I hope you like this chapter! I think some of you may enjoy it. Thanks for
all the reviews! They mean so much. - k
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Chapter Ten
As they left the apartment building, Grace looked around for Eli's Jeep. "Where's the Wrangler?" she asked him.
Eli pointed to the large truck in front of them. "I borrowed Henry's truck for the day. I knew nothing would fit in my Jeep."
"So I guess you told your Mom that you are moving in?" Grace asked.
Eli nodded. "She was actually quite pleased that I would be living with you and not one of my old friends, like Coop. She knows that she can trust us."
Grace looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Maybe she won't feel that way after we throw our first party!" she winked.
Eli laughed. "Yeah, after all, Grace, you are such a wild child!"
They drove to the Ikea store in Schaumburg, making sure they had their list.
"This place always makes me feel overwhelmed," Grace mentioned as they walked into the large front doors.
Eli grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze. "You'll be fine!" he teased.
Grace let go of his hand and gave him a playful shove then grabbed his hand again as they began to cruise the store.
"Let's just look around first, get ideas, and then we'll begin to shop," Eli suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Could we break for lunch? I love their Swedish meatballs!"
They spent the next two hours looking at the show rooms. They agreed on similar styles, though Grace vetoed a black leather sofa that Eli suggested. When they were done, they decided to take a break for lunch. They both ate Swedish meatballs and then shared a desert.
Then, Eli and Grace started all over again, this time both pushing a cart. After sitting on all the sofas, they decided on an olive green one. Next, they found dark cherry end tables. Eli picked out a matching sofa table and coffee table, though Grace said they were unnecessary. When they looked at the television cabinets, they found one that matched the rest of the tables. Next, Eli found a black wrought iron bed that he liked and chose the queen size. He also picked out a mattress set, night stand, and a dresser. They had fun picking out curtains, plates, and glasses. Eli even bought a few decorative pieces, including some artwork for the living room, a few candles that Grace seemed to like, and a large vase that matched the color of the sofa.
**Grace - gives a guilty look. "I think he's spending too much money. What if this doesn't work out?"**
As they were checking out, it surprised Grace that they had only been gone for four hours. They really got a lot finished in the short time they were gone. Once Eli paid for everything, they packed it tightly in the truck, and returned to the apartment building. It took another thirty minutes to unload everything off the truck and into the apartment. While they still had the truck, they decided to go to Best Buy to look for a television set.
"Let me at least pay for half of it," Grace offered. She had been feeling guilty all afternoon as Eli continued to spend money. Eli just shrugged her offer off and reminded her that he would have paid for all this had he moved out on his own. They decided on a nice 32 inch television. Grace didn't really care how large it was, but Eli wanted a big one. He always bought a DVD player and a VCR. He was ready to buy a small television for his bedroom when Grace reminded him of the one at their parents' house.
Eli also decided to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for towels and bed linens. Once they found enough items, they left and drove to Home Depot. Eli wanted to buy some paint for his new bedroom. Grace had painted it a light yellow, but Eli decided to change it to a dark green to match his new comforter.
"I had no idea you were so into decorating!" Grace commented, as they drove back to the apartment.
Eli rolled his eyes. "I'm not. I just couldn't live in a buttery yellow room!" he teased back.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Back at the apartment, Grace offered to make dinner while Eli began to prime the walls of the bedroom. By the time she finished, he had already covered two walls.
They sat down and ate the angel hair pasta dish Grace had made. Eli was quite surprised at how good the meal was, as he had never had Grace prepare a meal before. He cleaned off the dishes, and then finished painting the room with Grace's help.
"I love painting," Grace commented as they were working, not taking her eyes off the wall. "It just is so relaxing. So soothing."
Eli shrugged. "I guess I never thought of it that way. A few summers ago, my Mom paid me to paint her house. After the fifth day, my whole body ached so much that I could barely climb the ladder. That wasn't so relaxing or soothing."
"I guess not. but when you just paint one room, it can be," Grace said, quietly.
They continued in silence, until Eli got an idea. He dipped his roller in the paint tray, pulled it up, walked over to Grace, and rolled the back of her old T-shirt.
"What are you doing?" she yelled. Then, she grabbed her brush and pulled it across Eli's smirking face, surprising him.
"This is war, Manning!" he called. He ran after her and rolled the brush over her face. While trying to get away from him, Grace stepped onto the paint tray, paint saturating her entire sock. She quickly peeled it off and continued to chase Eli with her brush and her freshly painted sock.
"See what you made me do?" she asked him, throwing the sock at his face.
"I didn't make you do anything. I can't help it you're such a klutz!" he teased, meanwhile stepping into the paint tray himself.
Grace snickered at him. As he bent down to take off his sock, she tackled him. Lying on top of him, she held the paint brush just inches from his face.
**Eli - "She's on top of me. She's so close. We are having such a good time!"**
**Grace - gives an evil smile, then stops, thinking. Then, she gives a normal smile.**
She drew her face closer to Eli's. By now, they had both stopped laughing and the air was permeated by their silence. Eli had to make himself breathe, his heart racing a mile a minute. He couldn't believe Grace was this close to him.
