Page 28 of Unspoken Hearts
“Wait here,” he tells me, but I don’t listen.
Moving to stand beside him, another loud sound makes me shiver. Gray pushes me backwards. “Stay here and don’t move.”
Choking on a breath, he disappears down the hallway towards the kitchen and living room, Moments later, his swearing cuts through the silence.
Padding down the hallway in socked feet, I see his shocked body blocking the doorway. A sinking sensation forms in my stomach. “What is it?”
My question answers itself when I sidle him.
My pulse skitters, throbbing in my throat as I stare in disbelief. A pile of what used to be part of my roof is now sitting on the living room floor. Rainwater sprinkles down, dampening the timber, plasterboard and carpet. My belongings are covered in dust, and puddles accumulate in the space.
I try to move closer to get a better look at the hole, but Grayson pulls me back. “Don’t get any closer. It might fall some more.”
I can’t stop staring at the rubble, my mouth parted with surprise as a chill sweeps over the exposed skin of my arms.
What used to be my living room is now a pile of… things.
Rubbing at my eyes, I’m hoping that this is just a bad dream, like the nightmares I had when I was a kid and was left alone. I rub at them harshly, forcing them open and blinking away stars, only to see that thisis very much real. Rainwater sits in the air, a mixture of dew and dust as the droplets continue to fall steadily.
“We can get it fixed, M,” Grayson reassures me
I don’t care about fixing it.
I don’t own this place. I don’t even like living here.
But it’s still my home, with so many memories of Axel and I growing up together, and now it’s just…
A tear slips from my golden lashes, and I wipe it away quickly, forcing myself not to break in front of my friend. “I can’t afford to fix this,” I let out gently, the weight of everything feeling heavy on my shoulders.
“Your landlord will fix it. This place is old and already leaking,” he reminds me. “This wasn’t your fault.”
I wrap my arms around my stomach as if it might comfort me, but it feels sort of useless. Glassy eyes meeting him, I blink quickly to keep myself from crumbling apart. “Walter might not believe me. He’s not a very nice man. He never liked Lucy. The few times he came over here he called her scum and upped the payments because of the damage she was causing. He’s never really been a man of reason before.”And I doubt he will be reasonable about this.
Grayson’s hand rests on my shoulder as I stare at the mess again, my chest sinking into my swirling gut, unable to fathom how this happened. “I’ll talk with him, M. We’ll get this fixed for you. I’m sure he will understand.”
I doubt it.
“And what do I do in the meantime? I can’t stay here,” I tell him, pointing out the obvious reason.
His mouth ticks. “You’re staying at mine. My parents won’t mind. Believe me, Macie, they always ask about you. They even told me tobring you over last night before it got too heavy. They worry about you.” Grayson’s eyebrows pinch with a silent plea.
His gentle words soothe a deep-seeded hole in my heart, one that’s been there since my parents left. I’ve always been the one to worry, mainly about my brother, but also about my friends. Taking care of everyone else’s needs before my own, leaving me feeling stripped and exhausted.
Maybe it’s time for me to let them help me, especially since I can’t live here with a caved-in roof.
Sniffing loudly, shivers crawl up my skin. I nod, running my finger under my eye again. “Thank you, Gray.”
“Of course,” he murmurs, looking at his phone for a moment. “It’s almost six. Go pack some things and I’ll drive us. I have to go see the damage on the ranch.”
Tucking my wild copper stands behind my ear, I wander back into my bedroom, the fresh rainwater drifting up my nose. I don’t know why I’m doubting Grayson, but a part of me believes that this might be the last time I see this place.
A mixture of emotions fill my veins as my lips begin to tremble uncontrollably. This is the last piece I have of my family. And I know that most of the memories aren’t fond ones, but this is the last string of my life I had to hold on to, and now even it’s frayed.
Holding back a sob, I shake my head, forcing away the thoughts. Axel will understand when I tell him, and Aunt Lucy isn’t even here anymore.
Maybe this is just what I need to leave my past behind.
Grabbing the few belongings I need, I shove them into an overnight bag before following Grayson out into the drizzle.
