~A Once and Again Series~
Life is what you make of it
As always, thanks for reading! And some of you might have caught my mistake in the last chapter. I had said that Eli and Jessie were at Karen's.. forgetting that I had killed her off. Opps! Lol, I went back and changed it to say they went to their grandparent's, lol.
Chapter 24// Give it time
"Move over! You're suffocating me!" Zoe complained.
Grace purposely leaned against her little sister even further.
"Mom!" Zoe squealed underneath Grace's shoulder. Grace laughed and moved back to the middle of the couch. Zoe was on one side of her and Eli was on the other. Grace wanted to lie back against Eli's shoulder, but she couldn't, not with the whole family here. Instead Grace looked at Eli and they shared a look of understanding.
"What movie were we going to watch?" Rick asked from one of the arm chairs. Lily entered from the kitchen, bowls of popcorn in her hands.
"Its a wonderful life," Lily told him.
"But Christmas was three days ago!" Zoe said.
"Well, I wanted us to watch it earlier, but we've all been too busy. But, it's a good movie, no matter what day we watch it on." Lily passed out the popcorn bowls.
Grace munched on a handful of popcorn, "Do we all have to watch it? I have other stuff I want to do." Grace glanced at Eli. He smiled.
"Yeah, me too."
Lily shook her head, "Come on, it's a good movie, and it would be nice to have a family tradition that we all do together."
Grace shrugged, "All right." Eli agreed too.
Lily went to put the tape in the VCR and stopped, "Where's Jessie?"
"Jessie!" Rick called from his seat. He was answered by footsteps on the stairs.
"We're going to watch Its a wonderful life," Rick told his daughter as she entered the living room. He noticed Katie behind her, "Oh, hi, Katie, join us."
"Oh, I've already watched it like three times this week," Katie said, helping herself to some popcorn. "I'm going to go," She said to Jessie.
Jessie shook her head, and turned to Katie, "No. I think it's time."
"Now?" Katie asked.
"Yeah."
Katie shrugged, "Alright." Jessie smiled at her and took Katie's hand.
"We've got something important to tell you," Jessie began.
* * *
"Wow," Grace said later in Eli's room as they laid together on his bed. "I can't believe they just came out like that and told everyone that they were a couple. Did you see the look on my mother's face?"
Eli laughed, "No, I was too busy watching my father try to remain calm. I don't think either of them even suspected it."
Grace nodded, "They were shocked. Yeah, well, I guess the whole movie three days after Christmas tradition is over. I could tell my mother was just waiting until she and Rick could go upstairs and talk about it." Grace said, commenting on how everyone sort of just dispersed after Jessie finished her speech and after Katie had left.
"Who wants to see Its a wonderful life for the millionth time anyways," Eli said and kissed her lightly on her neck. "I'd rather be here, with you."
"I think everyone is going to accept Jessie and Katie eventually, don't you?" Grace asked, ignoring his kisses.
"I guess so."
"And they were so brave for telling everyone when they didn't know how they would take it."
"Yeah, they were."
"So, don't you think we could be that brave? Don't you think we should tell everyone?" Grace asked, and Eli drew away from her.
"Grace."
"Eli, I hate lying to them! I hate this secrecy. I just want to tell everyone. If Jessie and Katie could do it, then why can't we?" Grace asked, sitting up, so she could see Eli's reactions better.
"We can't tell them, Grace," Eli insisted.
"Why not?"
Eli sat up with her. "It's too soon. We just got together and everyone is still dealing with Jessie and Katie. Why burden them with this too?"
"You think it's a burden?"
"I didn't.. I don't know, Grace. I know they aren't just going to accept us with open arms. I mean, what parent wants to say, 'oh, yeah my stepson is dating my daughter'. It's a big thing to throw on them. I say we just give it time, let them deal with Jessie and Katie's relationship before we tell them about ours." Eli looked into her eyes, "Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah," Grace reluctantly agreed. She leaned in for a kiss, but a knock sounded on Eli's door.
Eli went to answer it. It was Jessie, she was crying. Eli turned back to Grace and she understood. She left the garage, leaving Eli to comfort his sister.
* * *
Grace hadn't meant to take out the book, but as soon as she entered her room, she seemed drawn to it. She closed her door guiltily, shutting out the soft mumbled sound of her mother and Rick talking in their room. She went to her bed and reached under the pillow for the book. Her fingers grasped the cool leather with relief. She looked at the title again: Love is Never Lost: a collection by William Timor Timonen.
She sat on her bed and opened the book, reading Augustus' inscription once again.
Grace,
This book is one of my favorites
It means everything
Love always Augustus
Grace opened the book further and read the beautiful poetry poem by poem; page by page; word by word.
