The Falling of Love (6 page)

James just waves them both out the door, not taking his eyes off the television.

Once outside, Ian and Grace walk slowly. Hand in hand, the slower they walk the longer they get to spend time together. Grace lays her head on Ian’s arm as they walk.

“I miss you so much when I have to leave you,” he whispers and kisses her on her head. “I’ve never felt this way about any girl I’ve ever gone out with.”

“It’s the same for me, Ian. I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.”

They reach the corner and stand there holding hands, gazing at each other for a moment before Ian kisses her.

“Goodnight, baby,” Ian says, before he kisses her again.

“Night, my love,” she says, sweetly.

Ian watches Grace walk all the way back to her house, up her walkway, and into her home before he turns to begin his journey to his house.

Ian pulls his cell phone from his pocket and dials a number as he walks home.

“Hello?” asks a smoky tone on the other line.

“Jaden, what’s up man?” Ian shouts.

“Oh hey, Ian,” Jaden says, in a long, drawn out voice. “How are you, brotha? How’s life in Oregon treating you, man?”

“I met the most amazing girl, Jaden.”

Ian can hear Jaden take a puff of something. Knowing Jaden the way he does, he suspects that it is pot.

Jaden chuckles. “Can’t say I’ve heard you this excited about a chick before.”

“She’s beautiful, man. I can’t believe she even likes me, but she honestly does. She might even love me.” Ian says, emphasizing the word love.

Jaden laughs at Ian’s enthusiasm. “Is she hot?”

“I’m not kidding you, man. She is the most beautiful and amazing girl in the entire world.”

Ian describes Grace to Jaden and tells him all about how he met her, what a fantastic cook she is, how he can tell her anything, and how he spent an incredible weekend with her at the lake. He then proceeds to tell Jaden how awful he thinks Ocean View is.

“It’s like I’m living in Stepford, man.” Ian laughs.

“Sounds like home.”

“So, how is Grandpa Joe doin’, man?”

Jaden coughs in the telephone and Ian has to pull it away from his ear.

“He’s still sick. It breaks my heart, but we’re so close now, man. It’s so amazing that I get to spend all this time with him. I’m just really fuckin’ grateful to be here,” Jaden says, seriously.

“Well tell him that I miss his old ass,” Ian says, with a smile on his face.

“He’ll get a kick outta that. I’ll for sure tell him. So, my band is breaking up again. Our singer sucks. When are you moving here? We need to rock a band together again.”

Ian thinks about leaving Grace and pushes the thought from his mind. “The day I turn eighteen, I’m outta this place.”

“Fuck yeah!” Jaden hollers. “We’re going to take this city by storm.”

Ian approaches his house and all of a sudden becomes extremely serious. “I gotta get the hell out of here. It’s just getting worse. He’s even beating on Bailey now.”

“There has to be someone to help you guys.”

“Man, you know how that always goes.”

“Yeah, man, unfortunately I do. I wish you the best, brotha, and I can’t wait to see you!”

“Okay, I gotta go. I’m home.”

Ian presses end on his phone and then holds the power key down to turn it off, then hides it inside his jacket pocket.

At nine that evening, the red light from Grace’s alarm clock lights up her room. She lies in her bed waiting for Ian to call. The telephone rings and she quickly answers it.

“Hi!” She sighs into the telephone.

“Hi, babe,” Ian whispers, with a smile in his voice.

“I love your new phone,” she says, with a huge grin.

“Me too.”

“I miss you,” he says quietly.

“I miss you too, babe. I just wanted to call and tell you goodnight. I’m so beat from all that walking we did today.”

 
“I just needed to hear your sweet voice before I went to sleep.”

“Ian Taylor, you’re too good to be true,” Grace sweetly whispers to him.

As she sits in class, drawing hearts, intricate swirls, and the words
Gracie + Ian
, Grace contemplates how lucky she is to have Ian as her boyfriend. Over the past month, her connection with him has blossomed, and she is happier than she has ever been in her entire life. Ian lights up her days with his warm smile and always makes her laugh with his witty sense of humor. Every night they spend hours on the phone. Sometimes Grace just listens to Ian breathe on the other end of the line, as she paints her nails and he lies in his bed. Grace is grateful that James allows her to spend so much time with Ian, not just on the phone, but in person. She promised James that her relationship with Ian would not get in the way of her chores or keeping her grades up, and so far she has kept that promise.

Suddenly a folded paper drops on her desk and tears her concentration away from her doodle. Before picking it up, she looks around the class to see if the teacher is paying attention. Realizing he is not, she slowly opens it. Knowing that Ian has probably written something sweet, she takes her time unfolding the note, relishing in the anticipation. The three little words written on the paper in his handwriting send shivers down her spine. Warmth and comfort fill up her chest. She turns her head to meet his sincere, smiling gaze.

“I love you, too,” she silently mouths to him. The smile he returns to her gives her all the confidence in the world that he undoubtedly means what he says.

Grace closes her eyes, places the wrinkled paper against her chest, and breathes deeply. Her mind flashes back to the first time she told Ian that she loved him.

