Page 68 of Fall From Grace

She smiled and shooed us upstairs. I let go his shirt once we entered my room and he shut the door behind us. He was quick to pull me into his arms and scoop my feet off the ground as he dropped onto the bed with me. “All I need is you every day, in my arms like this, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

I smiled and kissed his cheek. “Let’s grow together, not apart.”

“I’ve been apart from you far too long already,” he agreed before kissing me. He pulled away too soon. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened the last time we were alone in your room.”

“You’re right,” I agreed but that didn’t mean I liked it. “Too bad,” I whispered and bit his ear.

He groaned, pulling me as close as close could get. “Just wait... I’ll get you this weekend,” he cautioned before sitting up with me in his lap.

“Too far away,” I whined.

“Grace!” Dad yelled downstairs.

I looked at Noah and groaned. “You probably should head back before it gets worse.”

“Or… we can go downstairs and watch a movie so that I can spend a couple more hours with you.”

I kissed him quickly. “That sounds like a wiener.”

He tossed his head back and laughed. “You’ve got to stop with that already.”

“Never,” I promised.

He stood up. “Where’s his bill?” I pointed toward the nightstand. “Come on, before your dad comes up here and drags me out.” He stopped me at the door. “I told him to leave you alone, just leave him be. I can put up with him myself, but the one thing I’ll never be able to tolerate is him coming to aggravate you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Seriously, Grace… I’ll tell your parents if I have to so I know he’ll leave you alone.”

I grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s go watch a movie.”

____

I understood Noah’s words a few days later when his dad approached me as I got off the bus Friday evening. I didn’t have anything to drive yet so I was stuck with a bus for now. I watched him nervously as he stepped up next to me as the bus left. “Have you talked to Noah today?” was the first thing he asked. I simply nodded. “Do you think you could call him up for me?”

“No, John,” I muttered as I headed for the house.

“You couldn’t happen to have ten or twenty dollars on you, would ya?”

“Are you already trying to bum more money?” I turned and scowled at him. “You took six hundred dollars from Noah that he’s gonna need once he hits eighteen!”

“Just ten dollars, that’s all I need,” he went on, completely ignorant or he just didn’t care that I wanted to punch him in the face or cry for Noah.

I went into my purse and yanked out a five-dollar bill from my wallet before I slapped it into his palm. “Don’t come asking for money again.”

Only once you gave someone the chance to take advantage of you, they would.

______

“Thanks for having me this Thanksgiving,” Noah said to Mom as he helped her carry the food to the table.

“Blame her if it tastes bad,” Mom mentioned, tilting her head at me. I blushed and looked over at Noah who was grinning at me. “Grace said you guys were going over to eat at…” She looked to Noah for their names.

“Dean and Janet,” he finished for her.

Dad grunted at the other end of the table. I gave him a dark look as he quietly sat and displayed his dislike of Noah being there. He was such a sour patch.

“So,” Dad finally started and I inwardly sighed. “What’s your plans after you leave high school?”