Author's Note: A very smart man once told me that a writer should never use
a flashback unless he/she felt that it was going to move the story along.
While I agree with this statement whole-heartedly, sometimes, a girl's
gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And while when I first started writing
this story Huck was just an afterthought and Evan was always going to be
the leading man in Gracie's life, I made the mistake of falling in love
with Toby's protégé and... well... you'll get the rest after you read. P.S.
these characters don't belong to me, but that doesn't mean that I love them
any less. Enjoy.
Chapter Seven- You and I Both
Finally, Molly left to spend the remainder of the day with her father, who had been at the White House for a few meetings with the President, and Gracie got Evan all to herself. They had settled for a walk in the rose garden and before long, found themselves sitting on a stone bench, under a tree, in a rarely visited spot.
"Molly is a trip and a half," Evan said, laughing as they sat down.
"Do you see why I missed her so much?" Gracie asked, smiling too.
"I do."
"What time is it?" Gracie asked, looking up at the sky. It was just beginning to get dark and its shade, a particularly soft shade of orange, was a sight she could only remember seeing once before.
"A little after seven," Evan replied quietly. "Should we be heading in?"
"No," Gracie said shaking her head. She looked over at him, grabbed his hand, and smiled. "Dinner at eight means dinner sometime after... eight is the EARLIEST we will sit down. The country is unpredictable. Which is why I told you to bring an overnight bag."
"Yeah... about that?"
"Did you bring it?"
"Did you not see the bag in my hands when we entered the house."
"I did, I just..."
"Yes, I brought it."
"So then what's the problem?"
"It's scary. The White House. Its big and looming and," he laughed, knowing he was going to sound ridiculous. "Haunted."
Gracie tried to stop herself, but she couldn't help it. She started cracking up.
"I'm serious," Evan whined. "There's all those rooms and..."
"Don't worry about those other rooms, you're staying with me."
"With you where?"
"In my room."
"On the couch?"
"In my bed."
"Woah!"
"What? Is there something wrong, do you have a problem with sleeping in my bed?"
"Where will you sleep?"
"With you," Gracie replied simply. Why was it that this was such a big deal? She thought to herself.
"You and I," Evan began nervously. "Are going to be sleeping in your bed," he continued. "Together..."
"Yes," Gracie said for what seemed like the one-hundredth time. "It's not like we haven't slept together before," she argued.
"I know but that was your apartment, this is your house, with your parents!" he lowered his voice. "I'm just saying, do they allow for things like that?"
Gracie smiled and sighed.
"I'm gonna tell you something you might not want to hear..." she began slowly. "My parents know I have sex, they've knows since shortly after I lost my virginity. They know I make smart choices and I'm pretty sure they've figured out, since they are both very smart people, that I am having sex with you."
"I just..."
"Look," Gracie said seriously. "In my entire life I have only been intimate with two people. You are the second person, my parents trust me to make the right decision, they're cool with it."
"Yeah," Evan said looking away. "I'm sure."
"There's not much they can do about it, is there?" Gracie asked almost shouting. "It's better to know than not to know!"
"You don't hold anything back Grace, do you?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Except the important stuff," he spat bitterly.
"Evan!"
"Sorry," he said immediately regretting not only his tone, but also his choice of words. "I didn't mean that. I didn't... I'm sorry."
"It's ok."
"I just..."
"I know."
"Was it Huck?" Even asked out of nowhere.
"What?"
"Was it Huck? The first person you slept with, the one your parents found out about, was it Huck?"
Gracie dropped her head, not because she was embarrassed but because she didn't know what to say. She opted for the truth.
"Yes," she said slowly. "Yes," she repeated again. Evan stood up and began to pace and Gracie's mind drifted off to that night exactly a year ago...
**
May 27th 2023 a year earlier.
Gracie turned around when she heard Huck call out her name. She squinted her eyes as she watched him approach, then took a long drag of her cigarette, and continued looking out across the water. For a millisecond, she thought about standing up but eventually settled on just sitting there, on the dock, feet dangling in the water, because she knew he'd come to join her. And he did, only he kept his feet up, not wanting to get his shoes wet.
"Want some?" he asked, pulling a bottle of wine from behind his back. Gracie nodded, took the bottle in one hand, removed the cigarette from her lips with another and gratefully and took a swig. "Your dad just pulled out the home videos," he continued, taking off his shoes and socks to get more comfortable. "I imagine them being just as embarrassing to you as they are to me so I figured I'd make myself disappear. Josh caught me, sitting alone in the kitchen and told me where to find you."
Gracie looked at him and smiled.
