~A Once and Again Series~
Now and Then
~Rod Stewart// Rhythm of My Heart~
Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words "I love you"
Rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing
Chapter 21// The Rhythm of My Heart
August came home that day after his classes to find Grace sitting alone in the dark of his bedroom. She looked up at him with a smile, "I've finally seen your bedroom."
"But, how can you see anything? It's dark."
August reached to turn the light on, but Grace's gray figure said, "No, leave it off. It's not that dark... your eyes will adjust."
August moved forward, and as he grew near her he began to see better, and could see the beautiful features of her face. "What did you do today?"
"I went to my classes, and I came back here to find my mother waiting for me." Grace answered.
August slipped off his shoes. "Was it bad?"
Grace sighed, "Kind of. But I think it will get better. I think this might actually work."
"You mean 'us'?" August asked, sitting down next to her. He took her hand in his, gently massaging it with his thumb.
"Yeah... us." Grace squeezed his hand gently. "I love you."
"I love you too, Grace."
They moved together, their lips finding each other in the dark. They drank each other in, intoxicated by the magic that was between them. They were good together. They had something special. They laid back on the bed, and in the early dark of the early fall night, they made love.
* * *
Grace awoke in his arms early the next morning. She kissed his slightly scruffy cheek, and slid out of his arms. She knew he still had almost two hours before he needed to be up, and she didn't want to wake him when he looked so peaceful. But, then again, if she woke him they could... Grace decided if he wasn't up when she got back from her shower, then she'd wake him up.
She grabbed a towel from the hall closet and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She looked down at the pink and purple towel and realized that it must be one of Angelina's doings. She seemed to have liked the color pink. Grace set the towel down on the counter and looked up at her reflection.
She studied the girl before her. It had been so long since she had just looked at herself in the mirror like this. She was getting older, yes, she could see a slight change to her face and body from her high school years. And today her eyes sparkled with something undefinable. Something that had been there this whole time, but had finally decided to come out. Why, she was in love. It was clear to her, looking at the shine in her eyes. Why couldn't her mother see this? Why was her mother, and her father, for that matter, so against her relationship with a man she loved? If they could just LOOK at her... really look at her, they'd see what she saw now... that she was completely head-over-hills in love with this man. And if they saw that, then how could they be against her being with him? How?
Grace smiled at the woman before her. She liked what see saw. Grace slipped out of the shirt she was wearing as pajamas - it was August's- and she moved to the shower.
* * *
August wasn't sure what woke him first... the sound of the phone ringing or the sound of the shower going. He woke up hearing both these things, and for a moment wondered where Grace was... and then he put it together and realized that she was in the shower. And that the phone was still ringing. He answered it.
"Hello?"
"Good morning," Angelina's voice greeted him. "Sorry I'm calling so early, but it's the only time that I could call. My schedule is jam packed all day."
August sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "No, it's okay."
"So, how are you? Are you still coming up this weekend?"
"I'm good," August answered, looking at the doorway. He heard the water turn off in the bathroom. "Yes, I'm still coming this weekend. I'll probably come up after my last class on Friday."
"You still have the address of the hotel and everything?" Angelina asked.
"Yes." August rubbed his face once again with his hand. "Was there a reason you called?"
"Oh," Angelina paused. August heard the bathroom door opening. "No, not really. I guess I'll just talk to you on Friday."
"Yeah, that would be good." August smiled at Grace as she entered the room. Grace smiled back and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Okay, then," Angelina said hesitantly. August sensed there was something she wanted to talk about. But couldn't it wait till Friday? He really didn't want to get into a big discussion with her right now. He kept silent, and finally Angelina said, "I'll see you Friday. Bye."
"Bye." August hung up the phone. He sighed and looked at Grace.
"Who was it?" Grace asked.
"It was Angelina," August said simply.
"Oh," Grace said. She stood up off the bed. "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"
"Yes, breakfast sounds very good right now."
* * *
"Eli!" Grace said in surprise. She hadn't expected to run into him at her mother's house.
"Hey," Eli greeted her.
"Is my mother here?" Grace asked, looking past him.
"No, she's out." Eli said, finishing off the last of the sandwich he had made for lunch. "I'm babysitting."
Grace smiled. "Funny, I don't see a baby."
"Dominic's sleeping," Eli lowered his voice as he said the words. "He's in the living room...We should be quiet."
Grace nodded, looking at Eli. She didn't sense any weirdness between her and Eli because of the move he had made on her, but she still knew she had done the right thing by moving into August's. "I just came to get some more of my stuff. I was hoping my mom was out."
Eli shuffled his feet, "I'm sorry I told her, but I just.."
"No, it's okay," Grace interrupted him. "She would have found out sooner or later and it's probably better she found out sooner."
"Have you seen Jake yet?" Eli asked.
Grace shook her head, "No. My mom said he was really upset, though."
Eli nodded. "Maybe you should give him a while to cool down."
"I don't know. I'm supposed to work at Booklovers tonight."
"Grace, I really don't think you should go... he's really upset." Eli warned.
Grace shook her head. "He's my father. I'm going to have to face him sometime."
Eli was silent.
"I'm going to go get my stuff," Grace motioned towards the garage. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Eli nodded. He watched Grace leave with a slightly sorrowful expression and then went to check on the baby.
