The room was basically spotless and silent. Dan sat on the couch reading a book, television turned off and legs crossed. The air smelled lightly of the clean linen scented air freshener. Barry stepped in and glanced around to see if everything was really in place. Grace followed behind him. "Hi, Dan," she greeted as Barry moved behind her to shut the door.
He lifted his eyebrows as he turned his head to her. "Oh, hey," he smiled setting the novel on his lap for a moment to wave. She moved to the couch cushion next to him.
"What are you reading?"
"Oh… uh…" he stuttered, as he didn't actually know, since he had literally taken it off of a shelf and opened it so he'd look really impressive when she walked in, so he flipped to the title page, "Oh! Uh, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by… the 14th Dalai Lama."
She cocked one eyebrow at him before asking, "You're into philosophy and the Dalai Lama?" she tried to hide a smirk.
"Oh… yeah, I'm so into philosophy, I mean, it's basically my life. I read philosophical stuff all the time," he lied, "It's super-hot." She gave him a look that asked him if he was being serious. Barry cleared his throat with a very disbelieving cough. "Uh, okay, I literally picked this book up thirteen seconds before you walked through the door and thought that it would make me look like a better person if I was reading a book." The three of them began to laugh and Barry turned on the television.
"What kinds of stuff do you like to watch, Grace?" he asked, pressing the guide button on the remote control. He handed her the remote and she held it like it was a foreign piece of machinery.
"Oh, uh, I dunno. I watch a lot of movies and stuff, and I like crime shows, and some of the fashion stuff on TLC, but not that drama shit like the Krap-dashians. I'm not big into keeping up with celebrities, I guess. Ironically, though, I really like Law and Order: SVU, even the episodes dealing with child abuse. I guess because in most of the episodes, some kind of justice is given," Grace answered, before passing the remote to Dan.
"Do you watch Game of Thrones?" Dan asked, scrolling through the channels.
Grace glanced at him with a look of embarrassment. "Please, don't hate me, but I've never seen anything from Game of Thrones."
Danny and Barry both dropped their jaws. "Not a single episode?" Dan asked, surprised that anyone could have ever gone without seeing anything, not even a spoiler, from Game of Thrones. The girl just shook her head silently before the tall man jumped up and went to his cabinet full of DVDs. "We can start on the first season right now, if you want?" His voice was eager and his eyes were wide.
"Uh, s-sure, I guess. I mean, if I'm going to invest in something, then it should be something that you guys know a lot about, right? But I must warn you, Dan, if I'm not 100% into, you have to promise not to get onto me about it," she said. He agreed and placed the first disc into the DVD player and they sat on the couch and began to watch the first episode.
About ten minutes in, Barry stood up quietly and gave a little stretch before turning to Dan and Grace. "You guys want some popcorn? Or a drink?" he asked.
"Yeah, you want me to pause it?" Dan asked, holding up the remote. Barry shook his head. "Oh, okay, I'll get a coke. What about you, Grace?"
"A coke and popcorn sounds good, actually," she smiled as she stared at the television screen. Barry returned within a few minutes and they enjoyed the episode with the yummy snacks and drinks. Barry also worked on his laptop while he watched; Grace assumed that he was working on uploading or editing or something. Before they knew it, the bowls and cans were empty and they were halfway done with the first season.
Dan glanced at his phone. "Dude, what time is the movie?"
"It starts at 7:00. Why?" Barry responded, pulling his tired eyes away from the images flashing across the screen.
"It's 6:15 right now. We'd better go if we're gonna get there and get tickets and everything." Dan stood to his feet, stretching and making himself even larger than he already was. It took all that was within Grace not to stare at how tall he was. "You good, Grace?" he smirked. He could tell that her emotions had been toyed with. Watching the first five episodes wasn't enough, and she would need more.
"Y-yeah… I'm… uh, f-fine," she muttered, still trying to understand everything that had happened in the entire first half of the first season of the show. He chuckled and offered her a hand to help get off of the couch. She took it and he pulled her up off the sofa, laughing at her confused and dazed expression. "I… I just… wh-… what?" She walked to the door mumbling as she situated her purse on her hip.
"You driving, or me, Bar?" Dan inquired, shutting and locking the door behind him and hurrying down the stairs.
"I'll drive," responded the bearded man, "since my car is just at the bottom of the steps anyways. Grace, do you wanna sit up front?"
