Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (47 page)

Grace:
K

Darius:
Im glad ur okay.

Grace didn’t know what to think about his perceptiveness. The whole thing, from the second she walked outside to when she got off his bike, didn’t add up. Turning her phone off, she didn’t reply to his text. She didn’t have a reason to not believe him. He’d never lied to her before. Sighing, Grace hoped this wasn’t a first.

Grace tried to stay busy until Amanda walked through the door, and worked even harder to hide her worry when she finally did. “Hey.”

“
Hey,” Grace said back. “That was a long test.”

“
Oh, sorry. Leah and I went to grab a quick bite.”

“
Cool. How do you think you did?”

Amanda sighed and put her bag on the table in the foyer. “I think I did okay. We’ll see.”

Amanda took a few steps toward Grace, her brows drawn together in concern. “Are you okay?”

She wasn’t and she doubted she ever would be. Today was straight out of a Grimm fairy tale, and probably the first of many more like it. “I’m fine.” Inwardly, she kicked herself for telling another lie.

“
Um, okay. If you need to talk, I’ll be in my room.” Amanda waited for a second, quietly watching her as if she had something to say, but seemed to think better of it before turning and going to her room.

Grace went to find some dinner, even though she didn’t feel like eating. She grabbed her cell off the counter, and wasn’t surprised to see Darius hadn’t texted her yet. Pulling leftovers from the fridge, she put some on a plate and tossed it in the microwave. A few minutes later, she sat at the island with her warmed-up food and a can of soda. Unconsciously, she ran a fork through her food, and went back to what happened earlier, imagining all of the things that could have happened. Suddenly she understood why Quentin didn’t want her going to school anymore. It wasn’t about trying to control her. It was more about protecting innocent bystanders.

Her cell didn’t buzz until hours later, when she felt settled enough to sleep. Figured.

Darius:
Nite, angel face.

She stared at the innocent enough text, wondering if his rescue today was coincidental or something else? Other than the stay-away-from-this-kind-of-guy vibe she’d felt in the beginning, she’d never sensed anything from him. Ever. Her fingers tapped across the screen of her lit-up phone.

Grace:
G’nite.

Darius:
U want to do sumthin 2moro?

Should she even bother trying to date him, or anyone else for that matter? The Fallen would keep finding her, putting all of her friends and everyone she cared about in danger. The possibility of a lonely life, accompanied only by a sullen and uncommunicative Quentin, flashed before her eyes. If it were just the two of them, she wouldn’t last. Not when he wouldn’t talk to her.

Grace:
Idk if that’s a good idea.

Darius:
Y? 2day? I wont let any thing happen 2 u. Ur safe w/me. Promise.

That might be true, but he wasn’t so safe with her.

Grace:
Idk.

Darius:
Trust me ; )

Everything in her gut was telling her to say no, keep her distance, to keep him safe. But then in her memory she saw his eyes, and felt his kiss and his touch as he ran a thumb tenderly down her face. Painful tears pricked at her eyes. Once again acting against her better judgment, she agreed and prayed it was the right decision.

Grace:
What r we doing?

Darius:
Surprise. I’ll pick u up @ 6.

Even though she was apprehensive, it wasn’t enough to change her mind.

Grace:
K.

Darius:
Nite.

The knots in her stomach wouldn’t let up. She tossed and turned the better part of two hours. Finally, she kicked off her blankets, flung her legs over the side, and paced beside her bed, which did nothing for the ball lodged in her stomach. Everything about this afternoon was wrong. Felt wrong. So many things could have happened, but thankfully didn’t.

Her brain wouldn’t shut off. The woulda-coulda’s were going to keep her up all night. Ideas for getting to sleep were lost to her, so she tiptoed down the stairs, hoping warm milk might do the trick.

The digital clock on the microwave told her it was after midnight. Great, she was going to be out of it at school tomorrow. Coffee probably wouldn’t even help. Grace gripped the milk by the handle, and closed the refrigerator door. Her heart jumped into her throat and she nearly dropped the jug as she realized that someone had snuck in and was leaning against the counter. Quentin scared the crap out of her. “Oh my gosh, you scared me. What are you doing?”

He twisted around, took a glass from the cupboard, and handed it to her. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep.”