"I can't believe it," she said happily. "Two weeks ago I never thought I was going to pull this off..." she handed off the bottle of wine. "I'm a college graduate!" she finished, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Feel good?" Huck asked sweetly. Gracie shook her head.
"You have NO idea," she took a puff. "I wanted this SO bad Huck, there's six months left until November and every night I spent in the library, thinking I was crazy for even trying, I thought about how it would feel to be here with my dad, supporting him all the way. It was so important to me..." her voice trailed off and she exhaled.
"I know," Huck replied softly, coughing a little at the smoke.
"I just wanted to be here," Gracie continued, taking the last, final drag of her cigarette. "I wanted to be here with him, I wanted to be here with my mom, Josh, Donna, Toby," she smiled. "You," she looked right into his eyes, stubbed out her cigarette and pitched it onto the lawn.
"When did you start smoking?" he asked wanting to respond to what she'd just said, but feeling it'd be better to ignore her for the time being. Gracie shook her head and began waving her hands around.
"That's so not important," she snorted. "Were you listening to anything I said?" she asked bitterly.
"I'm worried about you."
"Bullshit."
"Graceland..."
She shivered at the sound of her name.
"Four weeks ago."
"Why?"
"I was stressed."
"Couldn't you find something better to do?"
"Huck, we both know that smoking is the least of my problems," she replied defensively then sighed. "I don't wanna... this is not why... can we just talk about something else before I feel the need to light another one?"
Huck nodded and the both fell silent. Gracie felt that familiar lump, the one she'd been choking down all day, forming again in her throat. She was not going to cry, not now, not yet. She was determined to make this a happy night if it killed her.
"I missed you," she said softly.
Huck looked at her for a moment, speechless.
"I missed you too," was all he could say.
"I missed the way you smile," she said touching his face. "The way your face lights up whenever something really makes you happy. Like today when the press stopped my dad after the ceremony, you were so good with them and then when they asked him about me he answered and he was so proud, and standing right beside him was you, with that same proud smile, playing on your lips," she sighed. "It was the first time I had ever even noticed," she laughed. "I heard what Josh said to you today."
"What?" he asked, taking a sip of the wine.
"I heard him telling you to give up the act, and go ahead with things."
"Gracie..."
"I heard him saying tell her you love her," she paused. "He doesn't know you already did, does he?"
Huck hung his head.
"Grace..." he began softly. "Please don't..."
"Huck," Gracie began sweetly. "That was a bad time, I was trying to get things done and I just needed to focus on getting out of school as quickly as possible and I didn't realize until it was too late how much I'd hurt you in New York."
"Gracie..."
"Let. Me. Finish," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn't..." she grabbed the wine and took a long drink. "I didn't say it back because I wasn't sure I was feeling it, even though I was, but my mind was focused on so many other things that I couldn't grasp anything but school so I just brushed you off. But I have been waiting two months to tell you this and you are going to hear me out," she turned to face him, but he was looking the other way. "I need you to look at me," she ordered pushing the wine bottle aside. He turned towards her, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "I need you to know that..." before thinking about her actions she grabbed his face with her hands and kissed him, passionately. After a long satisfying moment she pulled back and finished. "I love you."
Huck just smiled, that smile she'd referred to before and she felt her heart beat quicken. This was all because of him.
"Gracie, I..." to hell with it Huck thought as he pulled her into another deep kiss, this time letting it come to a natural end. "I love you too," he kissed her again. This time when the kiss ended, they both just sat there, looking deep into each other's eyes, neither wanting to interfere with the power of the moment.
"Come on," Gracie said breaking the silence, as she stood up.
"Where are we going?" Huck asked, standing up with her. Gracie just laughed as she undid the side zipper of her dress and slid it off.
"Swimming," she replied diving into the water.
"You're crazy," Huck shouted to her when she finally surfaced nearly twenty feet away. Nonetheless, he began undressing first with his shirt then his pants. When he got down to his boxers, he jumped in.
"I know," Gracie replied when he finally made his way towards her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and began to kiss him. "But we've known that all along," she finished before losing herself in him completely.
**
"I don't want to fight," Evan said finally taking a seat next to her again. Gracie looked at him for a moment, dazed, then snapped out of it.
"Me either," she replied sweetly. "We're going to have enough to deal with at dinner," she added with a smirk.
"Is everyone else as bad as Josh is?" he asked frowning. Gracie laughed.
"I told you, he's a little protective."
"A little?"
Gracie laughed again.
"Ok, so maybe a lot."
"He hates me already," Evan said shrugging.
"He does not."
"Don't you see it?" Evan asked alarmed.
"He just..." Gracie paused. "He's just Josh," she stood up. "It's no big deal."
"That's what you think," he replied standing up to join her. "You're not the one getting vetted."
