The Falling of Love (7 page)

Grace waits for Ian at the oak tree in the senior quad.
Where the hell is he?
There are only fifteen minutes left of lunch.

Anxiously she glances around the campus and Ian is nowhere in sight.

“Where’s your loser boyfriend?” says Chad, the captain of the football team, or “captain asshole,” as Michelle refers to him.

“I wouldn’t know, Chad, because I don’t have a loser boyfriend.”

Chad sits next to her and Grace scoots away from him giving him a dirty look.

“You know what everyone says about you, Grace? Do you know what they think of you because you’re with that loser freak?” he asks, as he leans in near her.

“No,
Chad
, and I don’t care,” she says, as she glares at him with a scowl on her face.

“They say he’s bringing you down. They say you’re not doing your job as cheer captain anymore because you’re so wrapped up in that loser.”

“Well, you can all go fuck yourselves,” she says, keeping her composure.

This is not a normal reaction from Grace. She is usually very passive and does not let people get under her skin. When it comes to Ian, she will fight tooth and nail to protect his honor. Chad gets up from his seat on the grass, shakes his head, and walks away.

There is some truth to what people say about her. She has missed the last three cheer practices and has lost all interest in being a cheerleader. She is doing well at keeping her grades up, and she helps Ian with his. As always, she excels in her art and history classes, but cheerleading just takes time away from her and Ian. She decides in that moment that she is done with this extra-curricular activity.

Ian never shows up for lunch, and Grace is extremely worried about him.
He has PE for sixth period, I’ll find him there
.

It seems to take hours for sixth period to finally arrive. Grace hurriedly walks into the gym on the short break she has in between classes and she searches frantically for Ian. He is nowhere to be found. However, she does spot Brandon and rushes over to him.

“Where’s your brother?” she asks him as she runs up to him.

“My dad came to get him before lunch. Not sure why,”

“Oh, okay.” Grace says, with a sigh of relief.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I was just worried when he didn’t show up for class and lunch. Can you tell him to call me? I should be home from school around three-thirty.”

“Sure thing, Grace!” Brandon says.

As she walks home alone for the first time in a few weeks, she cannot understand why Ian did not let her know that he was leaving school early that day. She wonders what was so urgent that Ian’s father had to come and get him out of school.
I hope nothing serious has happened
.

Losing her parents at such a young age has made Grace suspicious of anything out of the ordinary. She always expects the worst outcomes from the unknown. If everything does not go exactly as planned, she always worries that there is some type of emergency.

“Hey, sister,” Michelle says, as Grace walks in the front door of her home. Michelle is spread out on the couch with a jar of peanut butter and a packet of crackers lying on her stomach.

“You’re going to ruin your dinner,” says Grace in an unusually somber voice.

“Okay, mom,” Michelle says, in the voice of a ten year old, dragging it out so that she can no doubt emphasize her annoyance with Grace. “Hey, where’s Ian?” Michelle asks, surprised.

“Not sure,” says Grace as she sets her backpack down and walks away.

Grace can hear Michelle get up from the couch and follow her to the kitchen.

“Why are you home so late?”

Grace grabs a glass from the dish rack, opens the refrigerator, and grabs the milk carton.

“I quit cheer.”

“Why?” Michelle asks, with a mouth full of peanut butter, little bits of cracker flying from her lips.

“It’s just not my thing anymore,” Grace says, as she takes small sips of milk from her glass.

“Yeah, because Ian is your thing,” Michelle teases.

Grace rolls her eyes. “I can’t really argue with that, Missy.”

“Were the skank bitches pissed or what?” Michelle asks, perking up.

Grace laughs. She knew out of everyone that Michelle would be the most pleased.

“They were a little confused when I didn’t join them and just sat there and watched practice. When I told them I decided to quit, they were super rude and of course blamed Ian.”

“Screw them! You never really fit in with them, Grace. You’re not like them. You’re sweet and you actually give a crap about people’s feelings. They’re all total snobs.”

“I liked cheer. I never really liked my teammates, though. I just don’t have time for cheer anymore.”

