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Dedication: SocialDeath for the awesome cover! Thank you!

Recap:

"Anytime, Grace."

Tumbling out of the car, I shut the door behind me. With a wave, I stumbled towards my house, feeling slightly breathless.

I just stepped inside, when I met a furious looking Harvey. He had his arms folded and his eyes were narrowed.

"That better not be who I think it is."

Shit.

------------------

"Can't do this now," I croak, my hand automatically resting on my stomach.

"The Coach? Are you serious?" he snaps, not moving out of my way. "I didn't peg you to be just like the others."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sleeping with the Coach to get on the team."

"Er- who has done that?"

"I don't know but it's just something they would try and do. Don't change the subject." Harvey snaps, his cheeks blossoming a deep crimson.

I stare at Harvey in surprise. His tone is laced with authority, making me feel like I have to go sit in a naughty corner.

"For your information, I did not sleep with the Coach. He picked me up to take me home and I fell asleep in his car, so I crashed at his. No big deal, nothing happened, end of the story."

"That's really inappropriate."

"I know it is, but he's not a teacher and nothing happened. No one knows about it, either."

He scoffs. "Excluding me, obviously."

"Yeah you're my best friend, I wouldn't have hidden it from you. It's not a big secret because nothing happened. He did me a favour since you ditched me with the redhead girl."

A deep flush creeps up his neck and spreads over his cheeks. "I-I didn't ditch you."

"Yeah, you kind of did, but that's okay. Did you have fun?"

His flush only got deeper.

"I take that as a yes then." I laugh, going around him, heading into the kitchen.

"I still don't think that is okay, what you did," he frowns.

"Yes Harvey, you've made that clear," I yawn, waving him off. "Now are you going to continue to harass me or are you going to give me some details about you and your hot new girlfriend?"

"S-she's not my girlfriend!" he splutters.

"Uh-huh."

After pouring Harvey and myself a juice, I collapse onto one of the dining room chairs.

"Well," he says, joining me at the table. "I walked her home."

"Oh," I say, leaning forward, although my stomach clenched as I do so. I'm still not feeling crash hot. "And?"

"I kissed her on the cheek," he declares proudly.

A laugh erupts from my lips. "Okay, seriously what happened? I won't judge."

He blinks at me. "I just told you."

My laughter died down. "Oh."

He looks around my kitchen awkwardly.

"Harvey, have you ever kissed a girl? On the lips?" I ask, suddenly feeling terrible for having laughed at him. That was probably a big step and I made it seem extremely insignificant.

He stares down at his cup, his face such a flaming red, I wouldn't be surprised if he lit on fire.

"Aw, you're the cutest," I coo.

"Shut up," he mutters, glaring down at his juice.

"I'm very proud of you for having the courage to do that. Did you get her number?"

He groans. "I didn't even think to ask."

"Harvey!" I laugh. "Boy, you need some help."

"Tell me about it! The most girl I've ever talked to is you and I didn't even make that happen - you did."

I shrug. "Look at you now though, breaking into my house and stuff."

"I didn't break-in," he mutters. "The back door was unlocked."

"It's breaking in when no one is home, dumb ass."

He ducks his head. "Sorry."

I laugh. "It's fine, dude, come over whenever. I seriously don't care."

He cheeks are flushed and he digs his hands into his pockets, peering around the room.

"I'm going to have a shower. What are you doing today?"

"I better go home before my mother goes into cardiac arrest," he sighs. "I forgot to leave her a note I was going out. Oh, by the way," he paused, hovering at the doorway. "Tomorrow night, mum wants you over for dinner."

"Okay, I'll be there," I promise.

"Okay, see ya," he says with a wave, disappearing from the kitchen doorway.

Leaning back in my chair, I stare up at the ceiling.

Facing Coach tomorrow is going to be fun.

***

Since I am still recovering from my wicked hangover, I decided mi goreng noodles would be sufficient for my dinner tonight.

Folding my legs beneath me, I sit the bowl on my pillow. Reclining, I press play.

I was three-quarters of my way through my dinner when the front door banged open. Mid-slurp, I peer through the doorway, not sure who it would be.

"Hi, honey," my exhausted mother sighs.