"Uh, not if Dan wants to sit there," she said shyly.
"Nah," Dan spoke, "You should sit up front. You're the guest."
"Oh, uh, okay." The girl opened the passenger side door and slipped in, "Uh, how do I move the seat forward? I'm sure Dan needs more leg room than I do."
Dan reached to the bottom of the seat near Grace's calves and hit a lever. "Move up as much as you're comfortable with," he smiled as he held it in place so she could adjust the seat. She moved forward so her knees were about two inches from the dashboard, giving Danny a significantly larger amount of room in the backseat. "You sure you got enough room?" he asked. She nodded, slipping her purse between her feet on the floorboard. "Alright, then," he shut the door carefully and scooted in behind her.
"So, what is this movie again?" Grace inquired quietly as Barry turned on the car.
"It's called 'Salvation Runner' and it has Liam Neeson in it," Dan chimed in.
"Oh, I knew that much," she turned and gave a little grin to Dan, "Barry told me that over the phone. I was looking more for a bit of what it was about."
"A guy named Hosea is some kind of ex-agent or something or retiree and finds out that a bunch of American innocents are being kidnapped and murdered so he comes out of retirement to help figure out what's going on and stuff," Barry explained, "I think the movie gets its name from the name of the plan or something, like, 'Plan Salvation Runner is a go' or something."
"Oh," the girl nodded. They made light conversation as they drove to the theater. They got there at 6:45 and approached the ticket booth where a small line was formed. Grace opened up her purse and reached in to grab her wallet. After several seconds of searching, she decided that she should probably look for it rather than just feeling around for it. She dug around in her bag for it, exploring the contents of her purse.
She made a small sound in the back of her throat. Dan looked down at her and turned around from his spot in front of her in line. "You okay, Grace?"
"Uh, I…" she muttered, feeling the anxiety rising inside of her veins and chest, "I can't find my wallet." She continued to check the pockets that she never used and Dan helped her hold it so that she could see better into the bag. "It's not here," she tried to hold back hot tears. She suddenly remembered the image of her wallet sitting on the kitchen table where the groceries and stuff had been, "It… must be on the kitchen table. I put it there when we unloaded earlier."
"Hey," Dan responded calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "don't worry about it. I'll pay for your ticket."
Barry popped into the conversation, "And I'll get us some popcorn that we can share and I'll pay for your drink."
Grace wanted to say, "Absolutely not," but how could she? She was already at the theater. Was she gonna sit in the car while they saw a movie? She certainly wasn't going to make them take her home. So she just mumbled a soft, "Okay, th-thanks." She looked down at the pavement as they moved forward in line.
Danny and Barry both grinned much wider than she thought they should have, and Dan was almost too proud when he said, "Two adults for Salvation Runner, please." He handed her the ticket gently as they walked into the building. They were greeted by Arin and Suzy, already holding their popcorn and drinks.
"Ross and Holly are already in the theater," Arin smiled, "Glad to see that you could make it, Gracie. We're gonna go ahead and sit down. It's Theater 7, fifth row from the back. We just wanted to wait until you guys got here before we went in."
"Why don't you go ahead," Barry suggested to Grace, "I'll buy us popcorn and drinks and bring it in. What do you like, and do you want some candy?"
"Uh, no candy, and just a regular Coca-Cola will be great, thanks," she said as Suzy linked arms with her and pulled her along.
"I'm really happy that you got to come! I was kind of afraid we had weirded you out too much last night," Suzy said.
"Sometimes we have that effect on people," Arin coughed and laughed simultaneously. They made their way into the theater where the still-screen commercials were playing along with the radio music. The theater wasn't as packed as Grace had expected, but it certainly wasn't empty. Ross was sitting about three seats off-center, with a woman with short hair to his left. Suzy plopped down next to her, and Grace assumed that Arin would want to sit next to his wife, so she sat one seat away from Arin's left. "Do I smell that bad?" he teased.
"Oh, no, I was just, uh, leaving room for Dan or Barry to sit next to you," she stammered. She pulled her purse off of her shoulder and wedged it between her hip and the armrest.
"That's thoughtful," he acknowledged.
Suzy stood up, "Grace, do you wanna go to the restroom with me and Holly before the movie starts?" The nervous girl nodded and the trio made their way to the bathrooms. "By the way, this is Holly, since you guys haven't formally met yet." The two blonde women shook hands and greeted each other.
