Have Faith In Me

Grace had been home in New York City for two weeks. Between spending time with her mom and step dad and Brooke and Callie her mind has been occupied with other things beside Mike. She returned to work and it seemed as things were getting back to normal. Callie has been debating whether to stay in New York with Grace. Grace noticed that Callie had fell in love with the city and she wouldn’t mind it at all if the girl stayed. Callie fit right in with the flow of the house. She was clean, helped around the house and the interaction between Callie and Brooke never failed to entertain Grace. The two girls were like twins. Grace walked into the kitchen where she saw Callie on the phone. As soon as Callie saw Grace she ended the call. Grace stared at Callie suspiciously as she walked over to the refrigerator.

“What was that about?”

“Uh nothing.” Callie lied.

“Okay. Whatever you say Cal.” Grace said rolling her eyes.

“Anyway what are your plans fro today?” Callie asked. “You slept pretty late. It’s almost two.”

“Yeah I didn’t get back until early this morning. The concert went over and then the band invited me to their after party. I didn’t get in until about 4:30.” Grace said.

“Have fun?” Callie said

“Yeah but those guys know how to party, I’ll tell you that.” Grace said as Callie laughed.

“So are you going to tell me who you were really talking to now?” Grace said looking at Callie.

Her friend looked down and began playing with her fingers.

“You promise you won’t get mad at me?”

Grace raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. “It depends.”

“Well I talked to Vic…and Mike and-“

Callie you promised you wouldn’t do anything.” Grace said, running her fingers through her hair.

“I know but Mike sounded so desperate and Vic convinced me. Just hear me out.” Callie said.

Grace sat back in her chair and looked blankly at her friend.

“Vic is flying out here. Remember he was telling us that he had to do some record label stuff?”

Grace simply nodded and Callie continued talking.

“Well he asked me if they could to stay with us.” She said

“They?”

Callie stayed quiet and Grace groaned before standing up.

Callie how could you do that?” she said

“I know you miss him and he misses you too. You guys just need to talk Grace.”

“I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to deal with Mike anymore. Why can’t anyone understand that?” Grace said looking down.

“If you can’t even convince yourself, how do you expect to convince me?” Callie said standing her ground.

“I don’t have to convince anyone.” Grace said as she grabbed her keys off of the table and walked out of the apartment. Grace wandered around the streets of New York taking in the sights. No matter how she was feeling, walking around Manhattan could always cheer Grace up. Happiness and excitement just eluded from the city and it was contagious. Grace ended up at her mother’s bakery and walked inside. She noticed how slow they were and walked up to the counter.

“Well if it isn’t Grace Pisano. Where have you been lately?” Grace looked up and saw Angela, an old woman who had been working at the bakery since she was a kid. She smiled when she saw her. She still had the same salt and pepper colored hair that she wrapped up in a bum and the warm, comforting brown eyes that always made her feel better when she was a young girl.

“Hey Mrs. Angela. How are you?” Grace asked sitting on the stool.

“Oh I’m fine dear. The question is how are you?” she said looking at Grace with her caring eyes.

“I’m okay.”

“Just okay?” Angela said.

Grace shrugged and Angela leaned forward placing her hands over Grace’s. “Your mother told me some things.’

“Did she?” Grace said quietly.

“Yes. Who’s this boy I’ve heard so much about?”

“Oh the one that broke my heart? His name is Mike.” Grace said bitterly.

Angela placed her hand gently on Grace’s shoulder. “You loved him?”

“I did but apparently he didn’t love me as I did him.” Grace said.

“Tell me what happened sweetheart.”

“Basically his friends bet he couldn’t have sex with me. But he did and his ex girlfriend recorded it and put it on the internet. Most of his friends, who I thought were my friends too, knew about it and no one said anything to me. The bad thing is when we had sex he told me he loved. I thought he meant it.” Grace explained

“How do you know he didn’t? Did he explain things to you?” Angela asked

“I found out from his friend. He said that he meant it when he told me but I find that hard to believe. If he loved me he wouldn’t have done it.”

“Well boys tend to make dumb mistakes when they are with their friends. He made a really bad mistake and the consequences were really bad but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you.” Angela said.

Grace sighed and looked down at the counter. Everyone was telling her that she made a mistake leaving like Mike didn’t do anything wrong. She couldn’t help but feel angry.

“I’m not saying that he wasn’t wrong. He was…and you have every right to feel the way you do.”

“Well then why does it sound like you’re siding with him?” Grace said sadly.

“Because I can see in your eyes that you still love him.”

