by J. M. Hill
“I enjoyed it, too. Thanks a lot, Evan.”
I climbed out of the car and watched as he pulled away. When I turned to go inside, Michael was coming through the front door of my house, zipping up his coat. My heart flailed in my chest as he walked towards me.
“Hey,” I managed, though his expression made me want to retract my greeting.
“So,” he shoved his hands into his pockets, “how was your date?”
“It wasn’t a date,” I corrected him.
“Oh really?” He cocked an eyebrow. “He picked you up, and you went to a movie. That’s not a date?”
“He’s a friend, and we went to the movies,” I replied, irritated with his tone and his line of questioning.
He shook his head, and sighed. “I think we should talk, don’t you?”
I stared down at the ground, warring internally with everything I really wanted to say.
“Not really. Whenever I talk, it just seems to make things worse.”
He snorted a laugh, and I looked up at him, wondering why he would think that was funny.
“You’re being a baby,” he said. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He asked, though I don’t think he was expecting an answer. “Why would you think it was okay not to tell me what Nina was doing? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“Because it didn’t have anything to do with you.”
“Why do you keep saying that!” “Didn’t we cover this already?” I asked acerbically. “I didn’t tell you about it because I knew there was no truth in the things she was saying, and honestly, I just wrote it off as her being a little nuts.”
He nodded. “Okay, you’re right about that. Is that it?”
“Is what it?”
“Is that all you want to talk about?”
I heaved a sigh. “No, but, I really don’t think you want to hear the rest.”
He tilted his head, and my heart raced with his gaze. “Try me.”
The internal warring continued—loving him and hurting at the same time.
“Grace,” he said impatiently.
“Okay,” I said, exasperated. “Sometimes, I think it’s too hard being your friend.”
The hurt on his face caused me to instantly regret my words.
“I always say the wrong things, because I’m feeling the wrong things.”
He was quiet as he waited for me to continue.
“I told myself I wanted to be your friend no matter what, but it’s just so hard, and it’s because of the way I feel about you, Michael.” He looked away. “Every time I’m with you or see you, I feel like an idiot teenager waiting for something to happen that I know isn’t going to happen because—”
I didn’t want to say it. He looked up at me then, his eyes sad.
“Because,” he prompted me to continue.
I swallowed hard. “Because you don’t want me.” An unreadable expression crossed his face, and his eyebrows knitted together. In one long stride he was in front of me, his eyes burning into mine. He lifted his hand and traced my bottom lip with his finger, his touch an electric current right to my core.
“Did he kiss you?” His voice was barely a whisper, and I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. “Evan,” he clarified, his eyes following his fingertip as it continued around my mouth. “Did he kiss you?”
My mouth went dry. I swallowed hard and shook my head minutely.
“Good,” he murmured. Then his lips were on mine.
My breath left my lungs in a rush, and my brain was in a tailspin. I’d waited for this, dreamt about it, and it was so much sweeter than anything I could’ve imagined. His mouth was soft, and his breath was warm as his lips grazed my jaw back and forth.
“Grace?” he whispered against my mouth. “Will you take a ride with me?”
He pulled away then, his eyes on mine, and the hint of a smile on his beautiful mouth. I only nodded, and he took me by the hand. We walked to his Yukon, and he opened the passenger door for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I climbed in.
He leaned in close to me, his face inches from mine, and I had a hard time breathing as he took my seatbelt and reached across to buckle me in, the ‘click’ of the seatbelt making me flinch.
“You’re awfully jumpy,” he smiled wryly. “Don’t you trust me?”
His face was so close to mine, it took every ounce of self-control I had not to attack him right then and there.
“Um, yes,” I told him. “I trust you.”
He kissed me tenderly before closing my door. I watched him walk around, climb into his seat and start the engine.
“Are you nervous?” He asked, with a smirk.
“With you?” I raised an eyebrow. “Nah.”
He laughed at my sarcasm, and I looked out my window feeling my face turn red. He turned on the heater, and plugged his iPod into the radio. Def Leppard came through the speakers, and I giggled remembering he didn’t even like eighties music when we first met. He glanced over at me and grimaced.
“Kinda grows on you doesn’t it?” I asked with a smirk.
“Yeah,” he said dryly. “A lot like mold.”
He turned up the volume as we got on the main road. During the drive, he reached for my hand, twining our fingers together which made me smile more than I already was. Every part of me was on sensory overload, still reeling from his kiss. We drove for almost forty-five minutes, making small talk and listening to music when Michael pulled into a construction site. We circled around to a chain link gate with a giant ANDERSON INDUSTRIES, INC. sign. A security guard was sitting in a small booth watching television, and when he saw our car, he came outside and Michael lowered his window.
“Good evening, Jason,” Michael said.
“Oh, good evening, Mr. Anderson.” The man smiled in recognition. “How can I help you this evening?”
“I just want to check on the progress,” Michael said. “We won’t be long.”
“No problem,” Jason said. “Let me get the gate.”
The guard walked over and unlocked a massive padlock, pulling the gate open for us to drive through. Michael parked the car and walked around to open my door for me.
