Page 12 of Broken By the Bad Boy

The lightsin Gracie’s house are off when my bike slows to a crawl. I honk twice. It takes two minutes for the lights in her room to come on. I recline on my bike, a book in my hand and my legs crossed at the knees.

Once Gracie’s door opens, I skim the pages of the book. I’ve read it already, twice. Her footsteps sound urgent from a distance, but they slow down as she approaches me. I fight to keep the smile off my lips. I’ve got only an hour until her curfew, but I figured she would be home alone.

“Someone listened,” she says a few steps away from me.

From my periphery, she grins and snatches the copy of Romeo and Juliet in my grasp.

“And you definitely are not an angel, Juliet,” I quote from the book.

“Really?” she teases.

Gracie’s arms curl around my waist. I nestle my head in the crook of her neck and breathe her in, replacing all the bad images of today with only her. She tries to pull back, but I hold on an extra second longer. That’s all it takes for my girlfriend to tighten her grip on me, holding me closer while comforting me. It’s why she’s my favorite female. She gets me. We pull apart, grinning.

“How was your day?” she asks.

“Good.” Bad. I had to spend the weekend at the mansion. The only good thing was Asher and a compromise from the agreement. Gracie’s gaze scrolls over me. She taps a finger to the corner of her mouth as if trying to read my mind. Thank God she can’t, or she will freak out. “Yours?”

“Fine.”

Gracie hugs me again. “Wanna get out of here?” I ask. My fingers move up and down her back. A mewl escapes her, and the lower part of my body reacts with a slight jerk. I hold her at arm’s length before she notices the tent in my sweats. Before her, it wouldn’t rise. “Are you in or in?”

“Yeah, I’m in. I’ll go change.” There’s nothing wrong with Gracie’s baby pink dress that shows off bits of her superpower, but I know better than to point it out. It’s best when she does certain things her way. Two steps away from me, she stops. Her lips pucker in a cute frown. I wish Olivia would get along with her. “Do you want to come in and wait for me? I won’t be long.”

Coming in might lead to something more. I shake my head, crouching to pick up the novel that fell.

“I’ll wait here,” I answer. “Hurry.”

Gracie doubles back to give me a quick kiss, and then she’s gone. I count the seconds until she’s back. After losing count a third time, her front door opens. She puts a foot forward, then another. I heave myself off the bike, trotting towards her in autopilot mode. Her hair flows down her back in thick, curly waves. Her lips shine with a pink gloss. I stop a step away from her and massage the back of my neck. She smells nicer. Overcome with shyness, we both stand there, grinning at each other. I toss a finger over my shoulder, the words in my head stuck in my throat.

“We should get going,” she says.

“Yes.” I breathe more freely. Taking hold of her hand, I pull her toward the bike. When she lets go of my hand, I panic, and an unusual fear of losing her sweeps over me. I stop when we are in front of the bike and click her helmet into place. My heart races faster. “You look really pretty.”

“Thanks,” she replies. “You too.”

If she’s blushing, I can’t tell because of her helmet. She doesn’t ask for our destination, and my heart pounds a little harder knowing she fully trusts me. Too bad her namesake isn’t quarter the woman my Gracie is. I tuck the novel in the saddlebag behind. I climb the bike first, and Gracie joins me. Her arms clamp round my waist in a vise-like grip. I laugh, and she mumbles an apology.

The bike roars to life. I steal one look at her house and start in the opposite direction. We reach the restaurant in a few minutes, and she stretches out her hand to me. She’s warm to the touch.

Nervousness radiates off her, mixing with my anxiety. I miss a step close to the entrance, and we laugh it off. Her hand slips into the crook of my elbow, and she leans in, head touching my arm.

We are almost at the entrance when she stops. Her eyes light up when she takes in the name.

“You brought me to Dan and Dan,” she comments.

“Yeah?” I say, a bit unsure.

I figured she would like the place since she visited it once with her father. Plus, it’s affordable.

This date cost me Asher. I gave up his week with me so he could spend it with them, and Mom let me work a few hours in the morning. She hates the idea of her kids working while studying. Like the other option is better. Who wants Josef’s cash? I should never have lost that match to Jack.

Gracie sits across from me. A glance at her face and everything feels right again. I miss sleeping on the same bed with Asher, but I don’t regret doing this for her. One day, I won’t need to depend on those people anymore. We lace our hands in the middle of the table while skimming through the menu. I brought her here for the clam chowder. They always have a Saturday night special.

“See anything you like?” I ask.

“Benny…” Gracie’s voice trails off as her head tilts to scan the place. I worked here once to spite Mom and save up some cash. Servers skip past different tables in their white and red aprons. I miss it. “Are you sure we can…” She gulps, and her gaze lowers to the menu. “Can we afford it?”

I like that word. We. We are a team, in and outside of school. My thumb runs over her knuckles, and I nod. Her eyes expand in shock. I nod again. God, I need to talk to her. She needs to know.

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