Stay

by Ivy Kovacs

  - You can sleep on the bed. I don't want to take your place. – I said standing in front of his bed.

  - It's okay, the ground is comfortable. – He joked and I shook my head.

  - I mean...we can sleep on the bed. It's a king-sized bed there's plenty of place for both of us. – My voice was low.

  - Oh... Okay. – He put his black bedding back on the bed and got under the blanket. I did the same, burying myself under the soft duvet.

  - Good night. – I said turning over to my side and closed my eyes.

  - Night. – He said and after a few seconds, he turned to his side, facing me. I could feel his eyes on my skin but I was too scared to open mine.

  His hand gently stroked a piece of hair behind my ear. My body shivered from his touch. I opened my eyes and they met his immediately. – Sorry. – He whispered and pulled his hand back.

  - No, it feels good... – I replied quietly and he placed his hand on my cheek, softly caressing it with his thumb. My eyes felt heavy and his touch calmed my mind and body. I fell asleep at the thought of his hand caressing my skin.

  Eighteen Dylan

  I barely slept anything through the night. I didn't know what was going on between me and Grace and I was truly confused. I've never felt this way before. The girls I slept with were simply one night stands or occasional.

  There was something about this girl I couldn’t wrap my head around, and the feeling I got when I was around her made me crazy.

  She slept peacefully and for an hour I couldn't get my hands off of her. There was obviously some kind of connection between us, but she said she would never be with someone like me. Truth hurts.

  The sun came up at 6.20 and I decided to sneak out of the room without waking her up. Max and Oliver were sitting on the couch playing video games on Max's PS4. – Dyl. What's up, man? – Max asked without taking his eyes off the TV screen.

  - Nothing. You good, Ollie? – I started the coffee machine and leaned against the counter, watching them from the kitchen.

  - Yeah. The swelling is gone and it only hurts when I laugh. – He answered. His car outran Max's and he cheered. – Your girl knows what she's doing. –

  - She's not my girl. – I replied looking towards my room.

  - I didn't know she had a boyfriend. – Max added and pushed Oliver off the track so he started cursing at Max.

  - She doesn't. – I was getting annoyed by the questions bombing me about Grace.

  - I'd fuck her. She looked hot with her wet hair yesterday. – Max stated and I threw a bag of chips at him.

  - Shut the fuck up. – I was getting angrier with each second that passed.

  - Dude, that's not fair. I was hallucinating some weird shit while a hot doctor was slicing me open. – Oliver whined.

  - Can we stop talking about her already? – I snapped at the two jocks sitting on the couch.

  - Stop talking about whom already? – Grace appeared in the hallway. She was wearing the top and leggings she wore yesterday. I gulped as my eyes wandered over her body.

  - About Debby. – I added quickly before the boys could say anything. – Coffee? – I asked raising the cup toward her.

  - Thanks. – She accepted and sat down at the counter watching Max and Oliver play. – What happened to her? –

  - Nathan knocked her up. He texted the group chat. – Max waved his phone in the air while Oliver was setting up another round.

  - That's disgusting. I remember why I hate boys now. – She said and I chuckled quietly, placing the coffee in front of her.

  - Relax darling. We don't go into details. That's for us to know. – Max winked at her and I could see her body tremble from the thought. I never really texted anyone, only if it was necessary.

  - How are you, Oliver? – She asked after she took a sip of her coffee. Her hair was wavy because it air-dried last night. She looked so hot.

  - Better. Thank you, Grace. You saved my life. These idiots know nothing about wounds. – Oliver turned around looking at me then at Grace.

  - These idiots saved your ass countless times. – I replied looking at him and he rolled his eyes. We got into fights pretty often so we learned how to take care of ourselves.

  My mom used to freak out when she saw my knuckles. She took me to the hospital but after the fourth visit, I bailed. I knew how to clean and sew it up myself. There was no need for annoying doctors.

  - Can I see? – Grace's voice shook me back to reality. Oliver looked confused but he nodded and walked up to us taking his shirt off. His abs were flexed: he was trying to show off to her.

