Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty - MARKUS

Markus held his breath, waiting for Gracie’s response. He had just put himself on the line, or over it, depending on how she looked at it. He had even taken her hand, which he wasn’t sure was the smartest move. For all he knew, Gracie was still furious with him. She had every right to be, of course. And he wasn’t sure if his small drawing had made it better or worse. Maybe she couldn’t stand the thought of dating someone who could only draw stick figures. At least it had gotten her attention. They were talking, so that was something.

When Gracie still hadn’t said anything after a moment, Markus began to remove his hand from hers. He could tell where he wasn’t wanted. Except, she wrapped her fingers through his and kept his hand firmly in place.

“All right. I’ll forgive you,” she said with a definitive nod.

Markus’s heart rate doubled. “Really?” He was suddenly unsure he deserved it. Just as quickly, however, he recognized his long-time nemesis, self-doubt. Markus had spent his whole life battling it, but self-doubt usually won. Not this time. Markus needed to own this victory. He had been brave enough to apologize to Gracie, and it had been sincere, so why shouldn’t she forgive him?

“Under one condition,” she said, pulling on Markus’s hand so he had no choice but to shift his position closer to her.

“Okay.” He didn’t care what it was at this point, the answer was going to be yes.

“That this,” Gracie pointed to herself and then to Markus, “won’t end when we get off the bus in Lakeview. I don’t do flings.”

Wait, was she saying what he thought she was saying? He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it was a little late for that. “Do you mean…like…this whole friend thing we got going on…” His voice trailed off.

Gracie raised an eyebrow, though her eyes danced, like she was teasing him. “Don’t you think we’ve become a little more than friends? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t make out in cemeteries with just anyone.” She placed her free hand on the back of Markus’s neck, then pulled him toward her. She paused when their lips were a couple of inches apart.

He whispered, “No, I can’t say that I’ve done that—or any of this—with anyone but you.”

“So, what do you say?” she asked. Her breath was warm on his lips.

“To us…being more than friends?” he asked. “Like…dating?”

Gracie nodded slowly, her nose brushing against his.

Markus’s breath turned ragged and he pulled Gracie in the rest of the way. His fingers wove their way through her thick hair as he crushed his lips against hers. She responded in kind as she wrapped one arm around his waist and held him tight.

Their lips danced to a fierce and warrior-like rhythm as they fought to win a battle they no longer had control over. Somehow Markus’s T-shirt had lifted in the back and Gracie’s fingers found the exposed skin. Her touch sent shockwaves through him, and the desire he felt startled him. And if he were being honest with himself, it scared him. He pulled back, breathing hard.

The loss of contact left him feeling alone and empty, though. Gracie watched him with questioning eyes, and he brushed his lips against hers. He tried to have self-restraint as her fingers pulled and played with his hair. Markus’s soft kisses trailed from Gracie’s lips to her jawline. He felt her shudder beneath his touch and he still couldn’t believe he could cause that kind of reaction in the girl he’d thought he’d never have a chance with.

Markus tried to move his kisses from Gracie’s jaw to her neck—he longed to feel the soft skin beneath his lips—but she placed a gentle hand on his chest.

“That’s probably good for tonight,” she said, her breathing still fast. “I—I don’t want to do anything we’ll regret.”

Yeah, there was no way he would regret kissing Gracie longer. But he supposed she was right. There was a definite chance he would lose control. He kind of already had.

“Not possible,” he said with a small smile, but then placed his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. “But as long as you promise there will be more nights like these, I guess I can wait for the next.”

Gracie’s eyes shone, and Markus didn’t think it was just the reflection of the dim lights in the lobby. “Absolutely.”

* * * *

When Markus woke the next morning, insecurity plagued him as he tried to figure out if his and Gracie’s time in the lobby had been a dream. It had been the middle of the night, after all. But when she waited for him outside his hotel room to walk down to breakfast together, he realized it had been very real. Markus wondered if Gracie would regret the promise they had made—that the end of this trip wouldn’t mark the end of their relationship.

She didn’t seem to, considering she took his hand as they walked back upstairs to pack for the trip home. And she had no problem nuzzling up to him on the bus for the next two days. In fact, by the time they reached Lakeview, it felt like they had been dating for much longer than they had been. Could he consider it dating, when they hadn’t actually gone on a real date? He’d need to remedy that.

Honestly, they could have been dating for years, with how comfortable they had become with each other. Markus no longer hesitated before playing with Gracie’s hair or sneaking in a kiss.

