Sunnyvale H.S

2

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A/N- I hope you enjoy the story :) I worked pretty hard on it so I hope that comes through when you read it. I'm also British so apologies for any spelling differences or words you don't understand.

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By the time the sun came up, I was absolutely shattered. The sun fell over my face, giving me a soft glow. I groaned loudly, and opened my eyes, seeing the naked branches of the cherry blossom tree dance in the wind outside the bedroom window.

Dark rings sat beneath my eyes due to a lack of sleep, and my usual blue eyes didn't hold the spark it would have months ago. God, I barely slept anymore, my body just wouldn't allow it to happen. On most nights, a nightmare would wake me and I would sit for hours awake. My mind was drained, yet my body had never been so alive.

When I stepped out of the shower, my hair hung across my face in wet ringlets. Muffled voices could be heard from downstairs. One I recognised as my mothers, the other was a males voice I was unfamiliar with.

 Wrapping a towel around my body, I tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as I could, looking into the kitchen. My mother spotted me almost instantly.

"Grace! Come and say hello."

Avery was dressed in a tight black skirt, and a silk white button up, a pair of black killer heels on her feet. Her blonde hair was scraped into a bun at the back of her head and she held a black blazer over her arm. She was definitely a businesswoman, that was for sure.

"This is Harold, he works at Sunnyvale. His older brother and I went to school together."

I smiled shyly as Avery turned around to sort out her clutch.

I reached out my hand to shake his own extended one, before quickly realising that my towel was slipping away from my chest. He quickly reached his hand out to stop the towel from slipping any further and revealing me completely.

I blushed furiously as he laughed softly at my attempt to hold the towel up against my body. Good going. It was literally 2 seconds into our first meeting.

"I'm Harry, I'm assuming you're called Grace?" He attempted to make me feel less awkward from the recent slip up, and I nodded slowly.

"Yup. I'm Grace." We stood centimetres away from each other.

"Is there any chance you would be ready in 15 minutes?" he asked softly as I stood in front of him. 

"Why? I have places to be today," I muttered to herself. But if I was to go, maybe I wouldn't have to go back to Sunnyvale.

"Harry will be driving you to Sunnyvale today, I have a meeting at 10. So I'm afraid its either Harry or make your own way there," my mother spoke, turning to face us.

"Don't be silly Avery, of course I'll take her, you don't need to make your own way there love don't worry." The word love struck against my ribcage as I stared up at him. There was no denying he was extremely attractive.

I stood staring at Harry and taking in his appearance and features.

He was extremely good looking. He had a sharp jawline and high cheekbones ; and tan skin with several tattoos along his arms. My eyes trailed along the jet black ink, the designs standing out like black ink on golden paper. His hair was a dark hazel colour, falling below his ears, and the ends curled into tight bunches. But it was his eyes that struck me the most. He had striking green eyes, and I felt like every time he looked at me, his gaze was burning right through me. They held a fiery intensity, which I was yet to decide if I liked or disliked. 

I didn't notice that I had dragged my lips in between my teeth as I gawped at him. 

"So is that a yes?" he questioned. 

A smirk played on his plump pink lips. They looked so kissable to me, I couldn't help but gape. He definitely caught me staring. 

Reality seemed to wake me up, that I was standing in front of a man, who was several years older- in just a towel. I forgot he had asked a question, but his eyes reminded me as my own trailed up to meet his.

"I'll be done in 10."

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The car ride was long and winding. We had sat in silence for almost 15 minutes before he decided to break the void.

"Your mother's Avery huh?" 

"Yeah, she's never really mentioned you before."

"I don't see why she would have a reason to. She knew my brother more than me. I was kind of just a background kid in our house."

"What's your brothers name?" 

"Peter quill. We didn't share the same mother, so our surnames are different," he explained, and I nodded along.

"He sounds cool."

"He's a douche. But he was somehow friends with Avery in high school."

"Was she a teachers pet?"

Grace listened to Harry speak and tell stories about his childhood with her mum and how his brother and her grew up together. There was a significant age gap between him and Avery but he was always included. He told her stories of when they had PE together and she would flirt with Chris Hemsworth, the school's most popular jock. Her and Chris dated on and off for 3 years before she fell pregnant at 16. Nine months later, Grace was born on December 19th. 

He told her how her mother disappeared for a while after she found out that she was having a baby. Chris turned to drinking and the rest she already knew. And that's what brought her to Sunnyvale.

"Did you ever fancy my mum?" Grace asked and he shook his head slowly.

"I don't think I ever did. Don't get me wrong, she was beautiful, she had it all, but I didn't fall for her. Peter did at one point, but he met someone else."

"So did you meet somebody else?"

"In college I did. Her name was Tess. She was stunning, beautiful really. We were together for 9 years."

"Did you split up?" I was worried to hear his answer in case he got upset or mad at me for asking, but he didn't, he smiled and continued to drive through town. I wouldn't have known what to do if he did. He didn't seem like the type to leave people stranded on the side of a road. I hope.

"No. She was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fought it once, but it broke her down, she wasn't the same woman I had fallen for, it ruined her completely. I know that probably sounds selfish, but it was almost as if she was a fake version of herself. Completely broken down into something frail and small."

Immediately, I regretted asking him. It probably hurt him to speak about it and dig up all those feelings.

"She passed away 3 years later."

He looked at the road straight ahead of him, his expression blank, making it too difficult for me to read what he was thinking. I couldn't help but feel guilty. Maybe that's why he worked here at Sunnyvale. While helping others, he could come to terms with his own battles and struggles. 

I was probably overthinking it. I decided to shut up, worried to carry on.

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to Harry." 

He took a quick glance at me, flashing a reassuring smile.

"I feel bad though," I muttered.

"No, it's okay, don't  feel bad, I'ts good to get it all out Grace. Remember that."

I nodded, understanding what he meant.

"God I wish I'd had a love like that. Things like that just don't happen anymore. Relationships don't last like they used to."

He stared at her for a minute before replying,

"Have you ever been in love Grace?"

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