"I'm Grace. It's really nice to meet you."
"You, too," Holly responded, "We heard that you spent the day with Dan. Did you have fun? What all did you guys get to do?"
"Oh," Grace glanced away, "he just helped me go grocery shopping, that's all."
"And you got to hang out with Barry for a little while, too, right?" Suzy asked.
Grace's tense feeling eased a little at the mention of Barry. "Yeah… he's great. He's really someone that I can just open up to and stuff. I feel like I could just go hug him at any point and he'd totally be okay with that." A smile spread across her face as she opened the door to the bathroom. Suzy and Holly looked at each other with doubtful apprehension. They each took a stall and did their business quietly.
"I'm not so sure about that," Suzy laughed as she exited the stall, Holly already at the sinks scrubbing her hands and Grace coming out right after her.
"What do you mean?" Grace inquired, wringing her soapy hands beneath the warm water.
"I don't think Barry would hug back if you hugged him, because he doesn't know you well enough yet," Suzy admitted, with a sweet tone, "He's just… I dunno, pretty shy, I guess. But I'd imagine you're that way too."
Suzy felt like she'd offended her new friend, but Grace wasn't offended. She felt challenged. "I bet he would," she responded, a small and demure smirk showing in the mirror with one eyebrow rising. Suzy grinned.
"So we're betting?" Suzy finished washing her hands.
"Only if you think it's worth it," Grace smiled, shutting off the sink and reaching for a paper towel.
"What are the stakes?"
"Uh," a frown replaced the grin on Grace's face. She had left her wallet at home, so she certainly couldn't bet money; she didn't even want to think about owing someone else money after owing Dan and Barry tonight. Then she got an idea. "Blindfold makeup tag. First video we do together will be the blindfold makeup tag that's been going around, and if I win, then I get to be blindfolded and make you up, but if you win then you get to make me up. Sound good?"
Suzy nodded. "Limitations?"
"He has to willingly put an arm around me. If it's super awkwardly coerced, it doesn't count. It has to be by his own doing. It can be a side arm or a front or a back or whatever direction, it just has to be willing and not forced. None of the guys can know about it. Does that sound fair?" Another nod from the half-blonde, half-brunette was seen before they both turned to Holly to confirm that all of these were okay. She was the witness and she had to agree to all the terms.
"Sounds good to me. How long do you have?" the short haired girl wondered.
"Until you leave my house tonight, since we're probably going there afterwards," Suzy said quickly. Grace concurred and they made their way back to their seats just as the lights started to dim. Barry was on Grace's left and Danny was on her right.
"You all settled?" Dan whispered into her ear. She nodded, and he pointed to her right armrest, "This drink is mine. The one on your left is yours."
Barry leaned towards her as the previews began. "Just let me know if you want some popcorn, okay? It's only moderately salted and buttered. I didn't really know what you like."
"Thanks," she said softly before smiling. She sat back in her seat, feeling safe between two friends. That was weird for her to think about. She was seeing a movie with friends. She hadn't had friends in a long time. As she watched the movie, she reached over and grabbed some popcorn. She really enjoyed the film, although she probably would have never gone to see it on her own.
She appreciated the mercy that everyone had on her during the film. The first time she leaned over to ask a question, she was nervous that Dan was the kind of person that didn't like for movies to be interrupted, but she really wanted to get the most out of the movie, so she took a chance. "What did he just say?" she muttered, after a character with a heavy accent finished ordering someone around.
"He just told them to bring all the captives into one room, I think," Dan whispered.
"Oh, okay, sorry," she responded in a hushed tone.
"It's not a problem," he smiled, "It is kinda hard to understand them."
The credits began to roll around two hours later (after a mesmerizing cliff hanger), and Grace began to gather her stuff, but none of the rest of the group moved despite the fact that everyone else in the theater was beginning to leave. "Uh, are… we not going to go?" Grace leaned over to whisper to Danny.
"Oh, we're waiting. I think Arin or Ross said something about there being something during the middle of the credits. Something about the next movie," he responded, "Did you like it?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I didn't really think I would, but it was a lot better than I expected it to be. The storyline was really immersive. I honestly can't wait to see the next one."