“Thank you, Mr. Anderson,” I smirked.
He rolled his eyes and pulled on his coat, then took my hand and led me toward the building that looked like mostly steel beams.
“Here you go, Mr. Anderson.” Jason handed Michael some kind of radio and flashlight, and led us into the building to an elevator, Michael stepped inside, and I followed.
“Just radio me when you’re ready to come back down,” Jason said.
Michael thanked him as he pushed a button and the silver doors slid closed. He smiled at me as the elevator climbed for several floors and came to an abrupt stop. Michael switched on the flashlight.
“Watch your step,” he cautioned.
He stepped off the elevator and I followed closely, wondering why on earth he would bring me to a construction site. I kept my eyes on the floor as we stepped around construction debris, gripping his hand tightly. We stopped walking and Michael pointed out the side of the building.
“Look.” He smiled excitedly.
I turned in the direction he was pointing and gasped. We were at the top of a building. Nothing but steel beams and concrete floors, no walls and no ceiling. I wasn’t sure how high we were, but we were definitely high. City lights sparkled below. Above, stars seemed close enough to touch. There was no noise from traffic, only the sound of a gentle wind that blew through steel beams causing eerie, creaking noises.
Michael stepped over to a corner, and pulled something along the concrete floor to where I stood. He motioned for me to sit down on the cushioned blanket and sat beside me.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Outside of Denver. This is one of the high rises we’re building,” he replied. “We’re eighteen stories in the air.”
My eyes widened. “Your design?”
He nodded.
“Micha
el, this is so amazing!” I was in awe. “We’re sitting at the top of something you designed, and your brothers are building!”
I felt so much love for him I could hardly stand it. He smiled, and grasped my hands in his.
“Every time I see you,” he said quietly. “I’m overwhelmed with how beautiful you are, even when you’re not trying.”
His words didn’t register. He thought I was beautiful? He turned so we were face-to-face. It was quiet for a brief moment as he seemed to be deep in thought.
“I brought you here, because I want to tell you,” he paused. “I love you, Grace. I love you more than I could ever tell you, more than I could ever put into words.”
I was dizzy, and his words swirled in my head as I tried to comprehend what he’d said. I was so in love with him, and even what I knew was happiness felt like an ache in my heart.
He watched me for a moment and a slow smile spread across his face.
“I love everything about you. I love your crazy taste in music and movies, the way you get excited over a book, or a song on the radio. I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh, I love when you get angry at the referees during a football game. I love your cooking, I love your sense of humor, I love how your face turns red when you’re embarrassed or angry, I love how your jaw juts to the side when you’re frustrated. I love watching you play the piano, I love watching you do anything.” He stroked my hair gently. “I love your hair, and your eyes, and your smile. I love how you look beautiful in a pair of holey sweats, and a ragged tee shirt. I love how you look beautiful in jeans and a turtleneck sweater. I love how you look beautiful in a red silk dress.” His eyes never left mine. “I love your kindness, your generosity, your selflessness. I love how you love Kate, and Garrett, and Miles, and Mom and Dad.”
He leaned closer to me as he brought his hands to the sides of my face.
“I love how you love me, Grace, and I hope I’m not too late in telling you this, because I don’t want to waste another second not loving you.”
A single tear slid down my cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb and pressed his lips against my forehead. His thumbs stroked my jaw as his lips brushed down along my cheek. A shiver went through me as his lips met mine tenderly. This wasn’t like our kiss before, it was much more.
It was everything.
Our lips moved together in feathery-light kisses as he brought his thumb to the corner of my mouth, and my mouth opened slightly so he kissed only my bottom lip. He continued to brush his lips with mine, until I thought I would pass out from happiness and sensations I had never felt before. His mouth moved from mine, to my forehead again, and then he kissed the tip of my nose and chuckled quietly.
“Your nose is cold.”
I opened my eyes, feeling dizzy, sick, and giddy all at the same time, as I thought of all the things I’d wanted to tell him for weeks. Now, the words came to me in a rush of emotion as I looked at him, but I had questions.
“Why now?” I sniffled. “You told me you didn’t want me because of what happened with Allison.”
He squeezed my hand tightly.
“Grace, I always wanted you,” he amended. “The first time I met you, I wanted you. The guilt I felt about Allison, was an excuse. I was afraid of the feelings I had for you. The first time I saw you it scared me to death.”
“I scared you?” I snorted a laugh. “I could hardly remember my name when we first met, and I scared you?”
“I’d never felt that way before.” He shrugged. “And everything that happened with Allison made it worse, because the thought of hurting you was unthinkable.”
He squeezed my hand.
“I had only loved Allison as my friend and still had guilt over hurting her, but I knew I’d done the right thing by calling off the wedding. I knew I had to let go of the guilt if I was ever going to be happy.” He smiled. “I knew I loved you, but I used Allison as an excuse because I was a coward.”
I couldn’t get over the beauty of his face, and I traced my fingertips over his eyebrows and under his eyes.
