Page 182 of Lilah
I bust up in Mr. Terrip's bookstore and I find him almost immediately.
"I haven't seen you in forever," he stresses, "I was beginning to get very worried."
"What happened to your face?" he grips onto my chin, tilting it all around looking at the bruise and still visible, but healing, cut on my cheekbone.
I've got to tell him sometime.
"Well," I hesitate. He gives me the 'hurry up or I'm going to lose interest' face.
"I just got the stitches out and I've been bedridden. Forcefully," I keep the cause of the stitches out of it.
"And how'd you get those stitches?"
"Uh. Dad hit me," I hesitate.
"Oh Goodness, honey," he hugs me to his frail frame. Thank gosh his frame is different from Greys. I was getting tired of Grey's freaking bear-hugs that aren't meant to be bear hugs but just are.
Oh wait.Bearhugs. I love Bear. I love Grey too.
I didn'tforgetto tell him I love him. I just...am really nervous and I've taught myself not to blurt it. It's been rough. It's been hard.
That's what she said. Don't stop.
I'mnottired of Grey's body. He can hug me all day. I'd be living it up with him pressed against me. But, Mr. Terrip's hugs are pretty darn good too.
"Did you get help? Did the police get him?" he questions, his eyebrows drawn together.
"It's taken care of," I repeat Grey's exact words he told me that day when he came back from 'dealing with' dad.
"You poor thing," he hugs me again and I smile.
"Have you been staying at home? Is your mom okay?" he asks.
"I've mostly been staying at," I look down shyly, "Grey's place."
"Who?" Good Lord this man.
"Grey, y'know," I hold out my arms and flex my biceps.
"Oh! Him, okay," he recalls and I roll my eyes.
"I've been staying at his place mostly. I haven't been back to my house since dad did what he did," I explain.
"And you trust him, right? He's good to you still?" He asks just to make sure.
"He's such a sweet little cutie," I laugh internally at what Grey would say if I would've said that in front of him.
Most likely it would be something along the lines of, 'You try to get on my (effing) nerves with that bull(shiz), god(darn it)'.
"What about Aaron?"
Um. Yeah.
"I'll uh, I'll come around to it," I nod unconvinced with myself.
"I don't believe you," he gives me a look.
"I will," I nod, "I just have to figure out how to tell him. He used to be so close with my whole family, I don't want to just spring it on him."
