Grayson's Angel (A Completed Steamy, Romance)

The Moon and Stars

Mary Ellen

He went into the laundry room to get my clothes, but my heart was still racing. I told myself not to fool myself into thinking Grayson could ever want more than friendship.

I'm still shocked and still unsure about this whole situation. I have no idea why he would actually want to spend time around me.

"Nice and warm." He handed me my clothes.

"Thanks, I'll be right back."

I stepped into the bathroom and changed, then looked at myself in the mirror. It's a good thing Val saved that money for me, I don't have a backup pair of glasses.

I pulled my hair out to redo my ponytail, and I saw a brush on the counter. Reluctantly I reached for it, and slowly brushed my hair. I wonder if I should wear it down for once?

I set the brush down and decided to step outside my comfort zone, taking a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Woah...umm..I mean, you should wear your hair down more often." Grayson has been acting strange all day, like he's nervous or something. God, I hope this isn't some mean trick, I'm not sure I could handle the humiliation.

"Ready?" He asked, and I gave him a nod, then he pulled his keys from his pocket before he walked me to the passenger door of his car and opened it for me.

He didn't seem phased by my run down home, or the fact that I wear clothes from a thrift store. Now he treats me like I'm special? It just seems out of character, suspiciously out of character.

He started the engine, and I didn't even ask where we were going. I stared out the window and watched as we headed further out of town.

The car pulled in at a diner, and he left the engine running. "I'll be right back."

He walked inside, and I saw an older couple giving him a hug then hand him a paper bag. He waved bye before heading back in the car, and placed the bag on the back seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my second favorite spot." He winked before he put the car in reverse. "I wanted to take you places where we can actually talk." He added.

He veered onto yet another dirt road, and parked the car in a field. The sun is going down, but I did see a picnic table. He grabbed the bag and again he told me to stay still. He turned the key backward, rolled down his window, and turned up the radio before we got out.

"You actually like country music?" I laughed as he took my hand.

"Of course." He smiled, and we walked to the picnic table.

"I hope you don't mind fried chicken, my grandparents own that diner." He said.

"I love fried chicken, and your grandparents looked very sweet. I saw them give you hugs."

He nodded. "I come from simple people, and I wouldn't want it any other way." He hasn't lost his smile as he sets out our food.

"Where are we?" I looked around and could see the town just over the hill.

"This is my grandparents property, we used to ride horses up here." He looked around, then sat across from me.

"It's very pretty, is this where you bring Kathryn?" I'm really just curious.

"No" He shook his head. "She wouldn't have appreciated any of these places we've been today." He stuck a fry in his mouth.

"She missed out." I smiled at him.

"I always told Grandma I wanted to build a house here someday."

"It would have a beautiful view." I added.

He just nodded.

"Is pop okay? They don't have bottled water at the diner."

"Sounds good." He even opened it for me and set it down in front of me. Who would have thought Grayson could be so gentlemanly?

"I know you want to attend Juliard, but what do you plan as your career?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe teaching music, acting, or the ballet. I'm not sure yet, since there are so many choices."

"I have no doubt you'll be successful." He said.

We finished eating, then we both picked up the trash and stuff it into the bag.

"Let me show you something." We walked to the edge of the hill and he pointed. "There's your studio, of course our school, and my dads shop is over there." He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me. He stood behind me and his arm reached out beside me. "Your home should be right about there."

Home? More like a prison.

"Is that the diner?" I pointed to a light just outside of town.

"Yep, you can see the whole town from up here."

Grayson standing behind me so close, gave me the chills, and I heard him take a deep breath. I turned, and the moon cast down light across his face.

He looked down at me and held my gaze for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"There's alot of stars out tonight." He said as he backed away.

"The moon looks almost full." I added as I followed him back over to the picnic table, and I sat next to him on top of it.

I looked up at the stars and remembered something from before Dads accident.

My dad once told me a story. I thought fondly of it, while I told it to Grayson.

"Out on the prairie when the sky got so dark, and they couldn't see the stars, it was hard to find their way back home. So, if someone had to travel away from home at night, their loved ones would place an oil lamp in the window so they could find their way back home." I looked up at my dad. "When you're gone on your business trips, I'll always leave a light in the window, Daddy."

"So, for the longest time I left a flashlight in the window." I wiped a tear from my eye.

I looked at him. "Sometimes I still do, hoping he finds his way back to us." My voice broke.

"What happened to your dad?" He looked at me with concern.

"He was on his way home from the airport, when a group of teenaged kids were out drinking. They hit him head on, and he has been in a vegetative state ever since. He's at home with us, and between me and the aides, we take care of him. When I leave for college, my mother is putting him into a home because she has a new boyfriend." I rolled a small rock around with my foot on the seat of the picnic table.

"That was your dad? I heard about that accident, I'm so sorry." He put his arm around me.

"I'm fine, I really am, just sometimes I have a memory of him back when he was strong, and to me he hung the moon. He was an attorney, and a successful one at that, but we still ended up losing about everything. Our house is now owned by someone else, and they were going to foreclose, so my dads old boss bought it, and we pay rent now, and it needs a lot of work."

"Why doesn't your mom or your dads old boss hire someone?" He asked.

"Well," I lifted my hands from the table and brushed them together to get off the dirt. "I think my dads old boss forgot about us, and mom turned to alcoholism. She has her own life now.

Grayson, I'll never understand why you want to hang out with me. My life isn't what you would call normal. It's not just the kids that hate me, it's the adults too. They like to compare me to my alcoholic mother."

"Damn." he shook his head.

"It's fine, I'm moving on with my life. It's what my dad would have wanted." I said.