Chapter twenty-two
Tad closes his textbook and throws it into his bag. Jessie picks up the empty glasses and plates and takes them over to the sink.
"Tell Zoey they were great oat-meal cookies."
"Sure," Jessie smiles.
Tad coughs and looks at Jessie slightly as she sits back down at the table.
"You haven't been around much," he notices.
"I've been at school," she shrugs.
"No, I mean, you haven't been at any parties lately."
"Oh, I haven't been in the mood, I guess," she shrugs again.
"You and Katie it seems," James murmurs.
"What about Katie?" Jessie asks and bites her lip.
"She's just acting weird. Not as happy, bubbly. Not hanging out," he shrugs.
"Oh," whispers Jessie and she fiddles with a pencil.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she shrugs and bites her lip again.
"You and Katie used to be tight."
"Things change."
"Nah, I don't believe it. Something happened."
Jessie shrugs.
"Anyway, I miss the gang. You, me, and Katie," he shrugs as he gets up from his seat. "I should get going, I'm babysitting my kid brother soon."
Jessie gets up and walks him to the door.
"Well, I hope you're in a better mood soon, so we can hang out."
"Don't hold your breath," she mutters under breath and waves as he walks out.
- - -
"So, Mr Dimitri was happy with rehearsals today and so we're going to play theatre sports tomorrow, just for fun and stuff," Grace tells Lilly as she pours her some hot water with lemon.
Lilly nods vaguely without really listen. Grace sighs.
B/E Grace: ever since Mum became pregnant she's been a complete zombie.
"And then we're going to have an orgy in our family room, if that's ok with you."
Lilly nods vaguely again as she looks down at an unopened letter.
"Mum! You're not listening!" Grace whines.
Lilly looks up at Grace and frowns slightly.
"Sorry, honey. You were talking about your homework?"
"Forget it," mutters Grace as she hands Lilly the water. "I'm going to check on Eli and then I'll help you with dinner."
Lilly nods again and looks back down at the letter.
Grace rolls her eyes and walks out of the room. Lilly looks up briefly, sighs and then starts to open the letter.
- - -
Grace is about to knock on Eli's door but reconsiders and starts to walk back downstairs. Suddenly Eli opens his door and looks at Grace's back.
"Grace...?"
Grace turns to face him and smiles.
"I was gonna come in and say hi, I just..."
"Just what?"
Grace shrugs and puts her hand forward, hoping he'll take it, which he does but there is still confusion on his face.
"I'm just in a weird mood," she shrugs and squeezes his hand a little.
Eli pulls her arm towards him and places his arm around her.
Grace sighs.
"Grace...?" he asks again.
"I'm just stress about Mum and..."
"And what?"
"And...I was going to talk to you about it, but you seem so weird lately that I didn't want to stress you out."
"Is that why you've been so distant?" he asks and pulls her into his bedroom, closes the door and sits her down on the bed.
Grace nods.
"I'm sorry, babe," he murmurs and takes hold of her hand.
"We don't have fun any more."
"It's because...because work has been stressing me out."
"You keep saying that but you won't tell me why," she pouts.
"If I tell anyone, it might make it real and I just couldn't have that," he sighs and looks down at his lap.
"But I can help, Eli," she reassures him and uses her hand to move his face towards her.
Eli sighs again, "it's Dad...he's been...shit..." Eli mutters.
"What is it?"
"I think he's having an affair, Grace," Eli speaks a little louder and looks at her.
Grace shows sign of shock and bites her lip. "With who?"
"With the new woman who works there, Mary."
"Are you sure?"
Eli shrugs, "no".
"Well, you have to confront him, Eli," she orders him.
El nods sadly and Grace squeezes his hand. Grace then gasps.
"What is it?" he asks.
Grace thinks for a moment, "maybe that's why Mum's been acting strange."
"You don't think it's just because she's pregnant?"
Grace shakes her head.
"So what do we do?"
"I have no idea," Grace sighs.
Eli wraps his arms around Grace and pulls her in.
"Well, babe, we just have to fix this, ok?"
Grace nods and lays her head on his shoulder.
"Listen, I don't know for sure if anything has happened. I could just be jumping to conclusions."
"I guess," she whispers.
"Grace, it'll be ok. I promise," he whispers and kisses her forehead.
Grace looks up at Eli and notices his determination.
B/W Grace: His strength was one of the first things I fell for.
"Eli, I really need to make love to you right now."
"Are you sure?"
"I need to feel something. I need to feel you inside me," she whispers.
Eli kisses her forehead again and pushes her hair behind her ear.
Grace looks up at Eli, kisses his mouth and gently lies down onto the bed. Eli looks at her, searching her face and pulls off his shirt. She runs her hands along his chest and pulls him towards her. Eli slowly pulls off her top and pulls down her bra straps and then undoes the back.
"I love you so much," he says as he looks into her eyes.
Grace looks back into his eyes and smiles softly.
"Make love to me, Eli."
Eli unbuckles his pants and pulls them down. He looks back into her eyes, kisses her softly and Grace finds herself filling up with relief.