A sense of dread filled his stomach, however, when the bus finally pulled up in front of their high school. This past week had been amazing—freeing. No one hovered over his shoulder, with the exception of Mrs. Krump, but she hadn’t once asked about his college applications. And he had Gracie.

But now they were back.

“Did you leave your car here for the week?” Gracie asked, pulling her suitcase from beneath the bus. The sky was already dark and streetlamps gave a little light, but it didn’t seem like enough. The shadows the lamps cast almost seemed to make things worse, in a someone-is-hiding-and-going-to-murder-you kind of way.

Markus stepped closer to Gracie, then nodded toward the parking lot right behind them. “It’s back there.” When Gracie didn’t respond, he asked, “Did you leave yours?”

She shook her head. “No, I have to share the family car. Lately my mom has been dropping my dad off at work, but since she was home for the week, she needed the one I usually drive.”

“Oh. So…do you want a ride home?” he asked. He didn’t like the thought of leaving Gracie at the school by herself.

“Would you?” she asked, brightening. “That would be wonderful if you could. Besides, since we’re dating now, you should probably know where I live.”

Dating. It still seemed so weird. It wasn’t the actual dating part that was strange…Gracie made that easy. But he couldn’t believe this was happening. Gracie had chosen him.

She was watching him expectantly so he smiled and said, “Yeah, that would be good.”

As they walked toward his car, the shadows didn’t seem so ominous now that Gracie was by his side. His anxiety stilled as she slipped her free hand into his. He switched his duffel bag onto his other shoulder so he wouldn’t accidentally whack her with it. “Do you think you’ll still be able to come over tomorrow?” she asked. “I have something I want to show you.”

And…his anxiety was back.

“Like, with your whole family there?”

Gracie laughed. “I promise to make the introductions quick, but I can’t promise that we won’t be spied on. It’s been over a year since I brought a boy home.”

It had been a year, and she had chosen to date Markus of all people. He hoped her parents wouldn’t be disappointed.

“All right,” he said, forcing a smile. “What time should I be there?”

“I have church in the morning, so how about one o’clock?”

“Sounds good.”

After inputting Gracie’s address in the GPS, Markus drove her home in silence, though he didn’t realize it. His mind was too active with all the thoughts racing through it. One o’clock. Tomorrow. He would be introduced to her parents. Would she refer to him as her…boyfriend? He winced. That was an uncomfortable word. How about really good friend? That felt better. Friends with benefits? No, they better stay away from that one.

When Markus parked in front of Gracie’s house, he saw it looked just like every other house on the block. Nothing too spectacular about it, though it was dark, so it was kind of hard to tell. Still, it made him feel better knowing that, at least from the outside, Gracie’s family looked normal. No weird lawn decorations or anything like that.

Gracie gave him a small smile before leaning forward and kissing him lightly. Yeah, he could get used to that. And if it meant meeting her parents? So be it.

“Tomorrow at one?” she asked against his lips.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said, kissing her a little more deeply.

She giggled and said, “None of that now. My parents can’t catch us making out until you’ve at least met them.” She opened her door and slipped out.

Markus stared at her through the open doorway for a moment, shocked by her words. If her parents ever caught them kissing, he’d die of embarrassment. There was no way, under any circumstances, he could ever allow that to happen. She stared back, a small smile playing on her lips.

Gracie had been teasing him. Right? Oh, gosh, he hoped so.

“You going to open the trunk so I can get my suitcase out?”

Markus jumped from the car. “Yeah, sorry.” He pressed the button on his key fob that popped the back open, then he lifted Gracie’s suitcase out. She reached out to take it from him, but he held it just out of her reach. “I can carry it for you,” he said.

“Oh, you’re a gentleman, are you?” Gracie asked, elbowing him gently in the side. After being with her for the past week, Markus could now recognize she was flirting with him, and it made his heart rate spike.

“Trying to be,” he said as he rolled the suitcase up the driveway.

“I kind of like it.”

Markus lifted the suitcase onto the porch, but as Gracie leaned in for a goodnight kiss, her words echoed in his mind. My parents can’t catch us making out until you’ve at least met them. Yeah, that wasn’t going to be tonight.

Instead, Markus gave her a quick hug and a little wave before hurrying back to his car. He felt dumb afterward. Gracie had given him a quizzical expression, like she wasn’t sure what just happened. He’d need to send her a text explaining his bizarre departure.

Markus drove home slowly.

Tomorrow afternoon he’d meet Gracie’s parents. That didn’t seem like nearly enough time to prepare himself.

He swallowed hard.