Chapter NineGrace
Chapter Nine
Grace
A t some point, we’d moved to Wes’ room, which was done in blues and greens, and had a big, soft bed. I’d been sick a few more times, but felt better curled together between Wes and Evan like a Grace sandwich. It was delicious. So far, I liked this world.
I lay there with my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth, coziness, and safety. It was morning.
“Are you sure this is okay? The moment it’s not, this stops,” Wes said quietly to Evan.
“I’m fine . Are you okay? You still care for her, don’t you? I’m fine if you do,” Evan replied.
Wes sighed. “I do. I never stopped caring about her. What’s going to happen when she goes home?”
Eventually, I’d have to get home. Right? I had a job. An apartment. A plant. I think.
The problem was, I still cared for Wes, too. Barfing aside, last night was pleasant. He’d grown up, but was still the strong, caring person that I remembered.
One thing that I could recall was an intense feeling of loneliness back home. Of not fitting. Certainly, I didn’t have this. Growing up, no one had listened to me the way Wes had. I felt seen when I was with him.
Loved. Wanted.
With Wes I felt like I belonged.
When I was young, every night when I went to sleep, I hoped it would be a night that I’d go to him.
“How about we nurse her through her concussion and, you know, figure out who chased her, before we fuck with the multiverse?” Evan suggested.
“ Multiverse implies variations of ourselves. There’s no Grace Ellington here. Believe me, I looked,” Wes replied. “What? I listened to her. In school, I did so well in math and science because of that.”
“Hey, I’m going to take a shower and make some coffee. I’ve got to go into work later, but I think we can leave her here for a bit by herself. She’ll sleep a lot in the next few days, and that’s for the best,” Evan said.
“I already told Spencer that I’m coming in late today,” Wes added.
“I love you. You also could use a shower,” Evan said, the bed shifting.
For a moment after I heard him leave, I continued to lie there, eyes closed.
“Are you awake, Peaches? You could use a shower, too,” Wes replied, stroking my hair.
My eyes didn’t open. “I like it when you do that.”
“Can you manage on your own?”
“Yeah.” I may have unabashedly snuggled with someone I’d only ever been with in my dreams, but I wasn’t ready to shower with him.
I let him help me out of the enormous bed and into his fancy bathroom, with a spacious shower with clear glass doors.
“What, no whirlpool tub?” I joked, still a little wobbly. My head continued to pound, and my brain was still sluggish. A fancy house like this needed a fancy bathtub.
“That’s in Evan’s room. Um, I’ll get you a towel and some clothes.” His chest was bare, with a military-ish looking tattoo on his shoulder. A black infinity heart tattoo was on his left pectoral–Evan had a matching one.
He left, and I turned the shower on, letting it warm up as I stripped out of his T-shirt I’d slept in. I washed my hair and body and rinsed out my mouth. Closing my eyes, I let the warm water wash over me.
“Shit,” Wes whispered.
My eyes opened. Wes stood there, towel and clothes in hand, staring at me through the clear glass door.
“Oh, my scars, yeah, they freaked the doctor out, too.” Turning off the water, I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around myself.
“At that last place your mom sent you to, they did that to you?” He growled a little.
“Yeah.” My voice went rough. My memories of Wes were getting stronger.
“I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around me.
It felt safe and comfortable as heat built between us once again.
“It’s not your fault. Or mine.” I looked up into his eyes.
“It still hurts to see you hurt, Peaches. It tears me up inside that they did that to you.”
His lips pressed to mine, and for a moment it was like in our dreams—the later ones when we’d been more than friends. He tasted of toothpaste, his lips soft, yet demanding, as he pulled me closer.
It felt so good, both familiar and comforting as my hands moved up his back.
Yes, this I remembered. Kissing him. Loving him. Being loved by him.
Hungry for more, I pulled him close, continuing our kiss. I felt him harden through his boxers, and heat seared me. All I had to do was drop the–
What was I thinking? He had a husband. We weren’t teenagers. I pulled away, guilt filling me.
“Um, thanks for the clothes. Shower’s all yours.” Grabbing the clothes out of his hand, my heart pounded as I walked into his room, putting the clothes on as I moved.
My face burned with mortification. What had I done? The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Evan. He’d taken me into his home and not minded that I was his husband’s ex. If anything, that made him even kinder. I also didn’t know him well enough to tell what was banter and what was serious.
“Grace, wait.” Wes followed me.
My heart continued to thud. “It’s fine. I won’t read into it. Um, I’m going to get some coffee.”
Oh, how I wanted to read into it. In some ways this felt so right, and I just wanted to accept it all. Accept him.
He wasn’t mine anymore. This wasn’t my world.
Before he could say anything else, I left. Eventually, I would have to go home–and that would break us both all over again.