All of a sudden, the oval office carpet appeared on screen and all was silent in the theater again. The camera panned up to a secret service agent looking at the back of a presidential-looking chair. "Sir, Hosea Darter is now officially on the missing persons list. Almost everyone who was kidnapped by the supposed terrorists was rescued by him, except the ones who were killed prior to his arrival. It is presumed he is dead, since last he was seen he was shot in the left shoulder and left to die in the Pacific Ocean. The body has not been recovered. What should be done, sir?"
The chair turned to reveal the President of the United States in the chair, which was no surprise. "I want you to either find his goddamn body, or you find Darter and kill him," the words came out as a hiss of the President's mouth and the camera zoomed on him scratching his wrist, where an insignia was branded – the same one that had been used to identify the terrorist group in this film, before it flashed quickly to black. The credits continued and the group all had wide eyes and mouths. Everyone stood up and quietly filed out of the theater, throwing away their trash as they did. They walked out to the lobby, talking about their favorite parts of the movie.
"So, are we heading to our house now?" Arin asked, snaking an arm around his wife's hip, pulling her into his side. She nuzzled herself into his side. Grace smiled at how precious they were together and how absolutely obvious it was that they were in love.
"That's the plan, I believe," Holly spoke up, as Ross rested his chin on her shoulder, a sleepy grin spread across his face.
"Okay, then," Suzy smiled, glancing at Grace, a touch of mischief flashing in her eyes, "We'll see you guys there." They all began to walk out to the parking lot and separated to their cars. Grace slipped into the passenger side of the vehicle.
"So, what did you think, Miss Housley?" Barry grinned expectantly as he buckled himself into the driver's side of the car.
"It was great. I am really glad you guys convinced me to see it. I wouldn't have ever gone to see it on my own, but it was definitely worth it," she looked back at Dan as he clicked his seatbelt into place, "And I'll make sure to pay you guys back as soon as I get home."
Dan made eye contact with her that expressed confusion. "What?" he asked.
"You guys paid for my ticket and food and stuff, so I'll pay you back as soon as I get back to my house," she replied, glancing away from his eyes. Barry cranked the vehicle and began to drive down the road and Dan scoffed.
"Don't worry about paying us back," he laughed. "Just think of this as your… uh… 'Welcome to the Family' gift."
"No, absolutely not," she refused, "You guys have already done too much for me. I couldn't possibly let myself be monetarily indebted to you."
"We're definitely not going to accept any money from you," Barry interjected with a smile, "If you think you can be stubborn about it, you haven't seen Dan and Suzy." A smirk spread over Danny's face in the backseat. He knew that he was incredibly hard-headed, but Suzy had him beat in every definition of the word. There was no way that Suzy would let Grace pay them back. He pulled out his cell phone and texted Suzy, letting her know about the situation.
"We paid for Grace's ticket. She wants to pay us back. Not gonna let her." He typed.
"You'd better not let her," was her threatening reply moments later. His smirk grew as his assumptions were confirmed. He glanced down at the floorboard and noticed a familiar CD case lying near his feet. He picked it up silently, recognizing that it was his extra Skyhill CD. He opened it, to make sure the disc was actually in the case, then placed it on the seat next to him. He was determined to somehow slip it into her purse or something, knowing she wouldn't accept it if he tried to give it to her now.
They pulled into Suzy and Arin's driveway after a quiet car ride. They were the last ones to arrive at the house, so they made their way inside quickly, where games were already being set up and played. Ross, Holly, Arin, and Suzy were all in the game room on the main couch preparing to play some kind of battle game. Dan sat in a chair to the right of the couch, and Barry and Grace sat down on the loveseat that was on the left of the couch. Barry pulled out his phone, and Grace saw this as a great opportunity. She curled up next to him and gently rested her cheek on his shoulder so she could watch and see what he was doing on his phone.
He turned towards her for a moment, giving a skeptical glance, and for a moment Grace believed that Suzy may have been right. Then Barry lifted his arm and put it lightly around her shoulder. She made eye contact with the hostess, who was wide-eyed. She squinted and glared at her new friend before returning her attention to the game.
Grace smiled at her success as Barry began to show her pictures from a fairly recent escapade to Disneyland and one of the Cons that they had gone to. She settled into his side, feeling incredibly platonic as she asked questions about certain images, like who certain people where, or why they were making a pose or face.