Tad closes his textbook and throws it into his bag. Jessie picks up the empty glasses and plates and takes them over to the sink.
"Tell Zoey they were great oat-meal cookies."
"Sure," Jessie smiles.
Tad coughs and looks at Jessie slightly as she sits back down at the table.
"You haven't been around much," he notices.
"I've been at school," she shrugs.
"No, I mean, you haven't been at any parties lately."
"Oh, I haven't been in the mood, I guess," she shrugs again.
"You and Katie it seems," James murmurs.
"What about Katie?" Jessie asks and bites her lip.
"She's just acting weird. Not as happy, bubbly. Not hanging out," he shrugs.
"Oh," whispers Jessie and she fiddles with a pencil.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she shrugs and bites her lip again.
"You and Katie used to be tight."
"Things change."
"Nah, I don't believe it. Something happened."
Jessie shrugs.
"Anyway, I miss the gang. You, me, and Katie," he shrugs as he gets up from his seat. "I should get going, I'm babysitting my kid brother soon."
Jessie gets up and walks him to the door.
"Well, I hope you're in a better mood soon, so we can hang out."
"Don't hold your breath," she mutters under breath and waves as he walks out.
- - -
"So, Mr Dimitri was happy with rehearsals today and so we're going to play theatre sports tomorrow, just for fun and stuff," Grace tells Lilly as she pours her some hot water with lemon.
Lilly nods vaguely without really listen. Grace sighs.
B/E Grace: ever since Mum became pregnant she's been a complete zombie.
"And then we're going to have an orgy in our family room, if that's ok with you."
Lilly nods vaguely again as she looks down at an unopened letter.
"Mum! You're not listening!" Grace whines.
Lilly looks up at Grace and frowns slightly.
"Sorry, honey. You were talking about your homework?"
"Forget it," mutters Grace as she hands Lilly the water. "I'm going to check on Eli and then I'll help you with dinner."
Lilly nods again and looks back down at the letter.
Grace rolls her eyes and walks out of the room. Lilly looks up briefly, sighs and then starts to open the letter.
- - -
Grace is about to knock on Eli's door but reconsiders and starts to walk back downstairs. Suddenly Eli opens his door and looks at Grace's back.
"Grace...?"
Grace turns to face him and smiles.
"I was gonna come in and say hi, I just..."
"Just what?"
Grace shrugs and puts her hand forward, hoping he'll take it, which he does but there is still confusion on his face.
"I'm just in a weird mood," she shrugs and squeezes his hand a little.
Eli pulls her arm towards him and places his arm around her.
Grace sighs.
"Grace...?" he asks again.
"I'm just stress about Mum and..."
"And what?"
"And...I was going to talk to you about it, but you seem so weird lately that I didn't want to stress you out."
"Is that why you've been so distant?" he asks and pulls her into his bedroom, closes the door and sits her down on the bed.
Grace nods.
"I'm sorry, babe," he murmurs and takes hold of her hand.
"We don't have fun any more."
"It's because...because work has been stressing me out."
"You keep saying that but you won't tell me why," she pouts.
"If I tell anyone, it might make it real and I just couldn't have that," he sighs and looks down at his lap.
"But I can help, Eli," she reassures him and uses her hand to move his face towards her.
Eli sighs again, "it's Dad...he's been...shit..." Eli mutters.
"What is it?"
"I think he's having an affair, Grace," Eli speaks a little louder and looks at her.
Grace shows sign of shock and bites her lip. "With who?"
"With the new woman who works there, Mary."
"Are you sure?"
Eli shrugs, "no".
"Well, you have to confront him, Eli," she orders him.
El nods sadly and Grace squeezes his hand. Grace then gasps.
"What is it?" he asks.
Grace thinks for a moment, "maybe that's why Mum's been acting strange."
"You don't think it's just because she's pregnant?"
Grace shakes her head.
"So what do we do?"
"I have no idea," Grace sighs.
Eli wraps his arms around Grace and pulls her in.
"Well, babe, we just have to fix this, ok?"
Grace nods and lays her head on his shoulder.
"Listen, I don't know for sure if anything has happened. I could just be jumping to conclusions."
"I guess," she whispers.
"Grace, it'll be ok. I promise," he whispers and kisses her forehead.
Grace looks up at Eli and notices his determination.
B/W Grace: His strength was one of the first things I fell for.
"Eli, I really need to make love to you right now."
"Are you sure?"
"I need to feel something. I need to feel you inside me," she whispers.
Eli kisses her forehead again and pushes her hair behind her ear.
Grace looks up at Eli, kisses his mouth and gently lies down onto the bed. Eli looks at her, searching her face and pulls off his shirt. She runs her hands along his chest and pulls him towards her. Eli slowly pulls off her top and pulls down her bra straps and then undoes the back.
"I love you so much," he says as he looks into her eyes.
Grace looks back into his eyes and smiles softly.
"Make love to me, Eli."
Eli unbuckles his pants and pulls them down. He looks back into her eyes, kisses her softly and Grace finds herself filling up with relief.
