~A Once and Again series~
Life is what you make of it
****Thanks again for the reviews! It makes me happy that my story makes you happy, or at least interested. Anyway, expect lots more Eli/Grace/Dmitri entanglement. Poor girl two great guys, whatever shall she do? Anyways, thanks for reading! ****
Chapter Seven// Don't make things complicated
Grace sat in the kitchen for twenty minutes after the incident happened. Eli had almost kissed her! And, the bad thing was she had almost kissed him back. If Judy hadn't come in and interrupted them-well, Grace didn't know how things would have went. The whole time she was close to Eli, she had been wondering how her body could betray her like this while she was supposedly in love with Augustus. Now, here she was, still thinking and wondering. Things had felt right with Eli, but she still had strong feelings for Augustus.
The door to the garage opened and Eli was standing there. There was no facial expression on his face as he said, "We should talk."
Grace followed him into his small garage apartment. They didn't speak. He sat on his bed and she sat in a chair next to it. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak.
Eli was the one who broke the silence, "Are you sleeping with that teacher?"
"What? That is none of your business." This wasn't what Grace expected.
Eli sat there, stone-faced.
"Eli, I, I'm seeing him, yeah. I think I might love him. Things are good between us." Grace tried to explain.
"Really? Grace, you can't even date this jerk in public! You can't tell any one about your relationship with him because it's wrong! It's illegal. How can things be good between you?" Eli asked angrily.
"So, what? A few more years and it won't matter. He's special to me." Grace found herself becoming angry too. How could Eli get all up in her business like this? "Why does it matter to you anyway?"
"I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt. And what about what happened in the kitchen? How does that fit into your perfect relationship with Mr. Teacher guy?"
"Nothing happened in the kitchen! Nothing!" Grace cried, although it was techniqully true, she knew she didn't believe it in her heart.
"Grace, we almost kissed." Eli was glaring at her.
"So, what? I goofed up! It doesn't matter, because you know what?"
"What?"
"Me and you couldn't be a couple in public either! We're stepbrother/ stepsister! We couldn't tell our parents or anyone," Grace said.
Eli stood up from the bed and stared down at her in the chair. "I think they would understand. Better than you dating some forty year old teacher!"
"No, Eli, they wouldn't! And I don't care! I like-I love Augustus, and what almost happened between us doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!" Grace stood up now too, and they glared at each other.
"I don't think you should be seeing this guy," Eli said.
"Don't tell me what to do! You're not my mother. You're not my father. You're not my brother! You're not even related to me by blood!" Grace yelled at him.
"That's what I've been trying to say," Eli grabbed her and he pushed his lips against hers in a quick and almost angry kiss. Grace pulled away and let out a growl.
"Don't make things complicated!" Grace yelled at him. She kicked his bed and the air seemed to go out of her. She fell down on the bed with a sigh.
Eli moved to kiss her again and she pushed him away, "No, Eli. I can't! I can't. I'm with Augustus now."
"But you have feelings for me too?" Eli seemed to have calmed down. He sat down next to her.
Grace sat up, "Yes, no--- I don't know. It's too complicated! I guess I do have some feelings for you, but I can't be having these feelings. Someone has to be on the back burner."
"So, I'm the back burner guy?" Eli asked.
"Yeah, right now, you are. What Augustus and I have right now is wonderful. I don't want to screw that up. There seems to be something between you and me, but right now I just can't explore it." Grace said gently.
Eli nodded and shrugged; he gave Grace a sly grin, "How about a kiss for the road?"
Grace laughed and shook her head no.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Eli joked, but the smile had left his face. He suddenly looked sad and Grace didn't know how to deal with that.
"So, you're coming to the play tonight?" She asked.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Grace smiled and stood up, "Well, I'll see you then."
"Don't you want to hang out? I thought you didn't have anything to do today?"
"Oh, I just remembered I have some homework to do. With the play and all, it's been adding up. I should really go do it," Grace hated herself for lying.
"Ok." Eli said, and Grace knew he knew she was lying.
"Bye, Eli."
"Bye, Grace."
