally got in touch with your mom, I thoughtfinally, I was going to hear your voice again soon and then she told me to live without speaking or seeing you, and in my head, I was thinking, ‘how do I live without her when I need her just so I can breathe easier while I cope’… But you weren’t lost to me, Grace, you never were. I knew I’d have you back in my life, it helped me remember that I was always going to prove I’m worth something and you’re that pivotal person in my life that I want it to be around.”

He was a little out of breath from all the words he spilled while I was speechless. Gus barked and we both jumped, Noah grabbed his mouth and looked ahead as if he was just realizing what he said.

I wanted to kiss, hug, and squeeze him after that speech. I still had a boyfriend though, I needed to properly end things with Dustin before… Before what? I couldn’t tell if he meant I was his most important person as a friend or something else. It could be either, and considering he brought up the sex stuff so casually…

“I think your mom’s calling for Gus,” he said, pointing toward my porch.

I frowned. “I should go.”

“Yeah,” he added quietly.

“Thanks for the ride,” I mentioned as I got out of his Jeep so very slowly. I walked around and he rolled down his window. “Bye,” I told him.

“Bye, Grace,” he whispered.Say something else. Stop me or I’m gonna go upstairs and cry!

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