"Hey," I replied, more expecting it to be Harvey, to be honest.

She sways over to me, kissing me roughly on the forehead. She leans back and stares down at my bowl.

"Good, healthy dinner, I see," she states flatly.

"Ah," I sigh dramatically. "If only I had a mother who would stay at home and cook dinner for me."

"Don't start."

"You did." I bite back, returning my focus to the TV.

"My job is going great, thanks for asking," she snaps dryly, wandering into the kitchen.

"Yeah, so is my life. Thanks for caring."

Her sigh echoed through the house.

She walks back in. "Sorry, honey. I'm not thinking clearly."

"Don't worry. I'm used to it."

I really did try to keep the bitterness out of my tone. I wasn't successful.

"I'm going to go have a shower," she says, dragging her feet with her.

"Up the stairs, to the left," I instruct sarcastically.

I don't miss her deadpan stare before mounting the staircase.

I was trying to be helpful. It's not like she even knows what this house looks like. She hasn't even lived in it, really.

"Better off just by myself," I mutter, glaring at the T.V.

***

"You must be Grace!"

I blink in surprise at the woman that is standing in front of me. She's tall, with a slim build, with soft, brown hair piled neatly into a tight bun on the top of her head. It's pulled so tightly back that it is harsh on her features. 

The woman would have to be mid-forties I'd say, although appearing to dress as if she was from the '50s. She has a traditional style dress wrapped securely around her body, that runs down to her ankles. It's something you would find at an op shop if you were going to a '50s party. It did look very nice and flattering, but it was so out of this decade.

"That's me," I beam back.

"Anne," she says, nodding and giving me a slight curtsy.  I feel awkward as hell and I am not curtsying back.

"Come in," she urges, opening the door.

"Thank you," I murmur, stepping inside.

Immediately, I am engulfed with warmth. I glance into the living room, where a fire is crackling away. The house is gorgeous, cute, and cosy. Although, I feel like I have stepped inside the house in a show you'd see on T.V during the day, made about 40 years ago.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," she insists.

"Hey," Harvey greets, loping down the stairs. "You're early, that's weird."

"Wanted to make a good impression," I grin, nudging him. "Neat place."

He gives me an odd look. "Neat? Yeah right."

"No really, it is actually the neatest place I've probably ever seen," I laugh. "Does your mother clean this house every day?"

"She doesn't work so yeah, pretty much."

"Ashley, Lindsey!" she calls, her voice smooth like silk. 

"Are they your sisters?" I ask.

"Yeah, they're twins. Evil twins."

I laugh. I never knew he had siblings.

Two girls, who looked about eight, come tearing down the hallway, racing each other. They have freckles scattered across their cheeks and mouse, brown hair, pulled into plaits. Although one of them has one of their plaits falling out.

"Girls, no running. We have a guest." Anne tells them sternly.

"Hello," they chorus.

"That's cool," I grin, glancing at Harvey. "Hi girls, I'm Grace."

"I'm Lindsey," the girl with the messy plait smiles.

"I'm Ashley!" the second one exclaims.

"Nice to meet you!" 

"Are you Harvey's girlfriend?" Ashley asks.

"No," I laugh and pause when I catch the frown on Anne's face. "We're just good friends."

"James," Anne said, knocking softly on a shut door. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm workin'," a voice snapped back. A tired, grumpy voice.

"And that's my dad," Harvey mutters. "He's in a mood."

"Ah," I nod awkwardly.

Plastering an over-the-top fake smile on her face, Anne knocked again. "Honey, we have a guest. You said you would join us."

The sigh is deep and can be heard through the door. I bite my lip, feeling like a nuisance.

"Please Grace, take a seat," Anne smile, her too-bright smile never wavering.

Trailing behind Harvey, I plop down onto my seat.

"Dinner smells wonderful," I force myself to say.

"Thank you, honey."

The door bangs open and I glance towards Harvey's father. He is a small, awkward-looking man, with thick-rimmed glasses that are too big for his face. His face is covered with a patchy beard and wrinkles gather around the corners of his eyes.

"Grace, this is my husband, James. James, this is Harvey's... friend, Grace."