Grace looked up that the woman who had looked after her all her life and sighed.

“Let me tell you a story. When I was eighteen I met a boy at a college party. He was everything that my parents hated but he and I got along so well. I knew that he had a reputation of dating a lot of girls but when he was with me I could see how much he cared. His attention was always on me and he didn’t even look at other girls. But he couldn’t act like that around his friends; they would’ve called him weak. One night there was another party and I went with my friends. I didn’t know he was going to be there. When I got there I noticed that every kept staring at me. I didn’t know why. One of his friends approached me and said that I should leave the party. I knew then that he was doing something. My friends dragged me through the house searching for him and when we found him I caught him sleeping with some girl at our school. Of course at the time he was drunk but I didn’t care because he had cheated on me. I was livid. I couldn’t believe that he would do that to me and he said he wouldn’t. We broke up and I did everything I could to avoid him but everywhere I turned he was there trying to apologize. I didn’t believe him when he told me he loved me either. But days turned weeks and after a month he was still begging me to give him another chance. And like you I didn’t want to. I was scared of getting hurt.”

Grace looked intently at Angela holding on the every word she said.

“So what happened? Did he still fight for you? Did you take him back?” Grace asked curiously.

“He sent me something everyday. He found a way to see me everyday. All the hate that I had for him dwindled every time he told me he loved me, which was everyday. I knew I loved him and I didn’t want to give up on him. There was no guarantee that we would have a future but I wouldn’t know if I didn’t give him another chance so I did.” Angela finished.

Grace looked at Angela and saw a small smile on her face and she wondered why.

“Well whatever happened to that guy?” Grace asked.

Angela grabbed Grace’s hand and smiled at her.

“He’s waiting for me at home.”

Grace looked up at Angela with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“You were talking about Mr. Frank? He was the guy?” Grace said shocked.

“Yes, it was him. I forgave him after a month of begging and two years later we got married. We’ve been happily together ever since.” Angela said to the young girl.

“Did you ever tell Bobby, Dana and Greg that story?” Grace asked bringing up Angela three children.

“Yes. They asked how Frank and I met and we told them everything.”

Grace sat there in silence taking in everything Angela had just told her. She had so many emotions flowing through her body. She was so confused on what to do. Her brain was telling her to forget Mike but her heart was telling her to forgive him. She was torn.

“Grace you are a beautiful woman and you are capable of making your own decision. I’m not trying to push you one way or the other. I just want you to make sure you’re one hundred percent sure about the decision you make. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be.” Angela said holding Grace’s face lightly in her face. “I know you’ll make the right decision for you.”

Grace smiled at Angela and hugged her. “Thanks for that Mrs. Angela. I really needed that talk with someone.”

“Anytime sweetheart.” She said with her caring smile.

At that moment Grace’s mother walked into the front of the bakery and smiled at her daughter.

“Hey baby. I didn’t know you were here.” She said wiping her hands on a towel.

“Yeah I just stopped by to say hi and I caught up in conversation with Mrs. Angela. You she has the best stories.” Grace said with a smile.

“That she does.” Melina said laughing.

“Okay well I have to go. I’ll call you later mom.” Grace said standing up. “It was nice talking to you Mrs. Angela. I’m going to have to come visit you and Mr. Frank.”

“Yes you do. Maybe you’ll have news for me.” Angela said with a knowing smile.

“Maybe.” Grace said smiling back before walking out of the bakery.