**Grace - "I can't believe I'm going to."**
She drew even closer so their noses were touching. Eli's eyes looked so intently into hers, making her heart beat faster and faster. She closed her eyes and softly brought her lips to his. Eli's eyes closed as he returned her kiss, equally as soft.
**Grace - pulls her head up from her hands, shaking it. "I have wanted to do this since my freshmen year of high school. I had such a crush on Eli. But now? I hadn't thought of him as anything but my step-brother since. well. since Augustus. But this. it feels so nice. what took us so long?"**
Eli carefully rolled over so that he was on top, making sure they never parted lips. Grace felt his body press against hers, wrapping her arms around him. Eli parted his lips slowly, his tongue licking Grace's lips. Her mouth automatically opened a little and soon, his tongue was caressing hers, ever so lightly. Finally, Grace pulled her face away as the phone began to ring.
"I. better answer that," she responded, breathlessly. Eli gently rolled off her, sitting up on the floor.
**Eli - "That was amazing. Everything I imagined these last years. It was better than I imagined, actually. It was wonderful!"**
Millions of thoughts raced through Grace's head while she ran to the telephone. After the third ring, she picked it up, just before the answering machine picked up.
"Hello?"
"Grace? Is that you?"
"Yes," she responded, looking directly at Eli, smiling. He smiled back at her.
"Hey - it's Spencer."
"Oh, hi Spencer. I got your message yesterday. I was going to call you tonight," she responded, quickly turning away from Eli, unable to see his face suddenly had changed expressions to a hurt frown.
"I wasn't sure if you received it or not, so I decided to try again. So, what do you think?"
"About?" she asked, not remembering the message at all now. Her heart was still beating in a steady staccato, her lips warm.
"Going out with me. Catching up," Spencer responded.
"Oh. right. Yeah, we could go out for coffee sometime," she attempted to say, quietly so Eli wouldn't hear her. He did, however. He stood up and walked out into the living room, deciding to give Grace some privacy for her phone call. He softly closed the door behind him.
**Eli - "It was going so well. until she got that call."**
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Coming Soon to Perspective
Eli followed Grace's gaze and saw Spencer sitting. "Grace, don't worry about it. I don't hate you. I hope you don't hate me for being so immature. Go have fun with Spencer," he commented, turning back to his computer.
"What about last night?" she asked, softly, looking down at her hands.
"What about last night? We were caught in a moment. It could have happened with anyone. It just happened between us," he said.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Chapter Ten
As they left the apartment building, Grace looked around for Eli's Jeep. "Where's the Wrangler?" she asked him.
Eli pointed to the large truck in front of them. "I borrowed Henry's truck for the day. I knew nothing would fit in my Jeep."
"So I guess you told your Mom that you are moving in?" Grace asked.
Eli nodded. "She was actually quite pleased that I would be living with you and not one of my old friends, like Coop. She knows that she can trust us."
Grace looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Maybe she won't feel that way after we throw our first party!" she winked.
Eli laughed. "Yeah, after all, Grace, you are such a wild child!"
They drove to the Ikea store in Schaumburg, making sure they had their list.
"This place always makes me feel overwhelmed," Grace mentioned as they walked into the large front doors.
Eli grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze. "You'll be fine!" he teased.
Grace let go of his hand and gave him a playful shove then grabbed his hand again as they began to cruise the store.
"Let's just look around first, get ideas, and then we'll begin to shop," Eli suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Could we break for lunch? I love their Swedish meatballs!"
They spent the next two hours looking at the show rooms. They agreed on similar styles, though Grace vetoed a black leather sofa that Eli suggested. When they were done, they decided to take a break for lunch. They both ate Swedish meatballs and then shared a desert.
Then, Eli and Grace started all over again, this time both pushing a cart. After sitting on all the sofas, they decided on an olive green one. Next, they found dark cherry end tables. Eli picked out a matching sofa table and coffee table, though Grace said they were unnecessary. When they looked at the television cabinets, they found one that matched the rest of the tables. Next, Eli found a black wrought iron bed that he liked and chose the queen size. He also picked out a mattress set, night stand, and a dresser. They had fun picking out curtains, plates, and glasses. Eli even bought a few decorative pieces, including some artwork for the living room, a few candles that Grace seemed to like, and a large vase that matched the color of the sofa.
**Grace - gives a guilty look. "I think he's spending too much money. What if this doesn't work out?"**
As they were checking out, it surprised Grace that they had only been gone for four hours. They really got a lot finished in the short time they were gone. Once Eli paid for everything, they packed it tightly in the truck, and returned to the apartment building. It took another thirty minutes to unload everything off the truck and into the apartment. While they still had the truck, they decided to go to Best Buy to look for a television set.
