“Grandma, I’m your only grandson,” I replied, the smile on my face growing at the sound of her voice.
My grandma Rose and I were really close. After my mother’s death when I was fourteen, I moved in with my grandma. She took me in when there was no one else, and to this day I still couldn’t thank her enough. With my father out of the picture since I was little, I had no one but my grandma. She always made sure I made it to school on time, that I did my homework and my chores, and kept me out of trouble, although that didn’t work all the time.
At the time I went to live with my grandma, and afterward, I was in a bad place. The death of my mother was too much for my younger self, and I couldn’t stop myself from acting out. During school I’d pick fights with anyone and everyone, and I’d ditch to smoke out back with the other junkies in the school. I was severely moody and rarely listened, but my grandma helped me through it. She accepted me even after all the things I did. While she did scold me, she wasn’t too rough about it and let me learn from my mistakes.
I was my grandma’s only thing in this world, and when I realized that I got my act together. I stopped smoking and drinking. I went to school regularly and ended up getting good grades—good enough grades to get me a scholarship to go to Columbia. Although I never really stopped with fighting, I just ended up doing the underground kind. The money I won from my fights I used to help pay her bills. She never questioned how I got the money; instead she insisted I keep most of it for the future.
With my grandfather passing just a few years before my mom, my grandma was left to teach me everything about being a man. That of course got a little awkward when I went through puberty and had to have the “talk” with her, but other than that it was great living with my grandma.
If it wasn’t for my grandma during that time, I didn’t know what I would have turned out like. I would not be the same guy I was today without her.
“How has school been? Doing your homework?” she asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Yes, Grandma.” I rolled my eyes. “Things have been pretty busy with tests coming up, but nothing too big.”
“Good. So what have you been doing? Please tell me you have been treating the girls right over there.” Immediately, my thoughts went straight to Carter.
“Of course, I have. It’s me, Gram.”
“Yeah, yeah, you couldn’t even get a gorilla if you tried,” Rose joked.
“Nice way to boost my confidence,” I muttered.
“No problem, sweetie.” She laughed through the phone. “How’s Dylan doing?” Dylan was just as close with my grandma. He was always over at my house during high school; he practically lived there.
“Same as always. Picking up girls and being a pain in my ass.”
“So, the usual.” I could hear her grin through the phone.
Hearing her voice, I realized how long it had been since I’d seen her. With being so busy with school, fights, and even hanging out with Carter, I hadn’t visited her in almost a month. Wow, I was a great grandson.
“What are you doing tomorrow, Grandma?” I asked suddenly. Tomorrow was Sunday and I knew I had no plans.
“Just going out with my boytoy. Why?”
“Ha-ha, very funny, Grams. Well I am coming over tomorrow, okay?”
“You better. It has been ages. You know I’ve been withering away over here waiting for your presence.” I laughed, knowing she was kidding. My grandma was definitely not just sitting around waiting for me. For being in her sixties, she was very active. She was always doing something to keep herself busy, whether it be gardening, redecorating the house, or going to her weekly book club.
“Don’t worry, I’ll come right over and make you young again, old lady.”
“Sounds good, sweetie. Make sure you eat dinner and get homework done tonight.” Even through the phone she mothered me.
“Will do, Grandma. See you tomorrow. I love you,” I said before hanging up, smiling. I always loved talking to her.
Following my grandma’s instructions, I got to work finishing up my English homework that was due Monday.
***
“Dylan, come on!” I yelled down the hallway. It was currently twelve-thirty in the afternoon, and Dylan was taking his own sweet time getting ready as usual. We were supposed to have left five minutes ago, but according to him he had to look just perfect to see Grandma. Stupid if you ask me; my grandma had seen him in so much worse conditions.
“I’m doing my hair!” he yelled back at me.
“Fuck your hair. Let’s go.” From here I could hear him gasp at my words.
“Don’t be rude to my hair! Just because you are jealous.”
