From The Ground Up- Writen By: Aurora Clair

Chapter 24

*Months later*

Before they knew it, they had been together a year and they were just about to finish this year of high school. Laila knew that the next school year was gonna be the last one with Grayson and was scared what would happen when he went about to collage. Would they breaking things off, would they have to do long distance, would she have to worry about college girls trying to get with him and him changing? This all was spinning Laila's head way to fast that should make herself physically sick where she threw up all over herself in bed that Saturday afternoon.

Grayson called around 1 that day. "Hey baby, is everything okay? You don;t seem like yourself?" "Yeah i'm fine... well not really. I just puked everywhere." Laila said laughing. "Well... you can clean that up and then i'll be over there to take care of you. I'll make you soup, give you back rubs, put you in a nice warm bubble bath with rose petals and candles and wine." Grayson said. "You'd really do all that?!" Laila said with a questionable tone of voice. "Of course, you're the love of my life and I need to keep you around. I love you." Grayson said and hung up.

Laila was now questioning herself, is this what love is? Who am I to be happy? Is this to good to be true? Would he ever leave? If he did would be come back? This made Laila so sad she started to cry, then... she heard the doorbell ring and she raced down to the stairs to see Grayson standing in the doorway and she ran into his warm embrace and she felt safe and she never wanted to leave. Never wanting to let go.

"Okay, now you're really not asking like yourself. You're crying, you're throwing up, you're sleeping more than normal, and you just aren't acting like you." Grayson said. Laila crooked a smile and started to walk to the living room but Grayson grabbed her arm and she turned around. "Talk to me." He said looking into her eyes.

He pulled him into the kitchen and at the counter there were kicked stools and they sat down, Grayson grabbed her hands and just held them until she would talk. He looked into her no makeup face, green eyes, wavy brown hair. "I'm scared." Laila finally spit out with so many tears in her eyes and running down her face. "About what?" Grayson asked as his thumb rubbed up and down her right hand. "Next year if our last year of high school together, then you'll be in college and that's where everything changes. You'll probably end up going to a big collage far away so you can do what you love, and well either break things off or try long distance but you'll meet a party animal girl and get married after college and move outside of somewhere in L.A because i'm just the high school sweetheart." Laila said bawling her eyes out she could barely breath and reaching for her inhaler.

"Baby girl, I know you're scared and i'm scared too. I'm not going anywhere and I hope you're not either. You shouldn't be scared and I shouldn't either. I'm going to college online so we'll still be together. Hopefully when you start college well move into an apartment of our own and save up for our first house and we'll be married before we know it with 2 boys running around in our back yard with me playing baseball and you and our beautiful daughter will be swinging on the tire swing in our front yard." Grayson said smiling. "You have all that pained out already?!" Laila said as he eye widened. "I want to be with you forever and always, no one else. You're my soul mate and we were made to be together and spend the rest of our lives together. I know this and I hope you now know it too, I love you Laila." "I love you too Grayson."