“Cause you’re always sucking face with Ian.” Michelle whines Ian’s name in a taunting tone.

Grace laughs and shakes her head, and then turns back to the refrigerator, and starts planning their dinner. After she gets dinner started, the telephone rings. Before she has a chance to answer it Michelle springs to the telephone.

“Hello? Where have you been?” she shouts. “My sister has been down in the dumps since she got home because of—”

Grace grabs the telephone from Michelle. “Babe?” she asks, softly.

“Hi, baby. I’m sorry I missed lunch and I’m sorry I didn’t walk you home.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just some shit with my dad. Can I come over?”

“Sure, love. I’m making chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.”

“You sure do love chicken.” Ian laughs.

When Ian arrives ten minutes later, Grace is shocked at his appearance. He has a cut in his lip and an enormous bruise on the side of his face. She runs over to him and gently grabs his face.

“What the hell happened?” she asks.

“I had an accident in the cellar at home,” he says while looking down at the ground.

“Oh
my gosh
, let me get you some ice!”

“It’s cool. But I’ll take that chicken and gravy!”

At the dinner table, Ian eats as though he is starving, just as he used to at lunch before Grace started packing his lunches.

“You sure can put it away.” Michelle snickers.

Ian looks up at her with both of his cheeks bulging from the amount of food he has shoved in them.

“He’s a growing man,” Grace says, as she brushes Ian’s arm with her fingertips.

Ian nods at her and smiles. “Mmm hmm.”

He finishes chewing what is in his mouth and winces when he takes a sip of his soda.

“That must have been some accident,” Grace says, as she gently touches Ian’s cut lip.

“You look like you got the crap beat out of you,” Michelle says, eyeing him with her nose and lips wrinkled, as if his face disgusts her.

“I’ll be fine, girls. Don’t worry. I just fell.”

Grace’s concern does not waver with Ian’s words. She loves him and hates to see him in any kind of pain. She wraps her arm around him and squeezes him tightly.

Sitting on the porch later that evening, Grace is apprehensive about further questioning Ian about his cuts and bruises, but her curiosity and worry overcomes any fear of asking more questions. Her gut tells her that Ian is lying. Figuring that he probably had a fight with Chad or another kid at school, she knows that she needs to broach the subject carefully.

“Ian?” she asks in her softest, sweetest voice.

“My dad is not exactly a friendly man, Gracie. He beats us,” he says before she can speak.

Although she knew something was not right with Ian’s story the moment he told it, she never expected this. She is shocked that she did not even have to ask him and he knew what she was going to say. She is surprised that he just blurted it out like he did.

“I…I don’t,” she tries to say.

“It’s okay, baby, you don’t have to say anything. He found out I’ve been working and when I wouldn’t give him my money he whaled on me.”

Grace does not know what to say. She stares at Ian and words do not come to her. What he has told her blows her
mind.

“Remember my first day at school I told you Brandon had the flu?” Ian approaches the subject lightly.

“Yeah,” Grace whispers softly before taking Ian’s hand.

“He didn’t have the fuckin’ flu, babe. He had my dad’s fist marks all over his face. We’re not allowed to go to school if we look like this.”

Grace’s mother and father were caring and loving individuals who did everything they could for their family, and would never lay a hand on one of their children. She is shocked and saddened by what Ian has just told her. The only thing she can think to do is to leap onto his lap, hug, kiss, and comfort him. He does not give her much more information about his home life and once again tells her, “I don’t want to talk about it. But, now you know why I have to leave Ocean View.”

Ian and Grace sit on the porch for hours that night talking. Every now and then, he gives her more knowledge about his family, but they are tidbits. What she hears horrifies her. Not only does Ian’s father beat him and Brandon, but he also beats little Bailey, and Ian’s mother. Ian’s father is an alcoholic and his mother has severe depression. His mother does nothing to better their situation. Grace senses that Ian has resentment toward his mother because of this, but also feels like he must protect her from his father. Ian explains to Grace that this is the main reason he must leave. He needs to get away from his father.