“You have five minutes!” Suppressing a groan, I went and sat down on the couch. Sometimes I wondered why I was friends with Dylan, mostly times like this. I mean, it wasn’t like I didn’t care about my outfit because I did try to look nice, but I didn’t put as much thought into as he did.
Just as I was taking my phone out to browse through Twitter, a series of hard knocks came at our front door. Confused at the sound, I stood up. We weren’t expecting anyone today. The knocks came again, and I grumbled under my breath.
“I’m coming, jeez.” I opened the door and was met with a fist to the chest.
“Sorry,” a voice squeaked out. Looking down, my eyes widened at the scene before me.
“Carter?” Standing at the door was Carter, who had tears streaming down her face and her hair was all over the place like she had run here. “Are you okay?” I asked. Of course she isn’t okay, you idiot. She has clearly been crying. She didn’t answer; instead, she lunged for me and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly.
I stumbled back slightly, caught off guard. I could feel her shoulders shaking as she started crying again. Automatically, my arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, holding her to me.
A million questions ran through my mind, but I pushed them all back as I stood there hugging Carter. I wanted to know why she was crying and why she came here, but I knew she couldn’t answer at the moment.
After a few minutes I gently moved us backwards, so I could shut the door. She wouldn’t want someone to walk by and see her crying. She didn’t once let up on her grip, and to be honest I didn’t want her to either. Carter felt good inside my arms, like our bodies were pieces of the same puzzle.
“Hey, ready to—” Dylan started to say as he walked out, but stopped when he saw Carter in my arms. He raised an eyebrow but came forward a concerned look on his face. He looked between us, silently wondering what was going on. I just shook my head at him, not knowing myself.
Dylan stood there, concern written all over his face as he watched Carter cry. She seemed to be settling down a little which was good. Seeing how concerned Dylan was for her, I noticed how hooked she had gotten him as well. It was hard not to like Carter.
After about five minutes she settled down and was now just holding onto me quietly. My right hand was softly rubbing circles on her back as my left held her tightly. Her hands had my shirt fisted in them, not letting me go. Dylan had taken a seat on the edge of the couch waiting for Carter to pull away or to at least do something.
“It is okay,” I said soothingly, or what I hoped was in a soothing way.
I couldn’t help but wonder why she was crying in the first place. Did something bad happen? Did she get in a fight with her friend, Macey I think it was? Did her brother get hurt? All these questions flew through my mind and when I thought of her being hurt by someone, I squeezed her tighter. If someone had hurt her, they would regret it. No one messed with my girl. By the look on Dylan’s face, he was thinking the same thing.
Wait, when did I start thinking of Carter as “my girl”? Only a month ago I didn’t want to be near her, and now here we were, with me thinking of her as mine. I wanted to scold myself for thinking such idiotic thoughts, but Carter moved around in my arms, halting whatever I was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” she whi
spered, pulling away slightly. She loosened her hold on me but didn’t let me go.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I found myself whispering back to her. She looked up to me and I swear I felt my heart skip a beat. Her blue eyes were shining bright, although they were red from crying. Her cheeks were tear-stained and puffy, but she couldn’t have looked any cuter to me.
Unconsciously, I lifted my hand and wiped away a few tears that were stuck stubbornly on her face. Gently I used my thumb to graze her cheeks, all the while staring down at her. I felt like I was in a trance and couldn’t look away.
“What happened, Carter?” Dylan decided to ask in that moment. He broke me out of whatever trance I was in. Carter blinked a few times and took a step out of my arms. I cleared my throat and stepped back as well, feeling awkward. Inwardly, I was cursing at Dylan for ruining the moment.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Carter mumbled, playing with her hands.
“You don’t have to. Only when you are ready,” I said, sending her a small smile. If she didn’t want to tell us, we had to respect that. Eventually, she probably would, but for now we’d have to accept that.
“Are you okay at least?” Dylan asked.
“Yeah, or at least I think I will be.” She sent him a watery smile. Whatever happened, she wouldn’t be okay for a while, that I knew. “I’m sorry for just barging in here.” She wiped at her tears while taking a deep breath.
