~A Once and Again Series~
Now and Then
Thanks for the reviews! G-D-Fan, thanks for pointing out Dimitri's lips! I'll have to go back and watch my tapes.. eh, I was going to do that anyways. : ) ! lol. Thanks again you all! And now, on the show..
Chapter 4// Truth and Questions
Grace parked in the Booklover's parking lot and hurried out of the car. Since she had seen Mr. Dimitri she hadn't been able to think clearly. She had went home and began looking at the book Dimitri had given her so long ago and the inscription. And she ended up losing track of the time and forgetting all about work.
Grace was greeted by her dad with a frown. But Grace knew he couldn't stay angry at her. She was his first child. Grace gave him a kiss on the cheek and then bent down and gave his third child, her half sister, Maddy a similar kiss. "Sorry," Grace said.
Jake sighed and shrugged, "Eli's in the back with a new shipment."
Grace smiled at her dad and went off to help Eli. Grace found him with an opened book of books, carefully sorting them and pricing them. "Hey."
"Hey," Eli smiled pleased up at her, "I thought I'd end up doing this all alone."
"So, I'm a little late."
"Try almost an hour," Eli teased her. "So, what happened?"
"I just lost track of time." Grace sat down and began helping Eli with the sorting of the new books. "But I had a good reason for losing track of time."
"Yeah? Let's hear it." Eli leaned back against the wall and waited.
Grace continued going through the books, not wanting to just let it out that quickly. It would be more fun to make Eli get it out of her, no matter how much she just wanted to tell him.
"Come on.." Eli said, not quite begging yet.
"I don't know if I should tell you," Grace taunted. She looked up from the books and smiled slyly at Eli.
"Fine, maybe I don't care," Eli shot back, but his eyes said he did care.
Grace opened her mouth to tease him some more, but found the words coming out instead, "Mr. Dimitri is my English teacher."
"What?" Eli said, completely confused, wondering if he had heard her right.
"He teaches at the college now, and he's my teacher for my English class," Grace said with a smile, enjoying the shock on Eli's face.
"I thought he had left town?"
Grace looked away, "No, he's been here since what happened." Grace had confessed everything about Mr. Dimitri to Eli once they became close friends. Eli knew how she still had feelings for him.
"Wow, that sucks," Eli commented.
"What?" Grace asked. She didn't understand. Eli, being her best friend should know how excited about this she was. How much she liked having Mr. Dimitri back in her life.
"Well, he's been here for the past two years or whatever since your kiss, and yet he's never tried to talk to you or anything," Eli said softly.
"Oh." Grace said, her excitement cooling. That was true.
Eli looked guilty about having put the hole in her bubble of happiness. He shuffled his hands nervously. "But then again, he couldn't do any of that."
Grace looked at him, hopefully. Eli continued, "You were underage, and he was already in trouble for your non-relationship. He couldn't exactly call you or show up at the house. Imagine your mother answering the door to him."
Grace smiled, "Yeah, of course he couldn't. And it's not exactly like I tried to see him either."
Eli nodded and they worked in silence for a few minutes, sorting and pricing the books. "Did you talk to him?" Eli asked, breaking the quiet.
Grace shrugged, "Sort of, but he was probably just as surprised to see me as I was to see him, so we didn't say much."
"Oh," Eli said and they continued working.
* * *
Friday. It was Friday. It was 12:49pm on Friday. Grace nervously watched the clock. It turned to 12:50. Grace looked from the clock to her math teacher and then back to the clock again. Finally, Mrs. Tyler noticed the time and began finishing up.
"Alright, so that's how you work number 53. And it looks like we're out of time for today. Do the problems in Chapter 1, section 2 for Monday. And remember, if you still aren't getting it, you can always sign up for tutoring or come see me during my off times. Alright, go enjoy your weekend." Mrs. Tyler began erasing the board and Grace shot up in her seat.
She was the first one out the door. She had to only go down the hallway for her next class, English with Mr. Dimitri. Grace slowed down her hurried pace as she got to the room. She entered the classroom at a slow stroll, but her act was wasted as Mr. Dimitri wasn't there yet. Grace plopped quickly into a seat in the front and pulled out a notebook, pretending to look busy.
She didn't know why exactly she was acting like this. But ever since she had seen Dimitri on Wednesday and had spoken to him, her stomach had been tied in knots. And her talk with Eli had put questions in her head. Questions she wasn't sure if she wanted answers to. But she wondered if things between her and Mr. Dimitri could ever be the same as it was two years ago. If they would have the same chemistry and attraction. Being with him had been so easy. They had talked and shared with each other with no difficulty. But after what happened and their time apart, could they still have that? And then there was their one and only kiss to think about.. what did that mean now?
He entered the room. Immediately, Grace forgot about her plan of looking busy and found her eyes pulled to him. He had arrived just at one o'clock, as if to make sure he wouldn't have time to talk to her before class started. Grace felt stung, but pushed the pain away. She couldn't be sure he was avoiding her, but still in her heart, she was noticing the way his eyes were skipping over her, as if she was just another kid in his class, and not GRACE. But she was Grace, and she didn't want this. She wanted him to acknowledge their past, and not pretend she had just been a student of his. She had been much more than that. Much more.
Grace leaned back against her chair and listened to him talk. She would have to catch him after class. And make him talk. She wasn't going to play this game of pretending nothing had happened. They had kissed, and it had been much more than that. Grace had spent the past two years thinking of him and that kiss and it hurt to have him finally back in her life only to be ignoring that.