"You know what," Gracie said pulling him close to her.
"No? What?" he whispered softly as they were only inches apart. She kissed him softly and slowly, savoring the moment.
"That's what?" she whispered when the kiss ended. "Now let's go inside."
Chapter Seven- You and I Both
Finally, Molly left to spend the remainder of the day with her father, who had been at the White House for a few meetings with the President, and Gracie got Evan all to herself. They had settled for a walk in the rose garden and before long, found themselves sitting on a stone bench, under a tree, in a rarely visited spot.
"Molly is a trip and a half," Evan said, laughing as they sat down.
"Do you see why I missed her so much?" Gracie asked, smiling too.
"I do."
"What time is it?" Gracie asked, looking up at the sky. It was just beginning to get dark and its shade, a particularly soft shade of orange, was a sight she could only remember seeing once before.
"A little after seven," Evan replied quietly. "Should we be heading in?"
"No," Gracie said shaking her head. She looked over at him, grabbed his hand, and smiled. "Dinner at eight means dinner sometime after... eight is the EARLIEST we will sit down. The country is unpredictable. Which is why I told you to bring an overnight bag."
"Yeah... about that?"
"Did you bring it?"
"Did you not see the bag in my hands when we entered the house."
"I did, I just..."
"Yes, I brought it."
"So then what's the problem?"
"It's scary. The White House. Its big and looming and," he laughed, knowing he was going to sound ridiculous. "Haunted."
Gracie tried to stop herself, but she couldn't help it. She started cracking up.
"I'm serious," Evan whined. "There's all those rooms and..."
"Don't worry about those other rooms, you're staying with me."
"With you where?"
"In my room."
"On the couch?"
"In my bed."
"Woah!"
"What? Is there something wrong, do you have a problem with sleeping in my bed?"
"Where will you sleep?"
"With you," Gracie replied simply. Why was it that this was such a big deal? She thought to herself.
"You and I," Evan began nervously. "Are going to be sleeping in your bed," he continued. "Together..."
"Yes," Gracie said for what seemed like the one-hundredth time. "It's not like we haven't slept together before," she argued.
"I know but that was your apartment, this is your house, with your parents!" he lowered his voice. "I'm just saying, do they allow for things like that?"
Gracie smiled and sighed.
"I'm gonna tell you something you might not want to hear..." she began slowly. "My parents know I have sex, they've knows since shortly after I lost my virginity. They know I make smart choices and I'm pretty sure they've figured out, since they are both very smart people, that I am having sex with you."
"I just..."
"Look," Gracie said seriously. "In my entire life I have only been intimate with two people. You are the second person, my parents trust me to make the right decision, they're cool with it."
"Yeah," Evan said looking away. "I'm sure."
"There's not much they can do about it, is there?" Gracie asked almost shouting. "It's better to know than not to know!"
"You don't hold anything back Grace, do you?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Except the important stuff," he spat bitterly.
"Evan!"
"Sorry," he said immediately regretting not only his tone, but also his choice of words. "I didn't mean that. I didn't... I'm sorry."
"It's ok."
"I just..."
"I know."
"Was it Huck?" Even asked out of nowhere.
"What?"
"Was it Huck? The first person you slept with, the one your parents found out about, was it Huck?"
Gracie dropped her head, not because she was embarrassed but because she didn't know what to say. She opted for the truth.
"Yes," she said slowly. "Yes," she repeated again. Evan stood up and began to pace and Gracie's mind drifted off to that night exactly a year ago...
**
May 27th 2023 a year earlier.
Gracie turned around when she heard Huck call out her name. She squinted her eyes as she watched him approach, then took a long drag of her cigarette, and continued looking out across the water. For a millisecond, she thought about standing up but eventually settled on just sitting there, on the dock, feet dangling in the water, because she knew he'd come to join her. And he did, only he kept his feet up, not wanting to get his shoes wet.
"Want some?" he asked, pulling a bottle of wine from behind his back. Gracie nodded, took the bottle in one hand, removed the cigarette from her lips with another and gratefully and took a swig. "Your dad just pulled out the home videos," he continued, taking off his shoes and socks to get more comfortable. "I imagine them being just as embarrassing to you as they are to me so I figured I'd make myself disappear. Josh caught me, sitting alone in the kitchen and told me where to find you."
Gracie looked at him and smiled.
"I can't believe it," she said happily. "Two weeks ago I never thought I was going to pull this off..." she handed off the bottle of wine. "I'm a college graduate!" she finished, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Feel good?" Huck asked sweetly. Gracie shook her head.