Grace’s feelings on Ian moving to Los Angeles change in this moment. She understands better why he must break free, but she cannot bear losing him or leaving her family. While Grace admires Ian for being so strong, mentally and physically, Ian expresses that he appreciates that he can be honest with her. Their relationship changes that night, forever.

Ian lies with his head on Grace’s stomach. Entwining their fingers together, they lie in silence on her bed. They have been this way for hours and he wishes they could stay like this forever. Only an occasional “I love you” is shared between them. Thunder cracks in the sky and startles Grace. Ian chuckles and pulls her closer to his body. The rhythmic sound of the rain tapping against the rooftop and her comforting presence lures him into a state of pure relaxation, soothing his soul.

“I love the sound of the rain,” she says, as she traces the lines on his knuckle with the tip of her finger.

Ian raises his head to look into her eyes and smiles. “And I love you.”

Climbing on top of her, he lowers his lips to her neck. Grace lets out a heavy sigh that blows through his hair. Ian trails kisses down her neck, over her collarbone, and stops inches away from her lips. “Do you know that I love you, Gracie?”

“Yeah, I do, without a doubt.”

He kisses her. “I know you love me too, and it’s freaking amazing,” he says. “You know what I love?”

She smiles at him. “Me?”

He laughs. “Besides you. It’s something you do to me.”

She looks at him, puzzled. “What?”

“I love those soft, sweet kisses you give me on the cheek. It’s hands-down one of the best things you do to me.”

Grace brushes Ian’s long auburn hair out of his face and slowly leans into him. Her breath hits his cheek and the tip of her nose brushes his skin. She gives him a very soft, sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Ah yeah, babe. That’s it. That’s what I love. It’s so sweet and tells me that you love me without any words.” He reaches for her face and cups her chin in between his thumb and forefinger.

He pulls her face to his and sucks on her bottom lip. Gradually, he eases his tongue between her two lips and finds her eagerly awaiting his kiss.

“Do you know what
I
love, Ian?” she asks. Her words are a jumbled mess between Ian’s kisses.

“What, baby?” he asks, within a breath.

“I love kissing you. I could spend the rest of my life kissing only you. You’re the best kisser in the entire world.”

Ian gives her more of what she desires and slides his tongue back into her mouth. He takes her tongue between his lips and sucks on it gently. He is barely able to contain his longing for her, but something is bothering him, something he has put off talking to Grace about until now. “When is James going to be home?” he asks, after breaking off their kiss.

“Tomorrow I think, maybe Tuesday. He had to go all the way to Seattle.”

Ian looks at her anxiously.

“What?” she asks, looking concerned as she caresses his face.

“I, ah…got kicked out of my house. Can I stay here till James gets home?”

Grace sits up and gently pushes Ian off her. “That asshole kicked you out?”

“Yeah, I’ve been sleeping in my car at the garage,” he explains.

Grace shakes her head. She gets up from her bed and walks over to her telephone. Picking up the telephone she dials a number before turning her back to him.

Ian opens his mouth to ask what she’s doing when she speaks into the phone.

“Hey, it’s me. I have something important to ask you. No, no, everything is fine, well sort of. Ian’s dad kicked him out. Can he please stay with us?”

Ian cannot believe what he is hearing. He would never be able to go to his parents for something like this. Though he is grateful for what she’s doing, he is also a little embarrassed that she told James about his predicament.

“I promise. Yeah. No. Yeah. The spare bed, I guess.”

Ian gets up from Grace’s bed and walks over to where she is. He wants to stop her from talking more about it to James, but again is stopped by her words.

“Thank you so much, James! I love you. You’re so awesome! See you tomorrow.” She puts the telephone down, grabs him, and hugs him fiercely.

“We can’t have you sleeping in your car, Ian. James knows that your dad is a complete asshole. I didn’t tell him everything, but I told him he’s really mean to you. You can stay here. You’re not allowed in my room when he’s not home,” she says, with a wink. “You have to sleep in the spare room. He trusts me enough to let you stay here with us for as long as you need to. He might ask you to pay rent, but I’m sure it won’t be too much.”

Ian takes her into his arms and kisses her. “Your kindness and the kindness of your family overwhelm me sometimes.”