She had a lot to think about.

~~~~~~

Grace ended up at her apartment around six o’clock that evening. She walked into the living room expecting to see Callie and Brooke but was surprised when she saw Vic and Mike sitting on her couch. She looked right past the first three and straight to Mike. She thought she was well on her way to being over him but when she looked into his brown eyes all of her feelings came back full force. She power walked to her room ignoring all the calls of her name from the front room. She locked her door and leaned against it. She took a deep breath to try and ease her racing heart. She never thought that seeing Mike would affect her so much. She immediately thought back to what Callie said earlier in the day. Maybe she really wasn’t over Mike. Maybe she really did want him back. Maybe she needed to accept that she still loved him. She jumped as a knock on her door brung her out of her daze.

“Grace?”

She inhaled sharply when she heard his voice. She didn’t know if she was ready to talk to him.

“Please open the door beautiful.”

The nickname she remembered so well sent butterflies racing through her stomach. She felt herself blush remembering all of the times he had held her and kissed her while calling her beautiful. She never thought of herself that way until she met Mike. He always made her feel beautiful. She slowly turned around to face the door and moved her hand to the knob. She turned the lock and waited a second before opening it. Mike stood in front of the door with his hands deep in his pockets. He had on his normal attire; skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and a black beanie as well as a grey hoodie. Grace wished he didn’t have the hoodie on. She missed his tattoos and she wanted to see them. She finally looked up at his face and saw his eyes focused on her. He didn’t seem to notice anything around him; just her.

“Hi.” He said quietly

“Hi.”

“I miss you.”

Grace sighed and looked down. “Mike, please…”

Mike pushed Grace lightly into her room and closed the door behind them. He then grabbed her face with his hands.

“I know you’re still mad at me. I understand why. But I love you Grace. Don’t you get that? I know that you don’t believe me when I tell you because of what I did but it’s true. I love everything about you. I love how you blush when I call you beautiful. I love your smile and those dimples. I love your eyes. I love that your nose scrunches when you sleep. I love how you look in my clothes. I love how loyal you are to people you care about. I loved how you looked at me when we were together. I just…I love you. I’m never going to stop. You have my heart Grace. I’ll do anything…anything in the world to get another chance with you. Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. I just want you to trust me again. I want you to run your fingers though my hair and kiss me like you used to. I just want you to tell me you love me again.”

By the end of Mike’s speech Grace was mush in his hands. Tears fell down her eyes and Mike used his fingers to wipe them away.

“Don’t cry baby. Please don’t cry.” Mike whispered putting his forehead against hers.

“Mike I just don’t know…”

Mike sighed and looked away before putting his attention back on Grace.

“Do you love me?” he asked simply.

“Mike…”

“Do you love me, Grace?” he said again staring at her seriously.

“Yes. I love you, Mike.” She said softly

“Well then have faith in me.”

She looked up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She could tell this was his last attempt to get her back. She could see him giving up.

“Believe that if you give me one last chance you won’t ever have to doubt me. I’ll never do anything to purposely hurt you again. You deserve a guy that will love you and take care of you, and baby, I am that guy. I swear I’m that guy. Just have faith in me.”

This was it. Grace would forgive Mike are she’d turn him away. Her happiness was on the line. But as she stood there in front of the boy who had put his heart on the line she only thought of what Angela told her earlier.

I just want you to make sure you’re one hundred percent sure about the decision you make. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be.

That was the only thing in Grace’s mind when she stood on her toes and pulled Mike’s face to hers. When her lips touched his everything felt right. She felt like she did the first time they kissed. Her skin felt like it was on fire as Mike ran his fingers softly up and down her sides. Grace felt happy. For the first time in three weeks she was legitimately happy. She pulled away and looked into brown eyes for the hundredth time that day. She saw happiness.

“Grace.” Mike said wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

“Yes.”

“Move in with me.”

Grace’s eyes widened when she heard those words leave his mouth.

“W-what?” she said shocked.

“I want you with me. All the time. Come back to San Diego and live with me. I want to wake up and go to sleep with you in my arms.” Mike said

“Are you serious Mike? You really want me to move in with you?” Grace said.

“Yes. I really want you to move in with me.” He said with a smile.

Grace smiled widely and threw her arms around him. Mike lifted her into his arms and spun her around.

“I’ve always wanted to live by the beach.” She said smiling at him.

“Well now you can.” Mike said pecking her lips.

Grace jumped down and grabbed Mike’s hand pulling him out of her room. She dragged him to the living where all of there friends sat. When they saw Mike and Grace holding hands they all smiled.

“Finally.” Callie said.

“I have news.” Grace said.

“What?” Brooke said.

“I’m going to back to San Diego.”

“What? Why?” Brooke said

“I asked her to move in with me.” Mike said pulling Grace into his arms.

“I guess it’s a good thing I packed then.” Callie said.

“Brooke I’m sorry.” Grace said

“Don’t be sorry. That just means I’m moving to San Diego too. Callie you have room for me at your place?” Brooke asked

“Fuck yes I do.”

“Woo!! Big ass party in the SD!” Vic yelled standing up.

Everyone fell into conversation as Grace turned around in Mike’s arms to face him.

“I can’t believe I’m moving in with you.”

“Well believe it baby.” He said with a smirk. “You always said you loved my bed.”

Grace punched Mike in he arm as he leaned down as pulled her into a kiss. Grace smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t explain the feeling going through her body but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Being with Mike felt right. It felt normal. She couldn’t wait to get back to San Diego because when she did, she would be with Mike everyday and she couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do.

“I love you beautiful.” He said kissing her.

“I love you too.”