Status: Hiatus
Veni, Vidi, Vici
Twenty
“Stay for the night, Grace. We can have a Star Wars marathon.”
Grace nibbled at her bottom lip and looked down at her fingers as they trace around the rim of her glass. The offer was beyond tempting, spending a whole night with nothing to worry about, no negative thoughts to clamor over her head and no scolding parents with endless frowns etched on their features. During the last few hours, Grace had felt completely at ease, apart from the occasional tug at the edge of her heart whenever Marc would touch her. The trio, her, Marc and Bryony had talked and laughed without a care in the world about all things stupid and serious, and now, she didn’t want to go back.
Grace looked up at Bryony whose head was cocked to the side, expecting an answer.
“Um... I’ll ask my parent.” She said with a faint smile as she tugged her phone out of the side pocket in her skirt; knowing that the chances of them saying no were going to be beyond high.
Bryony’s expression lifted into a wide smile and shooting a glance at Marc, Grace noticed that he was doing the same. She stifled a sigh and pressed one, speed dial to the home phone.
“Helloooo?”
Grace frowned as an unfamiliar feminine voice echoed through the speakers, it couldn’t have been a wrong number, so maybe someone was over and her parents weren’t in the room? “Um, this is Grace Lennon? May I speak to my father or mother?”
“Oh! Gracey, it’s me, Gabrielle! I’m at home for a surprise visit, but the surprise is kinda ruined for you now, hey?”
Grace was speechless as the realization washed over her, her sister? She hadn’t seen her for months now, let along talked to her “Oh... You sound different on the phone.” What an intellectual response Grace sighed “But welcome back, and can I, um, talk to mom?”
“Yeah sure.” Grace could hear her fading voice “Hey mom, it’s Grace!”
“Grace?” a new voice spoke.
“Hey mum.” Grace was stalling, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
“Hello, sweetheart, isn’t it lovely? Gabrielle’s paying us a surprise visit! Right after we just visited her! It’s so kind of her, doing this for us.”
“Um... yeah it is, I haven’t seen her for ages.” Grace murmured at her mother’s uncanny enthusiasm that only ever blossomed around Gabrielle. She knew it was jealousy, but admitting it to herself just made things a lot more painful.
“I know! And now you two can bond! Maybe you can finally learn something from her. I heard she’s at the top of her class right now? Aren’t you just so proud?”
Grace cringed at the poisonous, mocking undertone that laced her mother gushing, it was probably her imagination, but it had the same effect. She cleared her throat and gathered up the courage to ask the question “Mom, I was just wonder –“
“Oh, and Grace I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find somewhere to stay tonight, Gabrielle brought her boyfriend and they want to stay in your room, and you know how Gabby’s old room is filled with all her stuff, so they can’t possibly stay there.”
Grace closed her eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. Bundles of juxtaposing emotions spread through her like an uncontrollable virus. A tight knot formed inside her throat, and she swallowed, but the disturbance was stubborn, refusing to disintegrate and instead triggered the tears in her eyes. She tried to convince herself that the situation was working her way, and it was - she could now stay at Marc’s. Yet the silly, emotional part of her decided to go out of hand and run amok.
Her mother was basically kicking her out of the house! But only for a night . And she didn’t even offer for her to sleep on the couch? They didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. And the fact she was just telling her to stay over at someone’s when Grace had never slept over before? She wants you to finally have some fun, which you will when you spend the night with Marc and Bryony.
Grace shook her head as if to banish away the silent skirmish taking place in her head and her mother’s voice over the phone became apparent.
“...Grace? Grace, can you hear me? Do you have a friend you can stay over at? I’m really sorry darling, we’ll clear out the room tomorrow and you can see Gabby okay? Bye Gracey!”
And before Grace could respond, her mother had hung up.
She’s not sorry
She’s not sorry
She is NOT sorry
Grace pushed the jaded thought aside and with her wilting strength, drew forth a more positive side to the situation, she looked up, letting the tears that threatened to spill out linger delicately in her eyes until they disappeared.
“She said yes.”
Suddenly, the tension in the room became exceedingly palpable to her, and it commanded an army of silence that threatened to slaughter any sense of conversation and stood at its wake. Grace shuffled in her seat and didn’t dare to speak again, obviously the two were a lot more perceptive to her emotions then she’d predicted, or maybe her ability to appear indifferent and calm was getting rusty?
“I’m going to get the movie set up, okay kids?” Bryony drifted out of the kitchen, her sentence, albeit being barely louder than a whisper, almost echoing in the air.
“Grace?”
She didn’t dare to respond. To her relief, Marc didn’t push it, and only stood up to draw her into a hug, enveloping her body in his arms. Grace stood up with him, and accepted the gesture, letting the warmth of his body seep into her bones, her soul. He nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek and she in returned nestled her head deeper into chest, swallowing down her sobs and trapping her tears. At least you have Marc, but for how long?