“It’s freezing outside, Ian. We would never let you be homeless. James only took a few seconds before he said yes. You should’ve told me the minute your dad kicked you out.”

Ian lets his eyes fall to the floor and says nothing.

“Babe, seriously, how long have you been sleeping at the garage?”

“Just a couple of days,” he says, still not looking at her.

“A couple of days too long. Why did he kick you out?”

“Because he’s a dick. We got in another knock down drag out fight. I got him good this time. ”

Grace pouts then gently lifts Ian’s head up. Closing her eyes she leans in and softly places her lips against his. “Everything will be okay.”

“Somehow I believe that when it comes from you, Gracie.”

She takes him by the hand and leads him back to her bed.

With Grace sitting on the edge of the bed, and Ian kneeling before her, he places a hand on each side of Grace’s hips. Looking up at her he smiles. He is completely overwhelmed with emotions, the strongest being the desire to touch and kiss her. Moving his hands gingerly up and down her sides, he lets them fall onto her bottom and gives each cheek a quick squeeze. Grace laughs and the sound fills his heart with love. Bending down to kiss him, her long blonde hair falls over his face. He inhales, relishing the scent of her.

“I’ve never met a girl that smells as good as you do.”

“Oh stop,” she says, as she gently taps the tip of his nose.

“I mean, yeah, most chicks smell good, but you smell amazing. It’s like you naturally secrete a scent that is irresistible to me. I want to freakin’ devour you.”

Ian stands then sits on the bed next to her. Propping herself onto his lap, she slides her palm around his neck and stares into his eyes. His stomach warms and his chest grows heavy. Her mouth falls on his like silk and he loses himself to her.

A few weeks later, Grace walks into math class overwhelmed by the feelings of anticipation of seeing her boyfriend. This is one of only two times during her school day that she gets to see Ian. They also have their cherished times they spend together at lunch either under the oak tree or in a crowded cafeteria
,
 
but
she wants every single moment she can get with him. Even though Ian is living with them now full-time, they are rarely alone at home, either followed everywhere by Michelle or by James’s watchful eyes.

She walks into class and to her surprise Christina is seductively leaning over onto Ian’s desk, her cleavage inches away from his face. He has his body backed away from her, but regardless this vision infuriates Grace.

Walking to her desk, Grace clears her throat, and says “Hey!” to Ian, ignoring Christina. Christina rolls her back into a standing position with a smug look on her face. She appears not to care that she is flirting with Ian right in front of Grace.

“Hey!” says Ian, innocently, but with wide eyes.

“What’s up, Grace?” asks Christina.

“Nothing, what’s up with you?” says Grace abrasively.

“Oh, just talking to your handsome guy,” Christina says, as she takes her attention away from Grace and winks at Ian.

Grace rolls her eyes, and before she can say anything, the teacher asks the class to take their seats. Grace throws a furious look Ian’s way. He gulps and looks straight ahead at the blackboard.

“What the hell was that about?” Grace huffs, as she throws her backpack down next to the oak tree at lunch later that day, barely missing Ian’s leg. Ian covers his mouth, attempting to hide his laughter.

“It’s not funny, Ian!”

“Yeah, actually it is. Really, Gracie, you think for one second I would be interested in Christina? Come on, babe. You know you’re the only girl for me.”

That is all it takes to get her in his lap and into his arms, hugging and kissing him.

“Man, you’re easy.” He laughs and shakes his head.

“I can’t resist those blue eyes,” she says, before pouting, but smiling with her eyes.

“You don’t ever have to worry about me looking at another girl. There is not a girl on this earth whose beauty can even come remotely close to yours,” he says before he takes her face into his hands. “And there for sure isn’t another girl who’s as sweet and loveable as you are.”

He kisses both of her cheeks, then her forehead, down the bridge of her nose, and stops at her lips, where he uses his to pull on hers.

“Stop trying to butter me up, Mister.”

“Never. I know your ways, Gracie. I know the way to your heart.”

Unable to resist him, she leans into their kiss and plunges her tongue into his mouth as she folds her arms around his neck.