The 28-year-old woman did not notice the tall man seething across the room from her. He watched as his roommate smiled and laughed and explained the images on the phone to the pretty girl sitting next to him, his arm lightly resting around her shoulders. Did he even know what she had been through? He scowled at the two on the loveseat silently as the four on the couch yelled and giggled as they played the game.
Holly glanced over at Dan and saw that he looked agitated. He was trying pretty hard to hide it, but she was much too skilled at reading people. Once they finished the current round, she put the controller on the arm of the couch. "I think I'm done for now. Dan, do you want to take my place?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at the older man to her right.
His eyes shifted from Barry and Grace to Holly. "No," he stated with a very irritated tone, before relaxing a little and standing up, "I… think I'm going to go make myself some coffee."
"I think I'll have some too," she replied, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him into the kitchen, "Just play without me for a few minutes, guys."
As soon as they were in the kitchen, Dan yanked his arm away from her grasp. "Let go of me," he hissed as he turned to grab mugs out of the cabinet.
"What's got you so upset?" Holly prodded, determined to know why his mood had suddenly changed from happy to irritated.
"Nothing, now leave me alone," grumbled the tall man, getting the coffee grounds out of the pantry as the shorter lady grabbed a filter and filled the machine with water.
"Come on, Dan. You and I both know that something is bothering you, and I'm not letting you go back in there until you tell me what it is."
He turned, showing a hurt look on his face. This surprised Holly, but she continued to look at him in order to receive his answer. "Grace," he whispered. Holly was confused. Dan's brows furrowed in anger, "She's been through a ton of shit. And Barry's just putting an arm around her like it's not a big fucking deal. She's been hurt. I don't want her to get hurt by any of us, whether on accident or not."
Holly stood there for a moment, her eyes wide. "First of all," she spoke, "You're the one who's making this a bigger deal than this needs to be. In fact, someone sounds… jealous." She grinned and wriggled her eyebrows.
Dan's jaw tightened. "What is the second goddamned thing?" he snarled.
"Second," she continued, more solemnity coming over her face as she looked around to make sure no one was around. She leaned in closer to Danny and lowered her voice, "Suzy and Grace made a bet about Barry hugging Grace… and Grace just won. But you're not supposed to know… so hush-hush."
"Wait, what?" Dan responded, quite loudly before Holly slapped her hands over his mouth.
"What part of 'hush-hush' do you not fucking understand?" She then proceeded to explain the bet and Dan was able to calm down as they made the coffee.
Back in the game room, Grace was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. They were taking a long time to make the coffee, but she didn't say anything. She just sat back quietly switching her attention from the game to Barry's phone, relaxing on her friend. When they finally returned, Dan was smiling again, not like the frown he'd had when he left the room. He had his coffee and sat on the other side of Grace, taking up the rest of the loveseat.
"Did you want some coffee, Grace?" he asked, carefully setting his mug on the nearby side table. She gently pulled herself out of her friend's arm and smiled.
"No, but thanks for asking, Dan," she returned appreciatively.
"FUCK!" Arin screamed after losing yet another round. Grace tried to hold back a smile as he used humor to exaggerate his rage. "OF COURSE THE FUCKING THING DID THE THING WHEN I WAS NEXT TO THE THING! JESUS CHRIST." He glanced over at the loveseat. "Any of you guys wanna take my place?" No one answered. "Come on, Gracie," he suggested, "We need to see how good at gaming you are!"
"Oh," she coughed nervously, "Uhm, I don't think I'll do very well, but I guess I'll try." She took Arin's controller and they switched seats. "What is this game called?" Grace inquired.
"Super Smash Brothers Brawl," answered Ross, "You can choose any character you want, each one has different abilities, and there are items, blah blah blah. Choose and let's go!"
"Goddamnit, Ross," Holly exclaimed, "Let her at least know how to play. You're gonna be battling the four of us. Items can be used against different players. Different buttons do different things." She explained to the new girl which buttons to press in order to fight. Grace decided that she would be Princess Peach. They chose a level and the battle began.
Each player had four lives. Grace quickly discovered that the more damage one collected, the more 'sensitive' his or her character became to the hits they received. Somehow, Grace managed to come in third (above Ross, who Suzy and Holly took care of immediately).