"Let me at least pay for half of it," Grace offered. She had been feeling guilty all afternoon as Eli continued to spend money. Eli just shrugged her offer off and reminded her that he would have paid for all this had he moved out on his own. They decided on a nice 32 inch television. Grace didn't really care how large it was, but Eli wanted a big one. He always bought a DVD player and a VCR. He was ready to buy a small television for his bedroom when Grace reminded him of the one at their parents' house.
Eli also decided to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for towels and bed linens. Once they found enough items, they left and drove to Home Depot. Eli wanted to buy some paint for his new bedroom. Grace had painted it a light yellow, but Eli decided to change it to a dark green to match his new comforter.
"I had no idea you were so into decorating!" Grace commented, as they drove back to the apartment.
Eli rolled his eyes. "I'm not. I just couldn't live in a buttery yellow room!" he teased back.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Back at the apartment, Grace offered to make dinner while Eli began to prime the walls of the bedroom. By the time she finished, he had already covered two walls.
They sat down and ate the angel hair pasta dish Grace had made. Eli was quite surprised at how good the meal was, as he had never had Grace prepare a meal before. He cleaned off the dishes, and then finished painting the room with Grace's help.
"I love painting," Grace commented as they were working, not taking her eyes off the wall. "It just is so relaxing. So soothing."
Eli shrugged. "I guess I never thought of it that way. A few summers ago, my Mom paid me to paint her house. After the fifth day, my whole body ached so much that I could barely climb the ladder. That wasn't so relaxing or soothing."
"I guess not. but when you just paint one room, it can be," Grace said, quietly.
They continued in silence, until Eli got an idea. He dipped his roller in the paint tray, pulled it up, walked over to Grace, and rolled the back of her old T-shirt.
"What are you doing?" she yelled. Then, she grabbed her brush and pulled it across Eli's smirking face, surprising him.
"This is war, Manning!" he called. He ran after her and rolled the brush over her face. While trying to get away from him, Grace stepped onto the paint tray, paint saturating her entire sock. She quickly peeled it off and continued to chase Eli with her brush and her freshly painted sock.
"See what you made me do?" she asked him, throwing the sock at his face.
"I didn't make you do anything. I can't help it you're such a klutz!" he teased, meanwhile stepping into the paint tray himself.
Grace snickered at him. As he bent down to take off his sock, she tackled him. Lying on top of him, she held the paint brush just inches from his face.
**Eli - "She's on top of me. She's so close. We are having such a good time!"**
**Grace - gives an evil smile, then stops, thinking. Then, she gives a normal smile.**
She drew her face closer to Eli's. By now, they had both stopped laughing and the air was permeated by their silence. Eli had to make himself breathe, his heart racing a mile a minute. He couldn't believe Grace was this close to him.
**Grace - "I can't believe I'm going to."**
She drew even closer so their noses were touching. Eli's eyes looked so intently into hers, making her heart beat faster and faster. She closed her eyes and softly brought her lips to his. Eli's eyes closed as he returned her kiss, equally as soft.
**Grace - pulls her head up from her hands, shaking it. "I have wanted to do this since my freshmen year of high school. I had such a crush on Eli. But now? I hadn't thought of him as anything but my step-brother since. well. since Augustus. But this. it feels so nice. what took us so long?"**
Eli carefully rolled over so that he was on top, making sure they never parted lips. Grace felt his body press against hers, wrapping her arms around him. Eli parted his lips slowly, his tongue licking Grace's lips. Her mouth automatically opened a little and soon, his tongue was caressing hers, ever so lightly. Finally, Grace pulled her face away as the phone began to ring.
"I. better answer that," she responded, breathlessly. Eli gently rolled off her, sitting up on the floor.
**Eli - "That was amazing. Everything I imagined these last years. It was better than I imagined, actually. It was wonderful!"**
Millions of thoughts raced through Grace's head while she ran to the telephone. After the third ring, she picked it up, just before the answering machine picked up.
"Hello?"
"Grace? Is that you?"
"Yes," she responded, looking directly at Eli, smiling. He smiled back at her.
"Hey - it's Spencer."
"Oh, hi Spencer. I got your message yesterday. I was going to call you tonight," she responded, quickly turning away from Eli, unable to see his face suddenly had changed expressions to a hurt frown.
"I wasn't sure if you received it or not, so I decided to try again. So, what do you think?"
"About?" she asked, not remembering the message at all now. Her heart was still beating in a steady staccato, her lips warm.
"Going out with me. Catching up," Spencer responded.
"Oh. right. Yeah, we could go out for coffee sometime," she attempted to say, quietly so Eli wouldn't hear her. He did, however. He stood up and walked out into the living room, deciding to give Grace some privacy for her phone call. He softly closed the door behind him.
**Eli - "It was going so well. until she got that call."**
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Coming Soon to Perspective
Eli followed Grace's gaze and saw Spencer sitting. "Grace, don't worry about it. I don't hate you. I hope you don't hate me for being so immature. Go have fun with Spencer," he commented, turning back to his computer.
"What about last night?" she asked, softly, looking down at her hands.
"What about last night? We were caught in a moment. It could have happened with anyone. It just happened between us," he said.