Walking hand in hand, they strolled along the winding pathway near the gazebo downtown. Below them, the waves roared and raged against the cliffs. Her stomach twisted with nerves as she rehearsed the words in her mind.
Ian, I love you. Ian, umm I’m in love with you. Ian, I kind of love you.
Finally gaining the courage she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say what was on her mind Ian stopped walking, moved around her, and took her other hand into his. His eyelids slid shut and he moved in closer for a sweet kiss, gentle and slight against her quivering lips. As he pulled away, he opened his eyes just as slowly as he had closed them and stared at her for a moment.

“I love you, Gracie.”

“I love you!” she blurts out.

With her mind now back in the present, out of the corner of her eye, Grace sees Ian still staring at her while she’s been daydreaming. She stifles a giggle and smiles in his direction.

“Can’t wait till lunch,” he whispers.

At lunchtime, Grace sits under the oak tree where Ian first kissed her, now one of the best among the hundreds they have shared. She reflects on the events from the evening before, another cherished dinner with Ian and her family. Ian has been spending more and more time at her house lately and seems to fit in easily. Grace hears familiar clanking behind her and hands slide over her eyes. A grin takes over her entire face. Warm breath hits her skin, and Ian kisses her neck sweetly. Unable to control herself, she giggles profusely. The simple gesture of him nuzzling her neck makes her soul happy and her spirit soar.

“Hi, babe!” he says. He plops down on the grass next to her and crosses his legs before he digs through her lunch bag.

“Hi,” she says, with a deep breath, her head still spinning from the way he makes her feel.

She lights up at the vision of him, loving him so much more than she ever thought she could. They spend their lunch talking about their classmates, music, Grace’s family, Ian’s job, the movie they saw last weekend, and the walk they took together last night, beaming about how much they love each other. How easy it is and how much conversation they have amazes her. They can talk for hours on end.

When the bell rings, her heart fills with sadness. It physically hurts her to be away from him, and he has told her he feels the same. Because they cannot stand to be apart, Ian has been trying to get all his classes switched to the same as Grace’s without success.

After school, Grace and Ian walk the three and a half blocks to her house. He refuses to let her carry anything other than her purse, something he has done every school day for the past few weeks, despite her protests that she can carry them herself. Contrary to his “bad boy” reputation, Ian is the perfect gentleman. He always opens doors for her, pulls out chairs for her, and her well-being is constantly at the forefront of his mind. Grace cannot recall what life was like before she
had
this amazing boy in her life, nor does she want to. She appreciates that he always goes out of his way to show her that he loves her.

Grace frowns when Ian runs ahead of her. “Where are you going?” she calls after him.

“Wait right there!” he shouts over his shoulder.

Grace watches as he bends down and pulls a dandelion out of the grass and jogs back to her.

“You know,” he says, with an eyebrow raised, “if you make a wish and blow on one of these it comes true. Wanna do it together?”

Grace nods, letting her smile speak for her.

Puckering their lips, they gently blow. Like fairies dancing on the wind, white, feathery bristles float toward the cloud-filled sky.

“What’d you wish for?” Ian asks, with excitement in his eyes.

Swatting him, she laughs. “I can’t tell you that, silly. Then it won’t come true.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit, Gracie. All my dandelion wishes have always come true. Now tell me!” He tickles her side.

After she stops giggling, she says, “I wished for happily ever after with you.” She looks up at him and the sparkle in his eyes warms her cheeks.

Kinking his head to the side, he smiles, and stares at her. “Then our wish is absolutely coming true, because I wished for the same thing. I didn’t think happily ever after though.” He laughs.

“What did you think?”

“I wished that you would love me forever.”

“You don’t have to wish for that, Ian.”

Ian slides his arm around the back of her neck and pulls her to him as they set off up the hill to Grace’s home. She can see that he is proud to have her under his arm and she is equally gratified.

Almost every day after school, Grace and Ian spend time at her house. While Grace knows that James has gotten used to having Ian over, even when he’s not home, she still appreciates the trust that James has in her. She does not want to let James down by doing something wrong when he is not around. If he is not working, Ian eats dinner with the Hathaways instead of his own family. He joins in the water fights between Grace and Michelle, making it more of a competition for Grace.

“So, what are you going to show me how to make tonight, Chef Gracie?” says Ian, grinning and smacking his lips.

“What do you feel like, babe?” she asks, always aiming to please him.

“How about coconut fried chicken? Ever since you told me about that the other day my mouth has been watering.”

“Okay, that sounds great!” Grace grabs the chicken and other ingredients,
then
lays them out on the white tiled counter.

Ian comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her butt near his groin. “I love you. Not only do I have the most gorgeous girlfriend a guy could ever ask for, but you can cook your ass off!” he says before pulling her hair away and kissing the back of her neck.

Grace laughs and gets back to preparing the chicken with coconut shavings. “Quit distracting the chef!” She gently whacks him with a fork.

Ian suddenly backs away from her. Grace turns her head and sees James standing in the doorway.

“What are you two up to in here? I’m starving.” James says, as he lifts his nose to smell the aroma of spices that fill the kitchen air.