  Grace took the bandage off from his side and looked at the wound. It looked a lot better than it did yesterday. – I'd leave the stitching in for a week. Clean it every night and use sterile patches after. You could take something for inflammation but it's not necessary. –

  - How do you know so much about this? – Oliver asked and my eyes widened.

  - Her mother is a nurse. – I replied quickly and she looked back at me, narrowing her eyes.

  - Uh... yeah, she is. – She went on with the lie and Oliver stopped questioning her. Thank God.

  - Well, thank you again. I owe you, big one. – He smirked and I rolled my eyes. What was up with everyone trying to get into her pants?

  - Alright, come on Grace. Let's grab some breakfast. – I said grabbing her arm gently but firmly.

  - There's breakfast here. – Max said looking at us.

  - No, Grace can't eat white bread. – I made something up and Grace looked at me more confused.

  - But she eats that every day at school. – Oliver raised his eyebrows.

  - Fuck off. – I spat and towed Grace out of the apartment.

  - Are you good? – Grace asked in the elevator.

  - What? Yeah, I am. – I said being sure even though I was nervous. Why was I nervous? Maybe because I just spent the night with a girl. I never slept with anyone. Or even if I did it was because I was drunk and it was easier to stay after sex. – Are you hungry? – We walked out of the building and she shook her head.

  - I have to go home. I took my grandma's car in the middle of the night and she's probably up worrying about me. – True. I texted her to come after 11 and she had a legal guardian. She walked towards the old Toyota and unlocked the car.

  - Grace. – I watched her as she opened the car door and looked at me curiously. – Thank you. – I added.

  - It's fine, but don't do it again. – She was serious yet joking. I smiled and nodded my head once as a response.

  I knew for a fact that one of us would get in trouble in less than a week again. I didn't know what came to me yesterday when I texted Grace. I haven't talked to her all week and she was still nice and came.

  She acted like it wasn't a big deal, but she saved Oliver's life and then slept in the same bed with me. I needed some time to grab my shit together because she was messing with my head.

  Nineteen Grace

  Did last night really happen? What was I thinking? I did surgery on a guy and slept with Dylan? Not in that way of course, but I was the one who said we could share his bed. If I didn't know I'd think I was high.

  After my accident, I had to clean my wound every day and I saw how it looked like before the doctors took out all the bits. My obsession with Grey's Anatomy came in handy as well.

  But I didn’t understand why Dylan texted me out of all people. They could've asked anyone but he chose to text me. Was he thinking about me? No, he wasn't. I knew for a fact that he didn't like me: I wasn’t his type... Although I didn't really know if he had a specific type in women.

  I couldn't manage to turn my brain off on the way home. When I pulled up in front of the house I saw that Uncle Seb's white Jeep was parked in the driveway. I truly hoped he wasn’t going to lecture me about being responsible and cautious. He hadn't let me drive since the accident.

  Through my life, he was like a father figure to me, and his fatherly feels really kicked in when I was on the verge of death.


  I locked the car and walked inside the house. Since nobody came yelling I guessed that Seb wasn't here. –Aunt Bex. Hi. – I looked at the brunette, middle-aged woman sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea in front of her. Grandma was sitting across, her sipping hers.

  - You're lucky it's me and not Sebastian. – Rebecca glared at me. We both knew that he was highly overprotective. – So where were you? Was it fun? – Aunt Bex was always my favorite as I grew up. She knew exactly how adolescence was and she never complained about me drinking before the legal age or driving alone. She trusted me and that made me feel less of a kid. I probably made her sad after I declined their offer to move to them and didn't choose them as my legal guardians. We could've gossiped every day.

  - A friend needed my help. She had some boy issues and it got late so I stayed the night. – I lied, thinking about Deb and what the guys said about her and Nathan.

  - Sleepovers are fun, especially if there's wine involved. – Rebecca said and I chuckled. She always treated me like an adult. I felt normal around her.

  - Where's Lily? – I poured myself a cup of tea and sat down at the table, joining them.