* * *
Life is what you make of it
As always, thanks for reading! And some of you might have caught my mistake in the last chapter. I had said that Eli and Jessie were at Karen's.. forgetting that I had killed her off. Opps! Lol, I went back and changed it to say they went to their grandparent's, lol.
Chapter 24// Give it time
"Move over! You're suffocating me!" Zoe complained.
Grace purposely leaned against her little sister even further.
"Mom!" Zoe squealed underneath Grace's shoulder. Grace laughed and moved back to the middle of the couch. Zoe was on one side of her and Eli was on the other. Grace wanted to lie back against Eli's shoulder, but she couldn't, not with the whole family here. Instead Grace looked at Eli and they shared a look of understanding.
"What movie were we going to watch?" Rick asked from one of the arm chairs. Lily entered from the kitchen, bowls of popcorn in her hands.
"Its a wonderful life," Lily told him.
"But Christmas was three days ago!" Zoe said.
"Well, I wanted us to watch it earlier, but we've all been too busy. But, it's a good movie, no matter what day we watch it on." Lily passed out the popcorn bowls.
Grace munched on a handful of popcorn, "Do we all have to watch it? I have other stuff I want to do." Grace glanced at Eli. He smiled.
"Yeah, me too."
Lily shook her head, "Come on, it's a good movie, and it would be nice to have a family tradition that we all do together."
Grace shrugged, "All right." Eli agreed too.
Lily went to put the tape in the VCR and stopped, "Where's Jessie?"
"Jessie!" Rick called from his seat. He was answered by footsteps on the stairs.
"We're going to watch Its a wonderful life," Rick told his daughter as she entered the living room. He noticed Katie behind her, "Oh, hi, Katie, join us."
"Oh, I've already watched it like three times this week," Katie said, helping herself to some popcorn. "I'm going to go," She said to Jessie.
Jessie shook her head, and turned to Katie, "No. I think it's time."
"Now?" Katie asked.
"Yeah."
Katie shrugged, "Alright." Jessie smiled at her and took Katie's hand.
"We've got something important to tell you," Jessie began.
* * *
"Wow," Grace said later in Eli's room as they laid together on his bed. "I can't believe they just came out like that and told everyone that they were a couple. Did you see the look on my mother's face?"
Eli laughed, "No, I was too busy watching my father try to remain calm. I don't think either of them even suspected it."
Grace nodded, "They were shocked. Yeah, well, I guess the whole movie three days after Christmas tradition is over. I could tell my mother was just waiting until she and Rick could go upstairs and talk about it." Grace said, commenting on how everyone sort of just dispersed after Jessie finished her speech and after Katie had left.
"Who wants to see Its a wonderful life for the millionth time anyways," Eli said and kissed her lightly on her neck. "I'd rather be here, with you."
"I think everyone is going to accept Jessie and Katie eventually, don't you?" Grace asked, ignoring his kisses.
"I guess so."
"And they were so brave for telling everyone when they didn't know how they would take it."
"Yeah, they were."
"So, don't you think we could be that brave? Don't you think we should tell everyone?" Grace asked, and Eli drew away from her.
"Grace."
"Eli, I hate lying to them! I hate this secrecy. I just want to tell everyone. If Jessie and Katie could do it, then why can't we?" Grace asked, sitting up, so she could see Eli's reactions better.
"We can't tell them, Grace," Eli insisted.
"Why not?"
Eli sat up with her. "It's too soon. We just got together and everyone is still dealing with Jessie and Katie. Why burden them with this too?"
"You think it's a burden?"
"I didn't.. I don't know, Grace. I know they aren't just going to accept us with open arms. I mean, what parent wants to say, 'oh, yeah my stepson is dating my daughter'. It's a big thing to throw on them. I say we just give it time, let them deal with Jessie and Katie's relationship before we tell them about ours." Eli looked into her eyes, "Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah," Grace reluctantly agreed. She leaned in for a kiss, but a knock sounded on Eli's door.
Eli went to answer it. It was Jessie, she was crying. Eli turned back to Grace and she understood. She left the garage, leaving Eli to comfort his sister.
* * *
Grace hadn't meant to take out the book, but as soon as she entered her room, she seemed drawn to it. She closed her door guiltily, shutting out the soft mumbled sound of her mother and Rick talking in their room. She went to her bed and reached under the pillow for the book. Her fingers grasped the cool leather with relief. She looked at the title again: Love is Never Lost: a collection by William Timor Timonen.
She sat on her bed and opened the book, reading Augustus' inscription once again.
Grace,
This book is one of my favorites
It means everything
Love always Augustus
Grace opened the book further and read the beautiful poetry poem by poem; page by page; word by word.
* * *