As they drive home from school later that day, Ian sings heartfelt lyrics to a new song he just finished writing about Grace. Moved by the sincere words he sings, she becomes lost in her thoughts. It is almost as if Ian is three different people. When he sings he changes into Ian, the rock star. The moment he takes on this persona, she melts for him and she is pretty sure other girls would, too. Even at such a young age, he exudes a sexual aura. The Ian that others see is tough, sometimes
rude,
and a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Then there is the Ian that Grace sees on a daily basis, who is romantic, amazingly caring, thoughtful, and loving. This Ian would lay his life on the line to save Grace’s if need be. This Ian loves her just as much as she loves him. She is certain of this. This Ian says things to her that girls only dream boys would. This is
her
Ian, her sweet, sweet, loving Ian.

After Ian finishes his song, she says, “You’re simply amazing.”

He shrugs. “I don’t know about that, but I know I love what I do.” He laughs and says, “And I don’t mean
workin
’ at Tony’s.”

He lays his hand on her upper thigh and squeezes it gently, without taking his eyes off the road. He keeps it there the entire drive home. This simple gesture says so much to Grace. It says that he cannot keep his hands off her. It says that he wants to show her that he loves her. The signs he gives are loud and clear.

As Ian lies in bed, visions of Grace running through his mind, he’s overwhelmed with an aching need to see her. To touch her. To kiss her sweet lips. Tossing and turning he tries to push these thoughts away. He knows that not only would James be angry if he found out he snuck upstairs, but that Grace would probably be a little disappointed as well.

After James agreed to let Ian move in, he set up Ian in the spare room downstairs by the kitchen, far away from Grace’s bedroom. Even though Ian understands James’s house rules and he has done his best to live by them, there have been a few times that he or Grace would slip into the other’s room at night while the rest of the house slept.

Tonight is one of those nights where Ian just wants to see Grace. After an hour of uneasy rest, thinking only about her, Ian can no longer take it. He quietly slinks up the stairs to Grace’s room. As he tiptoes across the old wood floors, he arrives at Michelle’s door to make sure she isn’t up late on the telephone. Silence. His stomach twists as his intentions grow hot inside the pit of his stomach.

“Gracie?” he whispers, as he quietly pushes her door open.

Grace stirs in her bed. “What’s wrong?” she asks in a tired voice.

“Nothing, I just miss you.”

He sits on the edge of her bed and does not say anything for a few moments.

Grace sits up. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Like I said, I just miss you.”

Grace scoots over in her bed and pats the empty space next to her.

“You sure?” he asks, unsure if he should get into the bed with her.

She nods and pats the bed again. Ian climbs in and wraps his arms around her.

“I love you so much. I can’t even imagine how I lived before, without you in my life. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“I feel the same way, Ian. I never gave much thought to falling in love. I always just did what teenagers are supposed to do: go to school, joined the cheer team, and did my chores. All that seems so stupid now that I have you. None of it matters anymore. Well, except my chores.” She laughs.

Grace moans when Ian kisses her softly on her neck and he moves his hand up and down her side.

“I’ve had girlfriends before, but I never felt like I do with you.” His words are breathy and his breathing is heavier. “It never ached to not be near them like it does when I’m away from you. When I’m at work, or we’re in different classes, my heart, like freakin’ aches for you. Physical pain, Gracie. Right here,” he says, pointing to his chest.

“Ian?” she asks, quietly. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can always ask me anything, babe.”

She turns to face him. Their bodies are so close together now that the heat of his skin radiates from him. “Have you ever, um,
have
you ever?”

Ian puts his finger over her lips to quiet her. “Yeah. Last year,” he whispers.

Grace’s eyes grow wide, and a little part of her heart breaks. “Oh,” she says, lowering her eyes.

“I was sixteen and I had a girlfriend who was a little older than me. She was not a virgin, if you catch my drift.”

Disappointment and a bit of envy take over her emotions. “I see,” she says, shrewdly.

“Baby, I’m sorry. That’s my past though. You can’t hold that against me.”

Grace puts her head on Ian’s shoulder and sighs. “I just wanted, well…I thought I would be your first, and you would be mine.”