Page 42 of Fall From Grace

“At least I’m the last person that gets to hear your voice tonight… It’s a start. Grace? You fell asleep for real, didn’t you…? I’ll never be able to sleep… and you’re blowing in my ear. That’s the best sound I’ve heard in a long time… Goodnight, Grace.”

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After falling asleep on Noah the night before, I was tempted to see if he wanted to hang out until I found out he was already at the garage working when I got up. I didn’t know what time he’d get off.

I also had a bunch of text messages from Sara and Tiffany apologizing that they had done as my mom asked them to do. What was even more surprising was how the two were able to keep it from me since last football season. That was also why Sara tried to get me to come to the game, she knew he’d be there. I got it, I guess to them, me seeing Noah for the first time in that way would be a whole lot better than them telling me.

Around noon, Noah sent a text saying he had a few minutes to talk while he was eating.

“Hi, Noah,” I basked in the glory of getting to speak to him again.

“What are you doing?” It was loud in the background where he was in the garage.

“Lying here with Gus,” I told him. “How long are you going to be at the garage?”

“I normally leave around six,” he said through bites of whatever he was eating. It would be too much trouble to ask him to come see me, especially when he lived in another county.

“How long did it take you to get home last night?”

“I think forty-five minutes? I don’t know, I didn’t pay attention.” More banging in the background. “You got plans tonight?”

“Hold on,” I told him as I looked to see who just texted me. It was Tiffany. “I don’t have any plans but Tiffany just asked me to sleep over at her house today.”

“You actually have sleepovers now.” He laughed. “Well, besides the ones with me.”

“Yes,” I huffed. “You make me sound like a hermit or something.”

“You never did any of those things when I lived there,” he pointed out.

I bit my lip.BecauseI hadn’t wanted to share him with anyone. And even before I became possessive over him, I never thought I needed anyone else besides him to play with. Now I wanted to do a different kind ofplaying.I rubbed my eyes,listen to me.

“I think it’s great,” he mentioned. “Tiffany and Sara are probably a lot more fun to hang out with than Dustin.”

“Says the guy that was friends with him all through grade school,” I couldn’t help but say.

“And the girl that couldn’t stand him in grade school is now dating him,” he countered back.

I opened my mouth to say what I really, truly wanted to say, but I stopped. “You keep bringing up Dustin.”

“He’s your boyfriend.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to keep bringing him up.”

“You’re right.”

“I want to hear everything you’ve done.”

I thought I heard him choking on something. “What?” he finally said.

“I want to know everything you’ve done with another girl, and I want to know how many.”

“Grace…” he said it like a swear. “I can’t have this conversation here and now.”

“So, tonight then?”

“That’s not what I meant,” he tripped over his words. “Isn’t it a little inappropriate for you to be asking me this question when you have a boyfriend?”

I sighed. “You’re gonna tell me… I’m curious Noah, you’ve gone and touched anddone itwith other girls…,”and not me,“and I’m still stuck—” onyou.

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