"Not bad, Housley," Suzy grinned, nudging the blonde with her elbow, "Let's play another round." This time, Grace came in second, getting beaten by Ross, because she fell for his shenanigans as Kirby. Despite how fun she thought the game was, she handed off the controller to Barry. Arin scooted to take Barry's spot so Grace could reclaim her place on the loveseat.
Dan stood up. "I'm going to get some more coffee. You sure you don't want some, Grace?" he asked, his mug in hand.
She grinned, "I'd like some coffee. Can you actually handle making my coffee?"
"Of course I remember how fucking racist you are against black coffee," he teased.
"I've gotta watch to make sure," she got up with a smirk and followed him to the kitchen. Dan placed the mug he had been using on the island counter before moving to the cabinet to grab a clean mug for his friend.
"You make mine, I'll make yours?" he proposed. She nodded. Grace carefully took the coffee pot and poured it into Dan's mug. Dan poured the creamer into the mug, watching it carefully to make sure that it didn't go more than one fourth of the way. "One fourth, right?" he asked. She simply smiled and gave him the 'zip-my-lips' motion. "You're not going to tell me?!" She shook her head. "I think one fourth was right. Jesus." Then he poured four packs of sugar into the mug as well and stirred meticulously before cautiously handing the drink to her.
She passed his coffee to him and gave a big grin before blowing gently across the top, sending steam towards Dan. She took a sip and he looked at her expectantly. "Hmmm…" she murmured, "Good job, Avidan. It actually is pretty good."
"Just… don't drop it," he muttered, as a flash of sympathy across his eyes. He looked away as he took a sip of his simple coffee.
"I won't. I promise," she said, before placing a hand on his arm. She grasped the handle tightly. "Just don't be an idiot and bash your head against the cabinet." A grin spread across her face as she drank out of the cup.
"Yeah, don't you worry, my Jew Fro works as a helmet and protects my skull from major brain damage and shit like that," he joked, making the girl giggle. "And NOTHING can tame the MIGHTY JEW FRO!" he yelled.
"What kind of product do you use on it?" Grace laughed as she set her coffee on the counter. She was tempted to reach out touch his hair, but she decided against it.
"I just use random shit. Nothing works though. No conditioner has been able to hydrate my hair. It's just too dry," he shrugged.
"You've gotta let me experiment on it one day. I have some hair oils at my house. My aunt used to be the owner of a salon. I bet I could get it super healthy!" Grace's jade eyes sparkled like a gem.
"Okay, we'll see about that," Danny chuckled, "So, I was thinking, Bar and I have to be here at 10am tomorrow morning, so do you want us to just pick you up at 9:30 so you can be here work with Suzy? That way you wouldn't have to drive. If we carpool, we could all save gas. Next week, you can drive us. We can alternate or something, if that's okay with you."
Grace picked up her coffee again and sipped more out of it now that it was a bit cooler. "That sounds great," she answered, the mug still hovering at her lips. She took another gulp as Dan did the same.
"Awesome, I'll let Barry know tonight," Dan looked down at the girl. It was weird. He was in almost the same exact spot he had been in the night before, but the situation was entirely different. He knew about this girl now. He honestly couldn't believe how much he'd gotten to know her in the past day.
Her outfit today contrasted vastly from what she was wearing the previous night. Instead of a feminine floral skirt, she was wearing the same dark ripped up jeans she had worn to the grocery store. A black belt with silver circles for the holes separated the pants from the black Crazy Town shirt she was wearing, which was only similar to the pink top she had been wearing the night before in that it was pretty fitted.
"Uh… Dan?"
He heard his name and realized that he was staring. "What?" His face turned a light shade of pink.
"I was… uh… just asking if you were okay earlier. You just seemed a little… off," the blonde girl bit her lip before taking another mouthful of the hot liquid.
Embarrassment flushed over his face. He took a big slurp of his coffee and gulped it down, which he immediately regretted. "Shit," he gasped, "Uh..." He coughed into his fist.
"Are you okay?" She inquired with concern.
"Yeah," he choked, "Uh…" He finally got himself together. "I… was… uh…" he stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. Absolutely nothing came to his mind. Damn ex-stoner brain, he thought. Finally, he sighed and just told the truth, "Honestly, I was just mad that Barry was so close to you. I just know that you've been hurt in the past, and I don't want you to get hurt by anyone here, whether intentionally or not."