"You have NO idea," she took a puff. "I wanted this SO bad Huck, there's six months left until November and every night I spent in the library, thinking I was crazy for even trying, I thought about how it would feel to be here with my dad, supporting him all the way. It was so important to me..." her voice trailed off and she exhaled.
"I know," Huck replied softly, coughing a little at the smoke.
"I just wanted to be here," Gracie continued, taking the last, final drag of her cigarette. "I wanted to be here with him, I wanted to be here with my mom, Josh, Donna, Toby," she smiled. "You," she looked right into his eyes, stubbed out her cigarette and pitched it onto the lawn.
"When did you start smoking?" he asked wanting to respond to what she'd just said, but feeling it'd be better to ignore her for the time being. Gracie shook her head and began waving her hands around.
"That's so not important," she snorted. "Were you listening to anything I said?" she asked bitterly.
"I'm worried about you."
"Bullshit."
"Graceland..."
She shivered at the sound of her name.
"Four weeks ago."
"Why?"
"I was stressed."
"Couldn't you find something better to do?"
"Huck, we both know that smoking is the least of my problems," she replied defensively then sighed. "I don't wanna... this is not why... can we just talk about something else before I feel the need to light another one?"
Huck nodded and the both fell silent. Gracie felt that familiar lump, the one she'd been choking down all day, forming again in her throat. She was not going to cry, not now, not yet. She was determined to make this a happy night if it killed her.
"I missed you," she said softly.
Huck looked at her for a moment, speechless.
"I missed you too," was all he could say.
"I missed the way you smile," she said touching his face. "The way your face lights up whenever something really makes you happy. Like today when the press stopped my dad after the ceremony, you were so good with them and then when they asked him about me he answered and he was so proud, and standing right beside him was you, with that same proud smile, playing on your lips," she sighed. "It was the first time I had ever even noticed," she laughed. "I heard what Josh said to you today."
"What?" he asked, taking a sip of the wine.
"I heard him telling you to give up the act, and go ahead with things."
"Gracie..."
"I heard him saying tell her you love her," she paused. "He doesn't know you already did, does he?"
Huck hung his head.
"Grace..." he began softly. "Please don't..."
"Huck," Gracie began sweetly. "That was a bad time, I was trying to get things done and I just needed to focus on getting out of school as quickly as possible and I didn't realize until it was too late how much I'd hurt you in New York."
"Gracie..."
"Let. Me. Finish," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn't..." she grabbed the wine and took a long drink. "I didn't say it back because I wasn't sure I was feeling it, even though I was, but my mind was focused on so many other things that I couldn't grasp anything but school so I just brushed you off. But I have been waiting two months to tell you this and you are going to hear me out," she turned to face him, but he was looking the other way. "I need you to look at me," she ordered pushing the wine bottle aside. He turned towards her, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "I need you to know that..." before thinking about her actions she grabbed his face with her hands and kissed him, passionately. After a long satisfying moment she pulled back and finished. "I love you."
Huck just smiled, that smile she'd referred to before and she felt her heart beat quicken. This was all because of him.
"Gracie, I..." to hell with it Huck thought as he pulled her into another deep kiss, this time letting it come to a natural end. "I love you too," he kissed her again. This time when the kiss ended, they both just sat there, looking deep into each other's eyes, neither wanting to interfere with the power of the moment.
"Come on," Gracie said breaking the silence, as she stood up.
"Where are we going?" Huck asked, standing up with her. Gracie just laughed as she undid the side zipper of her dress and slid it off.
"Swimming," she replied diving into the water.
"You're crazy," Huck shouted to her when she finally surfaced nearly twenty feet away. Nonetheless, he began undressing first with his shirt then his pants. When he got down to his boxers, he jumped in.
"I know," Gracie replied when he finally made his way towards her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and began to kiss him. "But we've known that all along," she finished before losing herself in him completely.
**
"I don't want to fight," Evan said finally taking a seat next to her again. Gracie looked at him for a moment, dazed, then snapped out of it.
"Me either," she replied sweetly. "We're going to have enough to deal with at dinner," she added with a smirk.
"Is everyone else as bad as Josh is?" he asked frowning. Gracie laughed.
"I told you, he's a little protective."
"A little?"
Gracie laughed again.
"Ok, so maybe a lot."
"He hates me already," Evan said shrugging.
"He does not."
"Don't you see it?" Evan asked alarmed.
"He just..." Gracie paused. "He's just Josh," she stood up. "It's no big deal."
"That's what you think," he replied standing up to join her. "You're not the one getting vetted."
"You know what," Gracie said pulling him close to her.
"No? What?" he whispered softly as they were only inches apart. She kissed him softly and slowly, savoring the moment.
"That's what?" she whispered when the kiss ended. "Now let's go inside."