“I was scared, too,” I said, my finger tracing his mouth. “I never thought you’d love me.”
“Grace,” he sighed. Suddenly, his lips were on mine again, still sweetly but with more intensity. I wound my arms around his neck, brushing my hands through the soft strands of his hair. He hummed softly and I opened my eyes, continuing to comb through his hair with my fingertips.
“I love you,” I whispered against his mouth, tasting the sweetness of his breath. It felt so good to say it out loud, and if I said it a thousand times it still wouldn’t be enough.
“You have no idea,” he murmured, and I shivered involuntarily. “We should go before you freeze to death.”
“No,” I told him. “I’m fine.”
I was cold, but I didn’t want to leave. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head as he stood.
“Of course you are,” he said, pulling me up with him. “But being in love with you and all, I’d prefer it if you didn’t have to be hospitalized for pneumonia because of me.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “I guess we wouldn’t want that on your conscience.”
The drive home was quiet. Michael held my hand, kissing my fingers every now and then, while my mind still tried to grasp that all of this was really happening. I leaned my head against the back of the seat, feeling sleepy as I watched him drive. A Journey song came on, and he reached over to the radio to turn up the volume.
“I love this song,” he said, and I couldn’t help feeling a little smug.“Steve Perry has some serious pipes!”
I listened to the sweet love song, “Faithfully”, the four words in the chorus that were more than fitting, and smiled. “I’m forever yours/ Faithfully.
“Grace.”
I felt Michael’s lips against my forehead.
“Wake up,” he whispered. “We’re home.”
I opened my eyes, not realizing I’d gone to sleep. He got out of the car, and walked around to open my door, holding me to him as we slowly made our way to the front porch.
“You sleep well,” he said. “And I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Are we going to run?”
He shook his head and brushed the hair from my face.
“It’s late, you should sleep.”
I didn’t try to hide my disappointment, and he smiled.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” He brought his hand to my cheek and stroked it gently with his thumb. “I love this face.” He pressed his lips to mine. “Good night.”
I watched as he walked down the porch steps, and my heart pounded.
“Michael?”
He turned around with a smile, and I jumped into him, throwing my arms around his neck, causing him to almost fall backwards.
“You’re crazy.” He laughed as he held me tightly.
“Well, I forgot to tell you something very important.” I buried my face in his neck, smelling his wonderful smell. “I love you.”
I felt his breath as he sighed. “I love you so much,” he murmured. “Good night, my Grace.”
“Good night.”
He set me down, kissing my forehead, and I went inside.
Kate was waiting for me, curled up on the end of the sofa, watching television. When she heard the front door close, she shot up straight. Obviously my expression said it all, because in a flash she was across the room with her arms around my neck. It was late when Kate and I finally said good night. I’d given her every detail of my time with Michael, and she listened with teary eyes, and her sparkly smile.
As I laid in bed, I closed my eyes and thought of Michael just like I did every night, but tonight was different. I was so happy I could barely stand it. The tears came, just like they had so many other times, but these were tears of happiness and love. These tears didn’t bother me at all.
I woke up before my alarm went off. Michael told me I should sleep in, but I was too wide awake to stay in bed for another hour. I got dressed for my run,
and after finishing my morning bathroom ritual, I grabbed my shoes and decided to bring my iPod, since I would be by myself today. I zipped up my fleece as I walked down the porch steps, and made my way to the gravel drive. I didn’t even bother to wait for Michael, even though I really wanted to see him, I was sure he’d be sleeping. I glanced over at his house and smiled as I put in my earbuds, and started my slow jog down the drive, turning up the volume as I picked up my pace.
Two arms snaked around my waist from behind, and my heart pounded as my feet left the ground, and I was spun around. I let out a squeal and pulled the earbuds from my ears as my feet found the ground again. Michael laughed as he kept his hold on my waist, and kissed the side of my neck from behind, causing me to shiver.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked as I turned to face him, his arms still around my waist. “I thought we agreed to sleep in?”
I took a moment to study his gorgeous face, the sparkle in his eyes, the stunning smile, and the hair. My heart went into a high-speed fluttering.
And he loves me.
“I just woke up, and didn’t want to lie in bed for another hour. You scared me to death!” I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you doing up?”
“I knew you’d run anyway.” He shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. “You tend to be a little stubborn, you know.”
I grimaced and he tugged at the end of my ponytail with a grin. He took one of my earbuds and held it to his ear for a moment, nodded his approval and we began our run. Together.
That afternoon, we were making the food for the Super Bowl party, and the guys were helping. Being around Michael was so different than it had been. I wasn’t tense, or nervous, just incredibly happy.
Michael and I were cutting brownies into the shape of footballs, and decorating them with icing. After two failures, he decided I should take care of the decorating part.
“Don’t you draw for a living?” I asked with a grin.
He kissed my neck. “You smell good,” he whispered and nuzzled into my hair.
My face got hot, and I felt everyone watching. I cleared my throat, and Michael pulled away, turning to see Miles, Kate and Garrett with ridiculous grins on their faces. Michael stepped behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on the top of my head.