Grace senses suspicion in his eyes, but she wonders if she is overreacting since he might not have seen Ian touching her. She looks at Ian, who wears a guilty expression. To break the tension in the room, she hugs James and says, “We’re up to coconut fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans.”

James snickers. “Green beans?”

“You’ll eat what the chef puts in front of you and you’ll love it!” She laughs. “It will be ready in thirty.”

After dinner, Ian and Grace sit at the dining room table doing their homework. At least Grace does. Ian is distracted and keeps hitting his pencil on his book.

“Stop that!”

“Sorry, babe,” he says.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, before she lays her hand on his arm, knitting her brows together in concern.

Ian can’t get over how sincere she is and how much she cares for him. The slightest touch of her hand sometimes brings chills over his entire body. Every inch of his arms and neck are covered in goose bumps. With one touch she took his thoughts from anguish to delight.

“Ian, what’s wrong? You look upset. You can’t even concentrate.”

“I just want to get out of this town. I’m sick of it,” he says softly.

“I don’t see what is so terrible about Ocean View. I was born here, ya know. It’s a great place to live. People, outside of our school, are really nice, the weather is great, and these Victorian homes are to die for! My parents worked very hard to move here.”

Ian shrugs. “I’ll never be able to live my dream here, babe. I’ll never be satisfied just being a mechanic at Tony’s and if I stay here that’s all I’ll ever be. I want to play my music for a living and that is never going to happen in this bumfuck nowhere town! I know you think I’m kidding, but when I’m eighteen, I’m moving to L.A.!”

Grace looks at Ian with so much sadness in her big green eyes. Although he never wants to cause her pain, he cannot help admiring how amazing she looks when she pouts.

Ian has been honest with her since they got together. His intentions have always been to save up enough money to move to California the day he turns eighteen. He had planned on moving to Los Angeles with Jaden since they were in middle school, and although he is now unsure of how this plan fits in with his love for Grace, he does not want to stay in Ocean View. Maybe he does not want to be a rock star, but the least he wants is to support
himself
writing and playing his music.

“I know you want to, Ian, but…” She looks out the window and sighs.

“I want you to come with me, Gracie.”

“What?” she asks, looking at him surprised.

“That’s the only way both of my biggest dreams will come true. It’s the only way I get everything I want.”

“Ian—”

“Why not, Gracie? Why couldn’t you come with me? Jaden’s grandpa’s house is huge. There’s like four extra rooms.”

He can see that Grace is still shocked by his revelation and even he is astonished that he did not ask her sooner and that he only just now thought of it.

“I—” Grace says, but is interrupted by Michelle’s loud entrance into the dining room.

“James says it’s time for Ian to go home now,” Michelle says, rolling her eyes before she bites down into an apple. She thrusts her hand on her hip and stares at them. Amused by Michelle’s bossy tone, Ian lets out a laugh. Looking to Grace he can see she is not fazed by her. He knows she’s still too shocked about what he said.

“I better go,” Ian says, pushing himself away from the mahogany table.

Bending down, he kisses Grace’s flushed cheek. “I love you, babe. I’ll call you when I get home.”

As he walks to the living room to make his exit, he hears her cry out to him.

“Wait!”

Turning, he sees her leap from the chair and rush to him. Her arms fold around him like a warm blanket.

“I love you, too.” She smiles.

There is something behind her smile. A doubt. He knows she is unsure of how to respond to him. Realizing he threw a lot at her at once, he pulls her into his arms in an attempt to comfort her.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” Taking her chin into the tips of his fingers, he kisses the end of her nose, then her right cheek, then her left, and finally her forehead.

Later that night Grace is lying on her bed, on the telephone with Ian. His suggestion that she move to California with him finds its way to the back of her mind.

“So, I was walking home and those fuckers from math, what’s his face Chad and his asshole friend drove right into a puddle to soak me. I ran after the car and threw a trash can at them.”

Grace giggles at Ian’s audacity.

“Well, they stopped the car and Chad grabbed a crow bar and started chasing me. I tell you what, babe, if I had a crow bar, I would’ve beaten the hell out of him and his jockstrap friend.”

Grace sighs. Ian should not have to endure harassment from the other kids at their school. She hates that people judge Ian solely based on his looks and the type of music he listens to. They judge him because he is dirty from his job. She knows who Ian Taylor is: a perfect gentleman. He may neglect his studies, but that is because he is an artist who is preoccupied with creating his music and because he works full time at Tony’s garage.

As she thinks about him, she wonders why Ian has to work so hard. She is the same age as Ian, seventeen, and her hardest job is going to school, cooking, and cleaning for her brother and sister. It is a far cry from the labor-intensive job Ian holds down, all the while trying his best to pass his classes.

“Ian?” she asks, timidly. “Why do your parents make you work?”

“They don’t make me do anything, but if I want to eat, and have money to take my girl out, I need to work.”

“What? If you want to eat?”

“My family isn’t like yours, babe. It’s a long story.”

“You know, we never really talk about your family, we only talk about mine. I don’t even know where you live. Why?”

“There’s nothing to talk about and I don’t want you over here,” he says, ending the conversation about his family.

“But—”

“I don’t want to talk about them. All I want to talk about is you.”