Page 22 of Full Body Check

“You know what, Nik, forget I asked. You’re an amazing friend, and as far as I’m concerned, I never saw you tonight. You never said a word. Except… where am I flying? City, state, area code… give me something. Anything. Just one thing, that’s all I need.”

“Flying?” Lance asks me, her, both? Not sure, his head’s snapping back and forth so fast I can’t tell. “You sprout wings? No. So what the hell are-, surely you don’t mean a plane, or now, on game night! Buddy, bro, pal, listen-”

“I’m sorry, Brewer, but I can’t betray Gracie.” Nikki produces a sigh, looking around at nothing, and then… Nikki’s a beautiful woman, that’s a given, but she is absolutely fucking stunning when she smirks, and mumbles, pretending it’s to herself and completely innocent, “huh, that’s so weird… totally random thought, out of nowhere, but… at least it’s a wise one. But, in case I forget it later, will one of you please be sure to remind me, if I ever decide to go into hiding, that I should probably take my location, my current location, off my Facebook profile?”

Nikki’s a keeper.

I have no idea what Lance yells after that, after me — I’m already long gone — sprinting, away from them, away fromhere… toward her.

“Bye, Miss. Bolton, see you tomorrow!” Timothy, cute as a button, thirsty for knowledge well beyond his years, and always my last student out the door, calls over his shoulder.

“Not if I see you first.” I laugh my line of our script, picturing the smile it brought him, then head back into my classroom to clean up before I go home for the day. I’m on my hands and knees, stretching for one last, runaway crayon under the craft table when a strange shift stills the air around me and I freeze, leery and assessing.

“Third grade, right?” His voice, as smooth and sultry as I remember, every single day, sneaks up behind me to solve the mystery.

In staggering ungracefulness, I crawl out from under the table, hitting my head on the way of course, and rise to turn toward him. “What?” I garble past the thick tongue in my instantly parched mouth. God, he’s a gorgeous man. With his arms and ankles both crossed, he leans casually against the door jamb, making for one very suave, sexy, heart-stopping sight.

“The grade you teach; it is third, right?” he repeats, his grin growing coy.

“Yes. I can’t believe you remembered that, but yes. Why?”

“Just double-checking.” He laughs, stepping out the space between us. “If your male students were any older, I was gonna advise against the crawling around on your hands and knees thing; especially in that skirt.”

“I, uh, I couldn’t reach a crayon.” Needless to say, I was not expecting him, and I’m doing a fabulous job of acting otherwise.

“Hmm,” he rubs a slow hand over his stubbled jaw, “must be going around, ‘cause I haven’t been able to reach you either.”

I tuck my chin to my chest and shift from foot to foot. “Yeah, about that…” And then I finally wake up, realizing the gravity of the present situation — he’s here. Not there. My head snaps up, my eyes wide. “What are you doing here, Brewer? How’d you, why, what about your games? Team?”

I have a few more, but they go unasked as he moves in closer and cups my cheek. “You know my favorite thing about you? Well, one of my favorite things? You don’t play games. Bullshit. You say what you mean, what you think, openly, honestly, uncensored, and right when it hits you. Don’t stop now. Tell me, Gracelyn, and tell me like I just described, in true Gracelyn-speak; why have you been ignoring me?”

“Why’s it matter?” I quip in shield.

“Don’t do that either. Just answer me, please.”

My mistake before — now I finally wake up — the unmistakable pitch of pity in his voice and the almost imperceptible twinge in his left eyelid like cold water to the face, cocking every piston in my brain to fire.

He knows.

And that’s why he’s here.

Nikki and her big freaking mouth.

“Don’t worry, I started my period last night; just haven’t had a chance to call in the update to Nikki yet. Could’ve saved you a trip, depending on when it is she blabbed that is, so, sorry about that,” I bluntly ramble, but can’t contain, or ignore, the underlying disappointment in my voice, that I still don’t fully understand, and pull away from him. “Anyway, you can go now, all clear.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” He snatches me up, hauling me flush against him to hug me tight. “Why didn’t you tell me, Gracelyn?” he whispers in my hair.

“What would you have said?” I scoff, if it’s even possible for one to scoff and want to cry at the same time. “I told you I was covered, and I was, I am! I don’t know why I was late, I’m never late, but… I didn’t want you to think I tricked you, or tried to trap you.”

“Neither would’ve ever entered my mind. Hey, look at me.” He leans back and slides a finger under my chin to tilt my head up. “I knew you better than that, incapable of anything even remotelylike that, in the first five minutes I spent with you. And baby, you need to know, need to believe me… that’s not the only reason I’m here. I would’ve come anyway, eventually, as soon as I could. I’ve been fucking miserable without you.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, really, but you don’t have to. And I’m sorry, for being kind of bitchy, snarky, you know… about this. And I’m very sorry I didn’t tell you. I should’ve; the second I thought there was even maybe something to tell.”

“Yeah, you should have,” he smiles, “but I forgive you. And I meant what I said; wasn’t just giving you lip service. I would’ve comeanyway.”

“Why? I mean, seriously, Brewer… why?” I sound every bit as desperate as I feel, but I just can’t find it in me to care, since I’ve been absolutely miserable without him too.

“Because, Gracelyn Amanda Bolton, you’re supposed to be mine.”

“Supposed to be?”

“Yes, supposed to be. We’re supposed to do this. Date, fall in love, get married, have babies. It’s the plan, bigger than either of us, or both of us put together, and out of our control to deny. Or try to defy.”

“You know,” I exhale weeks of wishes ungranted, making room for new ones, that just might stand a chance, “I think you may be right.”

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