Group Home

Chapter 11 - Punctured Lungs

Graces eyes fluttered open, the sound of yelling waking her up.

Outside of the room she heard Joy and Jayce going at it, shouting at each other, though she wasn't really sure what anyone was saying. She considered that Joy had walked in on them, with horror.

Grace glanced around and took in her surroundings, trying to collect herself before leaving the room. The light of day made his room look a lot more... messy. There were clothes everywhere and cans of spray-paint scattered. He'd covered most of the walls with his art, and clearly the other bits of graffiti around the house were his. She didn't know much about spray-paint, but she was intrigued.

The door swung open, and Grace pulled the covers over her chest, anxiety suddenly through the roof. What if it's Nancy?

Jayce entered, shutting the door tight behind him. His lips were a thin line and his eyes were troubled, but his mood melted away at the sight of her. He pulled the covers away from her, giving her a gentle shove onto the bed and hovering over her on all fours. She felt her cheeks redden under his stare. His eyes scanned her face before looking lower, to the soft curves of her chest.

"W-what happened?" she asked, trying to distract him, self-conscious under his gaze.

His lips curled into a smile. "Partial amnesia? You were there." His lips planted soft kisses along her clavicle, one hand sliding up to her ribs.

"I mean this morning." He stopped, pulling away to look at her face. He sat on the bed, cross-legged, his hand grasping hers.

"Joy was at the door. She confronted me, saying she heard us last night."

"Oh," Grace whispered, her anxiety building. It didn't seem like Jayce had found out anything she didn't want him to know, but that didn't mean Joy wasn't aware of Grace's two relationships. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of Joy knowing what they were up to the night before. She wondered idly if he'd ever had sex with Joy, but she dismissed the thought before seeing any mental images.

He lifted her hand to his mouth and gave her knuckles a gentle kiss. "Don't worry about her; she knows we're not together anymore."

Grace nodded, though not really convinced. Joy seemed relentless.

"Are we together?" Grace asked after a while, watching his attention switch back to her face, which was burning. She'd always been timid, but no man had intimidated her like this. Under his gaze she felt a lot less brave than when she'd ask. The only reason it scared her so much was that he could say no. He could say that he'd used her for sex and wasn't interested in seeing her anymore. He could say that the dates had just been to get her in bed, and now that he had, he was finished with her.

He smiled then, and she hoped it was a good sign. "Are we?" His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, which was still held by his.

"I hope so," she whispered, wishing he'd resume kissing her chest. She tugged gently at his hand, willing him to come closer.

Letting her hand go, he rested on his side, his hand caressing her stomach slowly.

*

In her hurry to the toilet, Joy left the door open. Sequent to her vomiting, she looked up to see she was being watched. Grace stepped closer slowly. She was dressed only in Jayce's t-shirt and boxers, which threatened to fall, but she had to give Joy a piece of her mind.

"You've been throwing up a lot lately," she started with, not ready to make any accusations, but convinced the flu would have other symptoms. It had crossed her mind a few times that Joy had been spending an awful lot of time with her face in the toilet. Strangely, the supposed stomach flu her mother had suggested probably wouldn't give her such a great appetite. When she wasn't throwing up, she was stuffing her face. Joy was hiding something, and Grace hoped it wasn't anything to do with Jayce.