“That’s okay. You are welcome any time,” Dylan said before I could. I watched as she got herself together and looked between us. I noticed something flash in her eyes before it disappeared as quick as it came.
“You guys were going somewhere, huh? I am sorry. I should probably go and let you guys get back to whatever you were doing.” Although she said she should leave, she stood still in the same spot. Just looking at her, I knew she did not want to go back to her dorm.
“You can come with us,” I found myself saying suddenly. Both her and Dylan’s eyes snapped toward me, both in surprise. “What?” I raised an eyebrow at the both of them.
“No, I don’t want to intrude.” Carter shook her head.
“Well, we can’t let you just go back to your dorm all upset. You can come with us and get your mind off of it,” I said. I could see she was tempted to come with us, but her good manners were holding her back.
“Car, you have to come. Gage’s grandma makes the best lasagna ever!” Dylan said, smiling at her. He stood up and came to stand beside her. She looked over at me almost like she wanted my permission, which I’d already given.
“Come on.” I gestured with my head to the door. With a small smile, I grabbed my keys by the front door and opened it wide for her. With a soft nudge from Dylan, she finally nodded and headed out the door. Following behind her, Dylan wiggled his eyebrows at me before quickly ducking out of the way of my hand. Shaking my head, I closed the door behind me and followed them.
Why I offered for Carter to come with us to my grandma’s, I had no idea. Just seeing her standing there looking broken, I couldn’t leave her. Something so bad made her cry and I couldn’t make her go back to her dorm to be alone. Besides, I could be kind of selfish and keep her near me today. Maybe find out what happened.
As we headed for my car, Dylan and I stood on either side of Carter almost like a shield, protecting her from harm. Dylan kept making jokes or telling her stupid stories to make her laugh, and it sort of worked. She would laugh softly at them but not her usual full-blown laugh. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. My heart constricted at the sight, but I pushed my feelings aside for now.
The car ride to my grandmother’s didn’t take long. With it being Sunday and one o’clock now, there wasn’t too much traffic. Plus, she only lived like twenty minutes away. The neighborhood I spent my teenage years in wasn’t a terrible place; it wasn’t on the rich side of town either. It was a well-kept neighborhood that had houses lined up on both sides for multiple blocks.
Some of the houses were rundown because they had been there for years, while others looked brand new. My grandma’s house was a mix of both. My grandfather did a good job of replacing the roof years before, and my grandma always kept up on the lawn and garden, making sure it stayed nice all year round.
As we drove down the street, a few younger kids ran around playing what looked like tag and a few others were playing football. I smiled at the sight, old memories coming back. When I was a troubled young boy, I did make friends, and we would play football on the streets as well as night games until our parents called us in for bedtime. Dylan of course had been one of those kids.
It wasn’t long until I pulled into the driveway of a very familiar home. It was a simple two-story house. Light blue paint covered the outside with some brick on the edges, and the nice mowed lawn had well-kept flower beds. This place was home to me. A big tree stood off to the side of the lawn, giving it plenty of shade. Apparently, my grandfather planted it the moment he bought the house for Gram and it had been here ever since.
We all piled out of the car, Carter slower than any of us. She looked nervous to be here. I mean, after all it was my grandma’s place, the person who practically raised me. Carter didn’t know that, but still. She had nothing to worry about though; Gram would love her.
Dylan bounding ahead, I went to stand in front of Carter.
“Hey, don’t be nervous.”
“Yeah right, this is your grandmother’s place. I wasn’t even invited.” She breathed out and I could see the look of panic on her face.
“Carter, it is okay. She won’t mind. Just be yourself; she will love you.” I sent her a smile while grabbing her hand. Getting a small nod from her, I tugged her after me to the front door. “Take a deep breath. It will be fine.” Carter did so as I entered the open doorway. Inside I could already hear Dylan talking to my grandma.
