THIRTY-TWO
NOAH
My heart beats steadily as I reach Gracie’s door before pounding on it. I shout her name, forcing panic into my voice as wicked anticipation builds inside of me.
It takes a moment, but soon the door is swinging open to reveal a very disheveled and sleep addled Gracie. Clearly, she’s just woken up if the look on her face is anything to go by. That, and she’s still wearing the pajamas I dressed her in when I brought her back last night. She was so out of it that she had no idea what was going on, yet she never once panicked. Instead, she just listened to the instructions I was giving her without complaint, which is probably the biggest compliment she could have given me.
Even after everything she said that led to last night’s little escapade, it’s clear she trusted me enough to be in that state with me. Whether she wants to trust me or not.
“Thank fuck,” I mutter and tilt my head back, closing my eyes with a relieved expression on my face before focusing my attention back on her. “Are you okay? I’ve been going out of my damn mind the entire way here.”
I purposely made my hair and clothes look disheveled before coming here, just to sell the act a little bit more.
“I…” A look of confusion crosses her face before a mixture of emotions as though she’s recalling the events of last night before she quickly settles on panic. “Are you okay? What happened to you?” she demands andfuck, it’s kind of hot.
“I’m fine,” I say and wave my hand in a dismissive gesture before letting myself into her dorm since she was still just standing there. She closes the door behind her before following me to the small couch. “I don’t know what happened, if I’m honest. I remember following you to the outer edge of campus and then… nothing. It’s all blank. I woke up in my bed, still wearing the same clothes from last night with no memory of what happened. As soon as pieced together what I could remember, I high tailed it over here to make sure you were okay. Are you? Did you see him again?”
Relief and indecision mar her features and her tongue swipes across her lower lip before she shakes her head. “Uhm, no. I texted you and when you didn’t reply, I figured it was safer for me to head back. I thought maybe you’d lost your phone or something.”
Liar.
She shrugs, the motion more jerky than casual like she’s going for and thank fuck she didn’t ever decide to go into acting because she isterribleat it.
“Well thank fuck,” I say with relief, and she squirms next to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Her mouth works, opening and closing as though she can’t find her words and I sit patiently as I wait for her to get there, my curiosity off the charts.
After a moment, she steels herself, determination clear in her eyes with a little doubt mixed in there, too. Uh oh.
“I need to tell you something,” she rasps before hesitating. She stands, moving further away from me and starts pacing.
Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on?
“I want to start by saying I’m sorry.” She keeps pacing, and my eyes don’t leave her for a single second. “I’m so fucking sorry, Noah. Please know that it wasn’t intentional. It just kind of happened, and then… well, I kind of keptlettingit happen.” There are tears in her eyes now, and I’d love nothing more than to wipe them away for her, but I have a feeling she needs to get whatever this is out without my interference.
“I never meant to do that to you,” she whispers, and the tears start to fall. She wipes them away angrily, and she looks so goddamn breathtaking right now. “I’m a horrible person, and I’ll understand if you never want to see or speak to me again.”
I’m… so confused.
Mainly confused that I have no idea what she’s talking about but also baffled at the notion of me never wanting to talk to her again.
Nothing she could ever do would make that happen.
She could kill everyone I love, and I’d help her bury the bodies with a smile on my face.
“Okay,” I say slowly. “But what is it that you did, Gracie?”
“I… I…” She pauses and whimpers, unable to look me in the eye as she whispers, “I violated you.”
Oh, fucking hell.
She’s such a good person. If it was me, I’d have just revisited the memory every night as I got myself off, but not my Gracie. No, she’s been feeling guilty about this. So guilty, that she felt the need to tell me even though she thought I might cut her out of my life.
“What do you mean?” I ask, since she thinks I was sleeping at the time and that seems like something someone would ask when told that they were violated.
I think?
I’m not sure, I’m basically just winging the whole thing at this point.