* * *
Now and Then
Thanks for the reviews! G-D-Fan, thanks for pointing out Dimitri's lips! I'll have to go back and watch my tapes.. eh, I was going to do that anyways. : ) ! lol. Thanks again you all! And now, on the show..
Chapter 4// Truth and Questions
Grace parked in the Booklover's parking lot and hurried out of the car. Since she had seen Mr. Dimitri she hadn't been able to think clearly. She had went home and began looking at the book Dimitri had given her so long ago and the inscription. And she ended up losing track of the time and forgetting all about work.
Grace was greeted by her dad with a frown. But Grace knew he couldn't stay angry at her. She was his first child. Grace gave him a kiss on the cheek and then bent down and gave his third child, her half sister, Maddy a similar kiss. "Sorry," Grace said.
Jake sighed and shrugged, "Eli's in the back with a new shipment."
Grace smiled at her dad and went off to help Eli. Grace found him with an opened book of books, carefully sorting them and pricing them. "Hey."
"Hey," Eli smiled pleased up at her, "I thought I'd end up doing this all alone."
"So, I'm a little late."
"Try almost an hour," Eli teased her. "So, what happened?"
"I just lost track of time." Grace sat down and began helping Eli with the sorting of the new books. "But I had a good reason for losing track of time."
"Yeah? Let's hear it." Eli leaned back against the wall and waited.
Grace continued going through the books, not wanting to just let it out that quickly. It would be more fun to make Eli get it out of her, no matter how much she just wanted to tell him.
"Come on.." Eli said, not quite begging yet.
"I don't know if I should tell you," Grace taunted. She looked up from the books and smiled slyly at Eli.
"Fine, maybe I don't care," Eli shot back, but his eyes said he did care.
Grace opened her mouth to tease him some more, but found the words coming out instead, "Mr. Dimitri is my English teacher."
"What?" Eli said, completely confused, wondering if he had heard her right.
"He teaches at the college now, and he's my teacher for my English class," Grace said with a smile, enjoying the shock on Eli's face.
"I thought he had left town?"
Grace looked away, "No, he's been here since what happened." Grace had confessed everything about Mr. Dimitri to Eli once they became close friends. Eli knew how she still had feelings for him.
"Wow, that sucks," Eli commented.
"What?" Grace asked. She didn't understand. Eli, being her best friend should know how excited about this she was. How much she liked having Mr. Dimitri back in her life.
"Well, he's been here for the past two years or whatever since your kiss, and yet he's never tried to talk to you or anything," Eli said softly.
"Oh." Grace said, her excitement cooling. That was true.
Eli looked guilty about having put the hole in her bubble of happiness. He shuffled his hands nervously. "But then again, he couldn't do any of that."
Grace looked at him, hopefully. Eli continued, "You were underage, and he was already in trouble for your non-relationship. He couldn't exactly call you or show up at the house. Imagine your mother answering the door to him."
Grace smiled, "Yeah, of course he couldn't. And it's not exactly like I tried to see him either."
Eli nodded and they worked in silence for a few minutes, sorting and pricing the books. "Did you talk to him?" Eli asked, breaking the quiet.
Grace shrugged, "Sort of, but he was probably just as surprised to see me as I was to see him, so we didn't say much."
"Oh," Eli said and they continued working.
* * *
Friday. It was Friday. It was 12:49pm on Friday. Grace nervously watched the clock. It turned to 12:50. Grace looked from the clock to her math teacher and then back to the clock again. Finally, Mrs. Tyler noticed the time and began finishing up.
"Alright, so that's how you work number 53. And it looks like we're out of time for today. Do the problems in Chapter 1, section 2 for Monday. And remember, if you still aren't getting it, you can always sign up for tutoring or come see me during my off times. Alright, go enjoy your weekend." Mrs. Tyler began erasing the board and Grace shot up in her seat.
She was the first one out the door. She had to only go down the hallway for her next class, English with Mr. Dimitri. Grace slowed down her hurried pace as she got to the room. She entered the classroom at a slow stroll, but her act was wasted as Mr. Dimitri wasn't there yet. Grace plopped quickly into a seat in the front and pulled out a notebook, pretending to look busy.
She didn't know why exactly she was acting like this. But ever since she had seen Dimitri on Wednesday and had spoken to him, her stomach had been tied in knots. And her talk with Eli had put questions in her head. Questions she wasn't sure if she wanted answers to. But she wondered if things between her and Mr. Dimitri could ever be the same as it was two years ago. If they would have the same chemistry and attraction. Being with him had been so easy. They had talked and shared with each other with no difficulty. But after what happened and their time apart, could they still have that? And then there was their one and only kiss to think about.. what did that mean now?
He entered the room. Immediately, Grace forgot about her plan of looking busy and found her eyes pulled to him. He had arrived just at one o'clock, as if to make sure he wouldn't have time to talk to her before class started. Grace felt stung, but pushed the pain away. She couldn't be sure he was avoiding her, but still in her heart, she was noticing the way his eyes were skipping over her, as if she was just another kid in his class, and not GRACE. But she was Grace, and she didn't want this. She wanted him to acknowledge their past, and not pretend she had just been a student of his. She had been much more than that. Much more.
Grace leaned back against her chair and listened to him talk. She would have to catch him after class. And make him talk. She wasn't going to play this game of pretending nothing had happened. They had kissed, and it had been much more than that. Grace had spent the past two years thinking of him and that kiss and it hurt to have him finally back in her life only to be ignoring that.
* * *