Closing the door behind me, I was met with the wonderful smell that was my grandma’s house. She always had some kind of candle going, making it smell amazing. Once you entered, you walked down a small hallway that lead to the open kitchen and living room. The master bedroom was downstairs by the living room, and the other two were upstairs.
I felt Carter’s hand tighten around mine as I led her toward the living room where Dylan and my grandma’s voices were coming from. When we entered, I noticed Dylan already had cookies stuffed in his mouth. He never wasted any time. Carter stifled her laugh at him.
“There you are, sweetie!” My grandma Rose stood up and made her way toward me. I had to drop Carter’s hand to hug her back. Rose stood at about five-foot-six, and I swear she was starting to shrink a little. She was kind of a stout woman, but she could kick your butt to China without so much as breaking a sweat.
“Hi Grandma.” I hugged her back, relaxing in her hold. I hugged her tightly. I missed her hugs. When she pulled away, she stepped back and peered back at Carter. Carter had moved a little bit behind me out of our way when we hugged.
“Now, who is this gorgeous little thing?” she asked. Gram wasted no time in pushing me to the side to get to Carter. “My, aren’t you cute,” Grandma said as she grabbed Carter and took her in her arms. I held back my laughter at Carter’s surprised face. My grandma was a hugger.
“Gram, this is my…um, friend, Carter Miller. Carter, this is my grandma, Rose.” I gestured between them. Rose raised an eyebrow at the word “friend” but thankfully didn’t say anything about it.
“It is nice to meet you.” Carter smiled at her.
“Nice to meet you too. Gage never brings girls home to meet me.” She smirked in my direction, clearly waiting for my reaction. I sent her a look and she just waved me off.
“Come sit, you two. Have some cookies before this fat-ass eats them all,” Rose said sitting down in the chair and looking over at Dylan, who was in fact eating another cookie. I watched Carter giggle as she took a seat on the couch. She already looked happier than before. Maybe bringing her here was a good idea.
The first thing that gr
eeted us as we sat down was my gram’s cat, Snickerdoodle. Grandma rescued her a few years ago from the animal shelter. Her light grey fur and little paws were too adorable for my grandma to resist. Snickerdoodle came right up to me and rubbed against my leg.
Reaching down, I went to pet her only to have her dodge my hand. Because she was mistreated at the shelter she got scared at sudden movements and strangers. We all watched silently as Snickerdoodle moved around me toward Carter. Instead of rubbing against her legs or sniffing her, she jumped right in Carter’s lap.
Dylan, being dramatic, gasped while my grandma looked at Carter, surprised. I stared at her as she petted the cat and smiled down at it. That was literally the first time Snicker had ever been so friendly with a stranger. Hell, she was still skittish even with me.
“Wow, she likes you,” Grandma commented.
“I guess she does.” Carter smiled fondly down at the cat.
“You are something special, my dear. They say animals can read a person’s character, and I believe that, as does Snickers.” Carter sent Rose a wide smile while petting the purring cat in her lap.
“So how have my boys been? Staying out of trouble I hope.” Gram turned the subject toward me and Dylan.
“But there is no fun without some trouble, don’t you think, Gram?” Dylan said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him. Rose did the same thing, but a small smile was on her lips.
“Carter, have these two been good to you? If not, I will kick their asses for not treating a woman right,” she said seriously. From the corner of my eye I saw Carter’s grin get wider, and a sly look came upon her face.
“Don’t you dare,” I warned her, facing her direction.
“Don’t do what?” she asked innocently, but her eyes were twinkling. I shook my head at her.
“What did he do now?” Gram interrupted.
“Well you see—” Carter started saying, but I quickly interrupted her.
“Grandma, nothing. She doesn’t know what she is talking about.” I glared at her, to which she smirked. Carter knew that if she said anything about how rude I was to her, Grams wouldn’t be pleased. Silence wrapped around us, but only for a minute before Grandma spoke once again.
Silent Love [Part 2]_Forbidden Series Page 8
