Chapter 13
Grace
I t wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. I mean, it was awkward, especially sharing a bathroom with Michael which felt weirdly intimate, but not as uncomfortable as I expected.
Besides, I was freaking out more than I was trying to let show. A little awkwardness was a small price to pay for the reassurance of having Michael with me. When he’d offered, I’d downplayed how much it meant to me, but I’d nearly passed out in relief.
In the end we decided that he should sleep up in the loft with me. On the floor, of course, but I had an area rug up there that would provide an extra layer of cushion for him.
It wasn’t much of a discussion. I suggested it, he said fine, and that was that.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth, then changed into a t-shirt and sleep shorts at warp speed while Michael was in the bathroom doing the same.
I jumped into bed, pulled the covers up to my armpits, and took a calming breath as Michael reappeared wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts, his feet bare.
I’d seen him in t-shirts before but those shorts...let’s just say the man did not skip leg day at the gym.
Trying not to be obvious, I studied the remote controller for the loft’s ceiling fan as if it required intense focus to operate.
“Okay if I have the ceiling fan on low? It’s a little bit of white noise and I like the air flow.”
Michael dropped down on his sleeping bag a few feet from my bed. “Okay with me.”
I turned the fan on and waited until he’d settled on his back on top of the sleeping bag, his hands stacked behind his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want a pillow?” I had three in various sizes. I could share one.
“No, I usually sleep without one.” Michael chuckled at the look I gave him. “I know it’s weird. I’m usually on my back or stomach so I don’t need one.”
“Whatever makes you happy. Ready for lights out?”
Michael nodded and I hit the button on the remote, extinguishing the light.
“Good night, Michael.”
“Night, Grace.”
I lay in the darkness, inhaling and exhaling carefully, not wanting to breathe too loudly or too quickly, listening for any tiny sound Michael made as I did so. I willed myself to relax, listening to the cracks and creaks of the building around me, knowing that if Michael wasn’t there, I’d be up checking doors, windows, and closets for the first of probably a dozen times over the course of the night.
With Michael there, I wasn’t worried about it.
I turned over, settled for about a minute, then shifted onto my back. The minutes went by as I changed position again, settled, then flipped over one more time.
Michael’s voice came out of the darkness. “Having trouble getting comfortable?”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so restless. I didn’t mean to keep you awake.”
“You’re not. And don’t apologize. My mind is still going, too.”
Maybe, but... “I’ll try to be quieter.”
“Since we’re both awake can I ask you a question?”
Hmm. Okay. “Of course.”
“I’ve been wondering...when I found you, how did Travis know my name?”
Oh. That.
I thought back to the day Michael had seen me at the diner, when he’d come with me to my apartment to talk. Travis had seen us together and called him by name. Michael hadn’t said anything about it then and I’d forgotten about it since.
I guess it had been wishful thinking to hope that Michael had forgotten about it, too.
“That bad, huh?”
Michael’s voice snapped me back to the moment. What could I tell him? The truth?
“It’s not bad. I hope not, anyway. It’s just embarrassing.”
“Okay.” He sounded curious and a touch wary.
“It’s” – I let out a breath – “Travis isn’t a bad guy, as least as far as I could tell. Now that he covered for me, I believe that even more. It’s just that he kept hitting on me, even after I tried to politely turn him down. I didn’t want to be rude or make him mad, not when he knew where I lived and knew my schedule.”
“Did you feel like he might be a threat to you?”
I had the feeling if I said yes Michael would get up, get dressed, and drive four hours to show Travis the error of his ways, whether Travis had just lied to protect me or not.
“No, it just seemed smart to be careful. When he kept hitting on me, I told him I had a boyfriend, and when he asked me his name, I said ‘Michael’. I didn’t plan it, it just popped out. So, I went with it. I felt a little guilty, but I didn’t think I’d ever see you again and it helped to have a real person to talk about when Travis asked questions. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” Michael responded slowly.
“I’m sorry I did it. There didn’t seem to be any harm to it at the time, but...”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m honored you chose me to be your imaginary boyfriend. If it made you safer, or even just made you feel safer, even better.”
“It did. Thanks for not being mad.”
“Hey, a pretty girl wants to go around telling people she’s giving me the time of day I see nothing to be mad about.”
I huffed out a little laugh. “That’s one way to see it, I guess. You’re the best, Michael.”
“Nah, you just make it easy to be on your team.”
Tears sprang to my eyes at his words. How had I gotten so lucky?
A little more than a year and a half ago, I’d landed randomly in Lark, been given a job I didn’t really deserve, and gained a circle of support I hadn’t earned. Even after I’d run away, the universe had somehow reconnected us. That was all it took. “Team Grace” had pulled me gently back into their world and matter-of-factly surrounded me with every single thing I needed.
I didn’t understand how this could be my life. How I was lying here in a beautiful apartment, with a gorgeous, amazing man watching over me, and a group of friends ready to stand between me and whatever might happen next.
“I’m glad you’re part of it,” I whispered to Michael, all I could manage with the emotion clogging my throat.
“I am, too,” Micheal responded. “I’ll let you get some rest. Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Michael.”
This time I closed my eyes, listened to Michael’s breathing, and let his presence lull me to sleep.