G/t Short Stories

A Sticky Situation

Grace cried out as she struggled against the glue trap. Every time she tried to move she only managed to get another limb in the glue. Soon she was firmly pinned to the sticky surface.
She didn't understand why the beans had left these traps all around the house; there weren't any mice within the walls, she would know. Did they find out? No, that was impossible, her family had always been careful with borrowing things. The only bean that knew about her existence was Duncan, but he would never do anything that would hurt her or her family. She refused to believe it!
The door clicked and Grace's heart dropped. She used all of her strength to try and pull herself out, she couldn't let anyone see her like this! 
The floor rumbled as heavy footsteps fell. Each movement sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't even turn to see who it was. The moment the person got into the kitchen, they immediately dropped whatever they held. 
"Oh god, Grace!?" Duncan's voice called out.
Grace wasn't sure if she should be relieved or embarrassed. A wave of shame washed over her once Duncan knelt down and loomed over her. She must have been the worst borrower to have ever existed. 
"Please tell me you're okay!" 
"Yeah… I'm fine." She said weakly. 
"Hold on, I'll get you out!" Duncan quickly grabbed the trap and lifted her up. He rummaged around the cabinets for something before going to the bathroom. "I told mom not to put these traps down, they're inhumane!" 
Grace had no objections, she's heard horror stories of animals dying an agonizing death from these traps. Things like this were the reason her people were so wary of beans. 
Duncan grabbed a bottle of vegetable oil and dabbed a few drops on her limbs, then he ran the water in the sink. "Let me know if this is too hot." 
Warm water washed over Grace, followed by Duncan's large fingers gently massaging her limbs. She had to admit, it felt kind of nice. If she closed her eyes, she could almost forget she got stuck in a glue trap and pretend this was just a weird spa treatment. Soon the glue washed away and Grace could pull herself out of this sticky situation. Once free, she stumbled into Duncan's hand. 
"Are you okay?" He asked, handing her a washcloth. 
Grace lowered her head. "I guess so." 
Duncan raised his hands closer to his face to inspect her for any injuries. "How did you manage to get stuck?" 
"Well… glue isn't easy t… to come by at my s… size… so I thought I could get some to use later." It sounded so stupid now that Grace said it out loud. Duncan must have thought she was an idiot!
"You know, you could always just ask me to get stuff for you. I wouldn't mind." 
"B-but that's not what borrowers are s...supposed to do." 
"I know, but I can't bare the thought of you getting hurt over something I could have just gotten for you." He let out a sigh. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." 
Grace's cheeks burned. Letting Duncan grab her supplies would practically strip the rights of being called a borrower, but she would totally let him do that if it meant seeing him more often. She gave him a nod in agreement and Duncan returned a smile that just melted her heart. 
"Do you wanna hang out for a bit?" 
"I w-would like that." 
"Great!" Duncan began to head towards his bedroom. "I've been watching a series on Netflix and I think you'll like it." 
Maybe Grace wasn't cut out to be a borrower, but the closer she got to Duncan, the more she was willing to accept that.