* * *
Life is what you make of it
****Thanks again for the reviews! It makes me happy that my story makes you happy, or at least interested. Anyway, expect lots more Eli/Grace/Dmitri entanglement. Poor girl two great guys, whatever shall she do? Anyways, thanks for reading! ****
Chapter Seven// Don't make things complicated
Grace sat in the kitchen for twenty minutes after the incident happened. Eli had almost kissed her! And, the bad thing was she had almost kissed him back. If Judy hadn't come in and interrupted them-well, Grace didn't know how things would have went. The whole time she was close to Eli, she had been wondering how her body could betray her like this while she was supposedly in love with Augustus. Now, here she was, still thinking and wondering. Things had felt right with Eli, but she still had strong feelings for Augustus.
The door to the garage opened and Eli was standing there. There was no facial expression on his face as he said, "We should talk."
Grace followed him into his small garage apartment. They didn't speak. He sat on his bed and she sat in a chair next to it. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak.
Eli was the one who broke the silence, "Are you sleeping with that teacher?"
"What? That is none of your business." This wasn't what Grace expected.
Eli sat there, stone-faced.
"Eli, I, I'm seeing him, yeah. I think I might love him. Things are good between us." Grace tried to explain.
"Really? Grace, you can't even date this jerk in public! You can't tell any one about your relationship with him because it's wrong! It's illegal. How can things be good between you?" Eli asked angrily.
"So, what? A few more years and it won't matter. He's special to me." Grace found herself becoming angry too. How could Eli get all up in her business like this? "Why does it matter to you anyway?"
"I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt. And what about what happened in the kitchen? How does that fit into your perfect relationship with Mr. Teacher guy?"
"Nothing happened in the kitchen! Nothing!" Grace cried, although it was techniqully true, she knew she didn't believe it in her heart.
"Grace, we almost kissed." Eli was glaring at her.
"So, what? I goofed up! It doesn't matter, because you know what?"
"What?"
"Me and you couldn't be a couple in public either! We're stepbrother/ stepsister! We couldn't tell our parents or anyone," Grace said.
Eli stood up from the bed and stared down at her in the chair. "I think they would understand. Better than you dating some forty year old teacher!"
"No, Eli, they wouldn't! And I don't care! I like-I love Augustus, and what almost happened between us doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!" Grace stood up now too, and they glared at each other.
"I don't think you should be seeing this guy," Eli said.
"Don't tell me what to do! You're not my mother. You're not my father. You're not my brother! You're not even related to me by blood!" Grace yelled at him.
"That's what I've been trying to say," Eli grabbed her and he pushed his lips against hers in a quick and almost angry kiss. Grace pulled away and let out a growl.
"Don't make things complicated!" Grace yelled at him. She kicked his bed and the air seemed to go out of her. She fell down on the bed with a sigh.
Eli moved to kiss her again and she pushed him away, "No, Eli. I can't! I can't. I'm with Augustus now."
"But you have feelings for me too?" Eli seemed to have calmed down. He sat down next to her.
Grace sat up, "Yes, no--- I don't know. It's too complicated! I guess I do have some feelings for you, but I can't be having these feelings. Someone has to be on the back burner."
"So, I'm the back burner guy?" Eli asked.
"Yeah, right now, you are. What Augustus and I have right now is wonderful. I don't want to screw that up. There seems to be something between you and me, but right now I just can't explore it." Grace said gently.
Eli nodded and shrugged; he gave Grace a sly grin, "How about a kiss for the road?"
Grace laughed and shook her head no.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Eli joked, but the smile had left his face. He suddenly looked sad and Grace didn't know how to deal with that.
"So, you're coming to the play tonight?" She asked.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Grace smiled and stood up, "Well, I'll see you then."
"Don't you want to hang out? I thought you didn't have anything to do today?"
"Oh, I just remembered I have some homework to do. With the play and all, it's been adding up. I should really go do it," Grace hated herself for lying.
"Ok." Eli said, and Grace knew he knew she was lying.
"Bye, Eli."
"Bye, Grace."
* * *