Grace nibbled at her bottom lip and looked down at her fingers as they trace around the rim of her glass. The offer was beyond tempting, spending a whole night with nothing to worry about, no negative thoughts to clamor over her head and no scolding parents with endless frowns etched on their features. During the last few hours, Grace had felt completely at ease, apart from the occasional tug at the edge of her heart whenever Marc would touch her. The trio, her, Marc and Bryony had talked and laughed without a care in the world about all things stupid and serious, and now, she didn’t want to go back.
Grace looked up at Bryony whose head was cocked to the side, expecting an answer.
“Um... I’ll ask my parent.” She said with a faint smile as she tugged her phone out of the side pocket in her skirt; knowing that the chances of them saying no were going to be beyond high.
Bryony’s expression lifted into a wide smile and shooting a glance at Marc, Grace noticed that he was doing the same. She stifled a sigh and pressed one, speed dial to the home phone.
“Helloooo?”
Grace frowned as an unfamiliar feminine voice echoed through the speakers, it couldn’t have been a wrong number, so maybe someone was over and her parents weren’t in the room? “Um, this is Grace Lennon? May I speak to my father or mother?”
“Oh! Gracey, it’s me, Gabrielle! I’m at home for a surprise visit, but the surprise is kinda ruined for you now, hey?”
Grace was speechless as the realization washed over her, her sister? She hadn’t seen her for months now, let along talked to her “Oh... You sound different on the phone.” What an intellectual response Grace sighed “But welcome back, and can I, um, talk to mom?”
“Yeah sure.” Grace could hear her fading voice “Hey mom, it’s Grace!”
“Grace?” a new voice spoke.
“Hey mum.” Grace was stalling, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
“Hello, sweetheart, isn’t it lovely? Gabrielle’s paying us a surprise visit! Right after we just visited her! It’s so kind of her, doing this for us.”
“Um... yeah it is, I haven’t seen her for ages.” Grace murmured at her mother’s uncanny enthusiasm that only ever blossomed around Gabrielle. She knew it was jealousy, but admitting it to herself just made things a lot more painful.
“I know! And now you two can bond! Maybe you can finally learn something from her. I heard she’s at the top of her class right now? Aren’t you just so proud?”
Grace cringed at the poisonous, mocking undertone that laced her mother gushing, it was probably her imagination, but it had the same effect. She cleared her throat and gathered up the courage to ask the question “Mom, I was just wonder –“
“Oh, and Grace I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find somewhere to stay tonight, Gabrielle brought her boyfriend and they want to stay in your room, and you know how Gabby’s old room is filled with all her stuff, so they can’t possibly stay there.”
Grace closed her eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. Bundles of juxtaposing emotions spread through her like an uncontrollable virus. A tight knot formed inside her throat, and she swallowed, but the disturbance was stubborn, refusing to disintegrate and instead triggered the tears in her eyes. She tried to convince herself that the situation was working her way, and it was - she could now stay at Marc’s. Yet the silly, emotional part of her decided to go out of hand and run amok.
Her mother was basically kicking her out of the house! But only for a night . And she didn’t even offer for her to sleep on the couch? They didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. And the fact she was just telling her to stay over at someone’s when Grace had never slept over before? She wants you to finally have some fun, which you will when you spend the night with Marc and Bryony.
Grace shook her head as if to banish away the silent skirmish taking place in her head and her mother’s voice over the phone became apparent.
“...Grace? Grace, can you hear me? Do you have a friend you can stay over at? I’m really sorry darling, we’ll clear out the room tomorrow and you can see Gabby okay? Bye Gracey!”
And before Grace could respond, her mother had hung up.
She’s not sorry
She’s not sorry
She is NOT sorry
Grace pushed the jaded thought aside and with her wilting strength, drew forth a more positive side to the situation, she looked up, letting the tears that threatened to spill out linger delicately in her eyes until they disappeared.
“She said yes.”
Suddenly, the tension in the room became exceedingly palpable to her, and it commanded an army of silence that threatened to slaughter any sense of conversation and stood at its wake. Grace shuffled in her seat and didn’t dare to speak again, obviously the two were a lot more perceptive to her emotions then she’d predicted, or maybe her ability to appear indifferent and calm was getting rusty?
“I’m going to get the movie set up, okay kids?” Bryony drifted out of the kitchen, her sentence, albeit being barely louder than a whisper, almost echoing in the air.
“Grace?”
She didn’t dare to respond. To her relief, Marc didn’t push it, and only stood up to draw her into a hug, enveloping her body in his arms. Grace stood up with him, and accepted the gesture, letting the warmth of his body seep into her bones, her soul. He nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek and she in returned nestled her head deeper into chest, swallowing down her sobs and trapping her tears. At least you have Marc, but for how long?
♠ ♠ ♠
Hi there :)this chapter was going to be joined with the next one, but i realized that it was probably going to get too long. so the next chapter will be coming very very soon!
And even though it's a reluctant choice, I have decided to introduce Vera back into the story. she's going to be part of the complication thingy that usually goes on during the end of a story :)
thank you all for reading subscribing and commenting :)