Chapter 17 Nobody's Life Is Perfect
Gracie
Ryland places his hand on the small of my back and nods. We jump the wall onto the sand. I would usually take my shoes off, but since it is dark, I won’t. You never know what is lying on the sand. The closer we get to the water, the more I relax, a calmness coursing through me.
“Thank you for doing this, Ryland,” I say as we walk.
“You are welcome, brown eyes. I told you, I am always free for you,” he smiles.
It is very sweet that he always makes time for me. He doesn’t need to. A part of me is still on edge, though. I can’t help but worry that all of this is part of some game he is playing, and I am the pawn.
I plant a kiss on his cheek. “That is very sweet of you.”
The smile present on his lips grows when I do. I laugh because it is a dorky smile. I can make out his features, and no more, with the little light from the streetlights that surround us. It is the perfect night to be out. All the stars in the sky and the moon reflecting onto the water. It is beautiful. I will need to take some photos before we leave.
Ryland removes his hand from the back of my back. His hands fall at his sides, his fingers brushing against mine. He seems to do little things like that. I don’t know why, maybe his way of comforting me. We share small talk as we walk for about ten minutes, and by the end of it, his hand takes mine, linking our fingers.
“Do you want to sit for a bit?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes.”
Stopping in our tracks, we take a seat on the sand, close to the water’s edge. Only once we are sitting, he lets go of my hand, apologising before he slips his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.
“Gracie, what happened? There must be a reason for you wanting to get away from the house so quickly.” His voice is soft, his words shaky because he is nervous about asking.
“I don’t like my dad when he has had too much to drink. He can be nasty.”
Ryland looks me straight in the eye. “Gracie, does your dad hurt you?”
Worry flashes in his eyes as he asks the question.
“With words, sometimes, yes,” I reply and turn away, focusing on the ocean.
I wasn’t going to tell him about the physical abuse. It is a secret I will keep with me, no one ever needs to know. Ryland scoots closer to me, his arm coming around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder.
“I am sorry that your dad treats you that way. He is supposed to care for you, love you, not hurt you in any way.” He says sadly.
“I know, but nobody’s life is perfect, right?” I say, chewing on my inner cheek.
“I guess not, but that isn’t an excuse for him to treat you like that.”
I flash my best fake smile at him. “No, it isn’t, but I will be okay. I am always okay.”
Sighing loudly, Ryland kisses the top of my head. “I hope so.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. His gesture takes me off guard, but it is sweet, too. He claims to be a bad not, but around me, he doesn’t act that way. He is always kind to me. Then again, I have only known him for a week, well, nearly a week. I don’t know what he was like before he got here or what he gets up to when I am not around. It is none of my business what he does, not really, just as long as he doesn’t hurt himself.
“Are you in any rush to get home, or can we stay here for an hour or two?” I ask hopefully, not wanting to return home anytime soon.
“I am in no rush. We can stay here for as long as you need. If you don’t want to go home, I can sneak you into mine, and you can stay with me for the night.”
I am not sure if it is such a good idea. I may need to, since I have no keys to get.
“I may need to because I forgot my keys.” I laugh.
“You are more than welcome. You will need to hide when my mom comes into my room in the morning, before she goes to work.”
“I am sure I can manage that.”
I have somewhere to sleep, that is something. It will be a new thing for me. I have never stayed with a guy before. I am sure it will be fine. It isn’t like we are together, so we will only be sleeping.
“Thank you.”
“You can stay with me anytime you want or need. I am only next door, brown eyes.”
Having Ryland next door may not be so bad after all.