No one missed the hesitance before 'friend'.

"Grace," he says with a nod, tucking his shirt into his pants.

I smile, feeling awkward. It's clear he doesn't want to be here.

Anne began serving dinner as everyone else found their seats.

"So, Grace," Anne smiles. "Tell us about yourself."

"Er- I moved here from Greenway a couple weeks ago."

"Greenway?" James asked. "I've covered a couple of stories from there."

"Stories?" I ask.

"James is a Journalist," Anne explains. "He writes for the Daily Telegraph."

"Oh wow," I nod, having forgotten Harvey told me that. "That's cool."

"Why did you move?"

"Mum," Harvey sighs. "Can we just have dinner, please?"

"What? Am I not allowed to get to know the girl who you have been seeing so regularly?"

Now it is definitely awkward.

"Sure, but you don't need to ask 20 questions."

"I think asking questions is perfectly reasonable." she hisses, before leaning back and smiling at me. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"My mum got a job offer, so we moved to be closer."

"What does your mother do for work?"

"She's a cardiovascular surgeon."

"Oh, that's a tough job," she says in surprise. "Does your father stay at home to look after you?"

"It's just me and my mum," I shrug, biting into some of the baked potato, just to have something to do.

"Did your mother and father get a divorce?" she probes.

"Mum!" Harvey snaps. "That's enough."

"What?"

"It's okay," I say, although it is not okay. I pat Harvey's arm. "My father died."

"What's your last name, Grace?" James asks.

"Connaway," I answer, trying not to get annoyed with the series of questions they were sling-shotting at me.

"Ah, yes, I remember now. Car accident, am I right? I wrote an article on it. I interviewed your mother, actually."

I place my fork onto the table with an obnoxious clang, suddenly not feeling so hungry. This wasn't a topic I felt comfortable discussing with people I don't even know.

"You were trapped in the car, yes? For a few hours? I can't remember all the details."

I feel my face drain of colour as the memories of the horrible day my father died bombarded into my mind. An uneasy feeling washed over me and I feel like I might throw up.

"Look what you've done," Harvey growls. "Now you've made her uncomfortable."

"It's fine," I lie uneasily, taking a sip of water.

"No, it's not. Do you want to go?"

"Dinner isn't finished."

He stands, his chair screeching on the tiles.

"Harvey," Anne hisses. "Sit down."

"No and you wonder why I don't ever have anyone over. Come on Grace."

Silently, I stand and slide my chair under the table, my hands slightly trembling.

"Thank you for dinner," I say politely.

James just shook his head and didn't reply. Anne looked embarrassed.

Grabbing my hand, Harvey pulled me towards the front door. I glance down at our hands, a little surprised at the bold move.

"I'm so sorry," he mutters as we walk out the door. "They are so nosy. Are you okay?"

My eyes were burning with the desire to cry, but I blink them back. I hate talking about my father's accident.

"Grace?"

I hiccup, looking away from him.

"Aw man," he groans. "I'm going to go back inside and-"

"Harvey, just hold me," I whisper.

Pausing, he pulls me towards him and hugs me tightly.

"Is this why you don't like travelling in cars?" he ask softly.

"It gives me anxiety," I mutter, sniffling.

"I'm sorry."

I grip him tighter, burying my head into his chest. "Sorry for crying. I haven't talked about it in a while and the memories just came back and-"

"Shh," he says soothingly, rubbing my back. "It's okay. Let's just get you home."

Detangling from each other, I slowly begin walking towards my house.

"You don't need to walk me home, it's a long walk back."

"It's okay and I could use the walk," he says with a smile. "When I have dinner with your mum, hopefully it won't go so terribly."

I snort. "I don't even have dinner with her, so good luck."

"That's rough. When did you see her last?"

"Last night, actually," I sigh. "We didn't really talk."

He wraps an arm around my shoulder. "It's okay, Grace. You have me now."

I feel my eyes turn wet again. "Thanks Harvey."

"No problem."

I draw closer to him and sigh.

Maybe this night wasn't so horrible, after all.

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What do you think about seeing an emotional side of Grace?

And about how protective Harvey was of her?

Let me know what you think! :)

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