  - Horse riding. Her friends got her hooked on it. All she talks about are horses. – Rebecca shook her head and sipped her tea and we laughed with grandma. – I was heading to my lash appointment and decided to check-in. Do you want to come? We could get our nails done after. Nana said you're going to a party tonight. – She winked at me.

  - I'd love to but... –

  - No but! Come with me. We can chat about your new school and about the boy who's been dropping you off lately. – She smirked and I raised my brows towards grandma.

  - I only said what I saw. – She raised her hands and I shook my head but after a few seconds, we all started laughing. I knew it would make her happy if I went, so I agreed. I quickly changed into my denim overall with a white t-shirt and put my hair up into a ponytail, because it looked like a mess from yesterday. After I was ready I walked out with my aunt.

  - You're driving. – She threw the keys at me and I caught them between my hands, fortunately.

  We hit the road and she navigated me to the salon. I only asked for a 2D set because I didn't want anything crazy.

  An hour later we sat at the nail salon next to each other. – How are you doing? No one's here so you can tell me. – She said and looked at the ladies who were doing our nails. They barely spoke our language.

  - Better I guess. I've had a breakdown last week but Dylan was there and helped. – I replied not realizing that I just said Dylan's name.

  - Who is this Dylan? His name sounds handsome. – She asked while the lady was filing her nails.

  - He is. He's from Spain. We kind of became friends but then he didn't talk to me for a week. – I shrugged and the lady started painting my nails. – He told me his backstory, and since he went through a breakdown with me I decided to tell him what happened... –

  - Really? That's amazing Grace! – She cheered proudly. That was not the response I expected to get.

  - Why? – I glanced over at her.

  - Because it's a big step in healing. You completely closed in front of everyone for months and now you've opened up. It's a good thing. I'm proud of you. – She looked at me and smiled. She was always this bubbly, sarcastic person. I loved her.

  We chatted about Uncle Seb and how he worked too much nowadays, and after we finished we decided to grab lunch at the restaurant near the salon. I ordered a Caesar salad and she ordered a Greek salad.

  It felt good to spend the day with her. It brightened my mood that she thought Dylan was a potential love interest and a certainly very good friend. She trusted me in every aspect and it relieved all my anxiety.

  She dropped me off at home and I thanked her for today. She shushed me because she never liked when I was thanking her for everything.

  Grandma was baking an apple pie in the kitchen and the smell hit my nose as soon as I stepped inside the house. – Nana. It smells amazing in here. – I walked inside following the scent of cinnamon and apple.

  - It's soon October! Crazy how time flies! – She said and added the finishing touches to the pie.

  - It's the middle of September. – I giggled. – Dom is coming over in an hour. I'm gonna take a shower quickly. – I stated.

  I put a Spotify playlist on shuffle and stepped into the shower. I washed my hair and body and, when I was done I wrapped a towel around myself. I grabbed another towel and dried my wet hair with it.

  Arctic Monkeys was interrupted by an incoming call. It was probably Dom. I grabbed my phone and answered without checking the caller’s ID. –Hello? –

  - Grace. I uh, I wanted to ask if you were coming to the party tonight. – It took me a while to realize that the voice belonged to James. How did he even know my number?

  - James! I am. I'm going with Dom. He's about to arrive. – I replied and walked to my drawer to pick out something I could wear.

  - Oh, that's cool. I'll see you there then. – He replied and his voice sounded disappointed. Was he trying to ask me out? I hoped he wasn’t. I didn't want to date anyone.

  - What are we supposed to wear? I know this is an annual thing. I don't want to stick out. – I switched subjects so he would feel less uncomfortable.

  - I'll be wearing jeans and a jacket. Nothing fancy. – He said and I looked through my jeans collection. – Some girls like to dress up though. They come in heels and skirts. But I'd suggest choosing something flat because it takes place on the field. –

  - Noted. Thanks for the heads up. – I said friendly.

  - Anytime. – He replied and hung up. Now that I knew James would be there I wondered if Dylan was coming too.

