Alexei And Grace

05 | Darling

Two Years Later

"GRACE!" LENA SHOUTED FROM HER bedroom. "Grace, get in here now!"

          I slid off the kitchen stool where I was sat and prepared myself for an onslaught of panicked rambling as Lena got ready for a night out. I, on the other hand, liked to keep it simple; I'd done my makeup, a simple cat eye with a bold red lip, and slipped into my navy blue dress in less than an hour. In fact, I'd planned my transformation from sloppy nurse to actual human being so perfectly that I'd already had time to sip on a glass of wine while awaiting my best friend.

Anyone who knew me knew I liked wine - though like had become a bit of a weak word since my encounter with Alex almost two years ago. Before then, I'd hardly touched alcohol at all. Lena saw it as a sudden gift from god, a miracle, but I knew it for what it really was: a numbing distraction. Because, despite the promises that had been made, Alex had never called me back.

"Does this make my arse look big?" Lena asked, shaking her booty at me as I stood in the doorway, glass in hand.

I observed the pale pink dress she wore, taking in her shapely curves and tan skin that set off the colour perfectly. "You look great," I told her honestly.

She rolled her eyes. "How about a little enthusiasm?"

"Woo!" I held up my wine glass and cheered, though even to me my voice sounded flat. "Seriously," I continued. "You really do look hot."

"I know." She popped her lips after applying a light gloss to them, admiring her own artful makeup in the mirror. By comparison, I was sure I looked more like a toddler who had been provided with crayons.

"Is that all you needed me for?"

"Pretty much."

"Jonah is picking us up soon," I reminded her gently as she rummaged in the wardrobe for some shoes. She lobbed several heels out behind her without looking, narrowly missing a collision with my head.

Jonah and I had been together for a little under a year now - he was my dad's best friend's son, a year younger than me but already more successful. He'd already procured a job at a top law firm. He wasn't second rate, like I was. He wasn't a drop out. But most of all, most importantly, he was good.

He was the sort of guy who still believed in chivalry; he held doors for me, dated me, kept a respectable distance from me around my dad. He was always polite, and always on time. He asked permission - for everything, including the right to kiss me. He loved me. I knew he loved me, and I knew I should love him. His love was safe, dependable. He'd never let me down or hurt me. He'd respect me, always. He'd never raise his voice, and especially not his fist. He was the person my dad had always hoped I'd marry; we were made for each other.

We were.

          A knock at the front door of Lena's apartment knocked me from my thoughts, and increased the rate of shoe-throwing so it had almost reached critical. I went to greet Jonah who was stood outside the front door in skinny blue jeans that were a little too big for him and a dark green Hollister shirt. He looked...well, he looked like a teenager.