* * *
Now and Then
~Rod Stewart// Rhythm of My Heart~
Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words "I love you"
Rolling off my tongue
No, never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing
Chapter 21// The Rhythm of My Heart
August came home that day after his classes to find Grace sitting alone in the dark of his bedroom. She looked up at him with a smile, "I've finally seen your bedroom."
"But, how can you see anything? It's dark."
August reached to turn the light on, but Grace's gray figure said, "No, leave it off. It's not that dark... your eyes will adjust."
August moved forward, and as he grew near her he began to see better, and could see the beautiful features of her face. "What did you do today?"
"I went to my classes, and I came back here to find my mother waiting for me." Grace answered.
August slipped off his shoes. "Was it bad?"
Grace sighed, "Kind of. But I think it will get better. I think this might actually work."
"You mean 'us'?" August asked, sitting down next to her. He took her hand in his, gently massaging it with his thumb.
"Yeah... us." Grace squeezed his hand gently. "I love you."
"I love you too, Grace."
They moved together, their lips finding each other in the dark. They drank each other in, intoxicated by the magic that was between them. They were good together. They had something special. They laid back on the bed, and in the early dark of the early fall night, they made love.
* * *
Grace awoke in his arms early the next morning. She kissed his slightly scruffy cheek, and slid out of his arms. She knew he still had almost two hours before he needed to be up, and she didn't want to wake him when he looked so peaceful. But, then again, if she woke him they could... Grace decided if he wasn't up when she got back from her shower, then she'd wake him up.
She grabbed a towel from the hall closet and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She looked down at the pink and purple towel and realized that it must be one of Angelina's doings. She seemed to have liked the color pink. Grace set the towel down on the counter and looked up at her reflection.
She studied the girl before her. It had been so long since she had just looked at herself in the mirror like this. She was getting older, yes, she could see a slight change to her face and body from her high school years. And today her eyes sparkled with something undefinable. Something that had been there this whole time, but had finally decided to come out. Why, she was in love. It was clear to her, looking at the shine in her eyes. Why couldn't her mother see this? Why was her mother, and her father, for that matter, so against her relationship with a man she loved? If they could just LOOK at her... really look at her, they'd see what she saw now... that she was completely head-over-hills in love with this man. And if they saw that, then how could they be against her being with him? How?
Grace smiled at the woman before her. She liked what see saw. Grace slipped out of the shirt she was wearing as pajamas - it was August's- and she moved to the shower.
* * *
August wasn't sure what woke him first... the sound of the phone ringing or the sound of the shower going. He woke up hearing both these things, and for a moment wondered where Grace was... and then he put it together and realized that she was in the shower. And that the phone was still ringing. He answered it.
"Hello?"
"Good morning," Angelina's voice greeted him. "Sorry I'm calling so early, but it's the only time that I could call. My schedule is jam packed all day."
August sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "No, it's okay."
"So, how are you? Are you still coming up this weekend?"
"I'm good," August answered, looking at the doorway. He heard the water turn off in the bathroom. "Yes, I'm still coming this weekend. I'll probably come up after my last class on Friday."
"You still have the address of the hotel and everything?" Angelina asked.
"Yes." August rubbed his face once again with his hand. "Was there a reason you called?"
"Oh," Angelina paused. August heard the bathroom door opening. "No, not really. I guess I'll just talk to you on Friday."
"Yeah, that would be good." August smiled at Grace as she entered the room. Grace smiled back and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Okay, then," Angelina said hesitantly. August sensed there was something she wanted to talk about. But couldn't it wait till Friday? He really didn't want to get into a big discussion with her right now. He kept silent, and finally Angelina said, "I'll see you Friday. Bye."
"Bye." August hung up the phone. He sighed and looked at Grace.
"Who was it?" Grace asked.
"It was Angelina," August said simply.
"Oh," Grace said. She stood up off the bed. "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"
"Yes, breakfast sounds very good right now."
* * *
"Eli!" Grace said in surprise. She hadn't expected to run into him at her mother's house.
"Hey," Eli greeted her.
"Is my mother here?" Grace asked, looking past him.
"No, she's out." Eli said, finishing off the last of the sandwich he had made for lunch. "I'm babysitting."
Grace smiled. "Funny, I don't see a baby."
"Dominic's sleeping," Eli lowered his voice as he said the words. "He's in the living room...We should be quiet."
Grace nodded, looking at Eli. She didn't sense any weirdness between her and Eli because of the move he had made on her, but she still knew she had done the right thing by moving into August's. "I just came to get some more of my stuff. I was hoping my mom was out."
Eli shuffled his feet, "I'm sorry I told her, but I just.."
"No, it's okay," Grace interrupted him. "She would have found out sooner or later and it's probably better she found out sooner."
"Have you seen Jake yet?" Eli asked.
Grace shook her head, "No. My mom said he was really upset, though."
Eli nodded. "Maybe you should give him a while to cool down."
"I don't know. I'm supposed to work at Booklovers tonight."
"Grace, I really don't think you should go... he's really upset." Eli warned.
Grace shook her head. "He's my father. I'm going to have to face him sometime."
Eli was silent.
"I'm going to go get my stuff," Grace motioned towards the garage. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Eli nodded. He watched Grace leave with a slightly sorrowful expression and then went to check on the baby.
* * *