Surprisingly, Grace chuckled at this. He cocked his head at her, wondering why she was amused over something serious. "You do realize," she smiled, "That you've had your hands and arms on and around me more than anyone else here. First, when I dropped the mug, then in the car, then today at the store, and then when I was putting the groceries away."
Dan scrunched his mouth to one corner of his face. "Oh… fuck…" he mumbled in realization.
Grace pursed her lips. "You're funny, you know that?" she said, finishing up her drink before placing the mug in the sink.
He gave the young woman a half smile. Suzy came through the door unexpectedly with a smile on her face. "Grace, I have your outfit from yesterday all clean, if you want to come get it. Not a stain on it!"
"Oh, okay," the blonde responded, "I'll be back in a few minutes." She scampered out of the room behind the dark-headed hostess. Just moments after they walked out, Arin and Barry walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, Dan," Arin grinned and had a tone that only meant mischief, "What were you guys doing in here? Making coffee?" The innuendo slipped smoothly from his mouth. Barry quickly found something else to do.
"Shut the fuck up, dick," Dan immediately snapped.
Arin smirked and continued, "Come on, Dan. It doesn't take that long to make coffee. Grace is a cutie. 'You know how I feel about long blonde hair.' Weren't those your exact words? Wasn't that what he said, Bar?"
Barry had a frightened look on his face as he occupied himself with the dishes. "I-I'm staying out of this," he said quietly.
"Fuck off, Arin. Just because I think a girl is attractive doesn't mean I'm gonna make a move on her. We've only known each other for two days," Dan was snarling and spitting his words.
Arin was enjoying egging him on way too much. "Oh, come on, Dan. You've spent basically the entire day with her. I saw how pissed you were in there earlier."
Dan was fixing to take a swing at his aggravator, when Grace and Suzy returned to the kitchen. "Oh, Barry, you don't have to do those," Suzy exclaimed, "I was going to wait until it got a little more piled up."
"Oh, it's fine," he muttered with a smile. Holly and Ross joined everyone in the kitchen, announcing that they were exhausted and ready to leave. Everyone told the couple goodbye, and Barry suggested that it might be time for the three of them to head off as well. Grace hugged Suzy and Arin, and the boys said goodbye to the married couple, though the blonde thought that she saw Danny glare and scowl at Arin before walking out the door.
They got into the car and drove off. "Thanks, guys," Grace whispered.
"For what?" Barry and Dan asked simultaneously.
"Just… a really great weekend. I haven't had this much fun in a long time… since my aunt…" her sentence trailed off. Dan placed a gentle hand on her left shoulder in order to comfort her.
"We're really glad that we've gotten to know you, Grace," Barry said, as kept his eyes on the road. Dan noticed Grace's purse sitting in between her and Barry. It was easily accessible from where he was. He grabbed the Skyhill CD and silently slipped it in the side pocket.
"It's been a long time since I've actually had friends. God, I've actually opened up more to you guys in the past 48 hours than I have in the past ten years to anyone my own age," she admitted, "I just really appreciate you guys being so… I dunno, open to me? I'm sorry if that sounds dumb."
"It's not dumb," Dan responded. "It's pretty rad. And we're definitely super-happy to be considered your friends. You know who to call if you need anything."
It was too dark for either of the guys to see the huge smile on Grace's face. She couldn't believe how much she had lucked out. She clutched her clothes in her lap as they pulled onto her street. She felt a sense of sorrow – she didn't want to leave these guys.
Barry parked the car. "I'll walk you to the door!" Danny exclaimed quickly, jumping out of the car and opening Grace's door for her. "Stay here, Bar, I'll be right back," he said, almost sternly. Grace shut her door and the two walked to the door together. "Do we need to go talk to your neighbor again?"
"No, I already told her not to worry about me," Grace explained, "Thanks for walking me to the door. I appreciate it."
"No problem!" he grinned, "We'll see you tomorrow at 9:30?"
She began to unlock the door when she replied, "Yeah, I'll be ready by then. If you just wanna text me when you get here so you don't have to get out." She opened the door. "Thanks again, Dan. And tell Barry I said thanks to him, too."
"Okay," he stood there before reaching his arms out towards her. She smiled and embraced him, feeling a sense of security in his arms. After a few seconds, she said goodbye and retreated into her home. She went to the window and watched them pull out, before locking the door and heading to bed. She couldn't wait to see them tomorrow.