  I chose blue jeans and a white top, and since it was going to be cold I would bring my beige cardigan with me as well.

  I blow-dried my hair and used some concealer under my eyes. After I packed my small backpack I waited for Dom to arrive. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door.

  - I'll get it! – I shouted from upstairs and ran down to open the front door. Dom was standing in a dark blue button-up shirt on our porch. – Hello good looking. If only Jules knew what she's missing out on. – I joked and he laughed. Thankfully he understood the joke and didn't think I was flirting with him. It was weird seeing him in a shirt when he mostly wore hoodies and crewnecks.

  - You must be Dominic. Grace has told me a lot about you! Come in! – Grandma appeared in her apron smiling brightly at my friend.

  - Thank you, Miss. – He walked inside and sat down at the table in the kitchen. – The pie smells wonderful. – He commented when grandma placed the warm pie on the table.

  - You're such a gentleman. – I chuckled and he poked my arm laughing. – Grandma isn't the average grandmother. She's a cool one. – I joked and we started laughing.

  - Do you have any plans for the future Dominic? – Nana questioned him while slicing up the pie.

  - I do. I applied for veterinary medicine and science at Cornell University. I'm a big animal lover. – He answered and thanked grandma for the pie.

  - That's lovely. Gracie still doesn't know what she'd want to pursue. She's a great artist though. She makes exquisite art. – Grandma placed glasses on the table and grabbed some juice from the fridge.

  - I'm not. I haven't painted anything in months. – I disagreed. – And artists don't get paid. Only if you're Van Gogh. – I commented and grandma shook her head. She was never fond of my negative personality.

  - I'd love to see some of your art one day. – Dom looked at me and took a bite of his pie.

  - Maybe one day. – I shrugged. I didn't like when people talked about me. It made me feel uneasy.

  We ate our pies and said goodbye to grandma because we were running late. The bonfire was going to start at 7.30 and it was already 7. Since we both planned on drinking, we had to walk to school.

  - So are you going to tell me what's happening between you and Torres? �
� Dom dropped the Dylan bomb at me out of nowhere. Although, I promised that I'd tell him tonight.

  - Well... – I began by taking a deep breath. – We shared some closer moments before. He comforted me. Yesterday night he needed my help and I stayed over. He wouldn't let me drive home at 2 in the morning and we shared a bed. – I told Dom the truth. For some reason, I trusted him about this. I knew he wouldn't run and tell everyone, though Max and Oliver knew so the entire school could know by now.

  - I knew you were more than friends. – He replied as we turned into the school's street.

  - We aren't. I really don't know what we are but I'm not looking for a relationship. Moving here from Florida was enough for this year. – I sighed and continued. - Besides Dylan is a one-night-only type of guy. –

  - I warned you. He's not good boyfriend material. – He said and looked at the several cars parked in the parking lot. – I just don't want him to break your heart. I care about you. – He added when we stopped in front of the school.

  - Thank you. – I smiled slightly. I was glad I found a good friend who cared about me. Dom was kind of a male version of me.

  We headed to the field and arrived just in time for the bonfire lighting ceremony. As the wood stacks lit up, the crowd started cheering and shrieking. It was the first special experience I had in this school and I was glad I shared it with Dom.

  - Dom! – A girl stood behind us and smiled brightly.

  - Jules? What are you doing here? – She ran towards us and he lifted her up in the air, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

  - My teacher got sick and I thought I'd visit you. – Jules looked beautiful: gorgeous blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was a real-life version of Barbie.

  - Oh sorry. – Dom let go of his girlfriend and they both looked at me. – Jules this is Grace. She transferred here from Florida. – He introduced me.

  - Florida? I love it there! Miami is truly the best. – She smiled with her perfectly white teeth.

  - It is. – I agreed even though I lived in Boca. I once traveled to Miami when I was little for a school trip but I didn't remember much of it. – I've heard a lot about you. I'm happy to finally meet you. – I reached out with my hand to shake hers but she pulled me into a hug instead. At first, I found it weird but then it felt nice how friendly she was.