“
Really, why?” she asked, taking the glass from his outstretched hand.

Quentin raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. Oh, duh. She hurried and poured her milk. “Right, sorry.” Grace would never get used to someone else being able to feel what she was feeling…always.

The lights weren’t on, but the heat from Quentin’s stare tingled along the back of her neck. Since he still wasn’t really talking to her, she was too chicken to turn around. Instead, she continued leaning against the counter and focused on finishing her milk.

“
Do you have plans after school tomorrow?”

Choking on the sip she just took, she coughed and turned to him. “What?”

“
Do you have plans—”

“
Yeah, I heard that, but why?” Grace asked, leaning her hip against the cupboards and setting the glass on the counter.

The light from the foyer cast enough illumination for her to see he was nervous. He held on to his hips and gazed down at his feet. “I thought maybe we could catch a movie or something. You know, go have some fun.”

Grace’s mouth fell open. Huh?
“Well, actually, I already have plans tomorrow.”

Quentin’s shoulders visibly fell before he straightened back up. “What are you doing?”

“
Not sure.” She shrugged. “Darius said it was a surprise.”

One minute Quentin was across the kitchen, the next he was standing in front of Grace. She didn’t need any ambient light to see he was pissed. Anger rolled off him in one giant wave, slamming into the barrier of her skin. “You can’t be serious. Even after today?”

Not liking his tone, or his timing in deciding to start speaking to her again, she bristled at his accusation. Her fists clenched at her side as she got back in his face. “See, that’s just it, Quentin. I don’t know what in the hell happened today. All I do know is I asked you what happened and you didn’t know either. So, what is your problem?”

“
I don’t like him.”

Doing an about-face, she grabbed for her milk. “Clearly.”

His voice softened. “You need to stay away from him.”

Grace placed her glass in the sink, and turned back to him. “Why do I need to stay away from him?”

There was an edge to his voice again. “Because, just trust me.”

“
Because isn’t good enough. I like him, a lot, and I’m pretty sure he likes me too.” With an exaggerated sigh, she folded her arms across her chest.

“
No, he doesn’t, Grace. He’s using you.”

It took every ounce of self-control she had to not throw something at his head. Because even though she’d used those same words to try to convince Amanda to use her head, this situation was nothing like that one. It wasn’t an affair, and Darius certainly wasn’t the jackass here. “Thanks for that, but you’re wrong.” She moved to leave the kitchen, but he stepped in her way.

The light from the foyer transformed Quentin’s body into a dark-shadowed silhouette, making his anger seem more menacing. She took a step back. All she could see clearly was the fury reflecting in the whites of his eyes. It made her want to hide. “I can feel how he makes you feel. What he makes you want. I didn’t think you were like that, Grace. At least, that’s what you claimed at the party, anyway.”

There was little else he could have said that would have stung more. Something menacing and hateful roiled inside, threatening to claw its way out of her throat. Her body shivered as her feelings stormed inside. She took a purposeful step closer and pulled back her hand, prepared to slap him. Grace stood there, hand cocked, trembling with anger, but she couldn’t release her hand. She knew hitting him would only make her feel better for a second, and then she’d feel terrible. “Why is it so hard for you to believe someone would be interested in me, and care for me?” Her bottom lip began to quiver as she spoke. “Just because you don’t want anything to do with me doesn’t mean someone else won’t. And I didn’t lie, I’m not like that. But thanks for that too.”

Quentin didn’t hesitate, he took a step closer to Grace. “Is that what you think, Grace, or are you trying to rely on your special touch to tell you how I feel without asking me yourself?”

For a split second, she was caught off guard. She didn’t know he knew what she could do. Regardless, she shook it off as anger spiked inside her, pushing her up on the balls of her feet. “As a matter of fact, I
do
know how you feel with my special touch, by the way, that tells me enough.”

“
You don’t know anything.” He grabbed her by the arms, and she made the mistake of wrapping her fingers around his forearms to steady herself. Sucking in her breath, Grace was bombarded by his feelings. Despite how long he’d been on this Earth, she was his beginning, she sensed. And like all beginnings, nothing else for him would begin or end if she wasn’t a part of it. He wanted her every beginning, and her every ending. She could see this as clear as day with her hands. Every emotion held in his heart was only for Grace.