Amazing Grace
Chapter 5
I left another note for Helene saying I’d gone to the gym, then was going out for lunch with Zak and I’d call her later. I felt bad for lying but I didn’t have time to think about it. It was nearing 12 and I didn’t want to miss my daily meeting with Harry. It’d been 5 days of secretly meeting in the empty apartment. He’d bring lunch and I’d bring music. Some days we’d dance around like idiots and some days we’d just sit on the counter and talk about everything we’d missed. Every day was new, every day was different, and I had almost forgotten how easy things with him were. Every day I came to the apartment to see that dazzling smile, hug him and not want to let go, and stare into those emerald eyes, just like I’d done every day since I was 6.
We’d made no mention of our confession of love for each other, but I could see he didn’t forget about it either. Sometimes when we fell into comfortable silences I’d catch him looking at me, that same mysterious look in his eyes. We also never talked about Zak or my current “life” as Ava Smith. I guess some topics were still of limits, either that or it just hurt too much for either of us to talk about it. I rarely saw Zak anymore and I felt awful about it, considering he’d been nothing but great to me. I don’t know why I felt so guilty, it wasn’t like I was screwing Harry behind his back, no matter how much I wanted to, I wasn’t that kind of person.
Another month went by like this. Harry and I sneaking in to the apartment eagerly every morning at quarter to 12, and sneaking out sadly and slowly by 5, but it wasn’t enough. We’d started meeting earlier around 10 am and leaving later around 5:30. One morning I was feeling especially daring, and decided to get up and meet Harry while Zak was still in bed. I crept out of bed silently and went to the dresser to get dressed. I put on a light pink dress and beige leather jacket over it. I brushed my hair and let the auburn waves fall around my shoulder. I liked that seeing Harry gave me a reason to get pretty again.
“Where ya goin babe?” Zak mumbled sleepily from bed. I turned around in surprise not expecting him to wake up.
“Uh just out for coffee with a girl I met at the gym the other day” I said fumbling around my words. Since talking to Harry I had become progressively worse at lying. Zak sat up realizing something wasn’t right. I started towards the door, trying to change the subject before he could ask any more questions. “I’ll be back shortly babe don’t worry!”
“Ava! Ava don’t lie to me!” he yelled after me as I darted for the door. Fuck. The last thing I wanted was to have to lie to Zak. I’d have to tell Harry we’d have to cool things off for a little until Zak was less suspicious. God it sounded so awful when I put it like that. Once I arrived at the apartment though, every thought and worry about Zak was gone. Harry had put on a black button up and some nice khakis, he’d ditched his shoes by the door and was dancing around the kitchen to music, while he buttered a bagel. There was a whole array of food laid out on the kitchen counter island.
“Happy 1 month friendship anniversary love” he said with that heartbreaking smile on his face, grabbing my hand and spinning me around in a circle. He brought me in for a hug, and held me tightly. I smiled at the comfort of his arms and the familiar smell of mint gum. He pulled away and held my gaze, his warm fingers sliding through my hair, shifting my gaze to those mesmerizing eyes.
“Grace Abbot, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen” he said earnestly, pouring his soul into my eyes. I shivered not because I was cold, but because I felt his words in my heart. He pressed me closer to him, his hand on the small of my back. The heat between us was almost unbearable. His beautiful emerald eyes were clouded with desire and burned into my caramel ones. He moved his hands to my hips, crashing them into his, creating a new kind of heat to crawl up my spine and flush my cheeks. I dug my fingers into his back through his tshirt, which only made him pull me in closer, if that was possible. I was melting under his heated gaze, but I didn’t want it to end. He brought his face down to mine, closer and closer, and I shivered again in anticipation. Then my phone rang.
Harry let out a low growl and backed away. I blushed from the heat of the moment and went in search for my phone. I wanted him so badly and in a way I was saved by a bell because the bell ringing from my phone saved me from the sweetest mistake I could have made. It was Zak, and I groaned. He’d already called me 3 times since I walked out and no doubt he would continue to call me until I answered. I put my phone on silent and went to join Harry for breakfast in what was now our kitchen.
After a very nice meal we sat on the carpet of what was to be mine & Zak’s bedroom, looking out the huge French windows that lent a beautiful view of London, just talking as usual.
“You know it’s been hours, shouldn’t you call Zak back now? If I were your boyfriend I wouldn’t stop calling. I’d be worried sick if I were him” Harry said, not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. I nodded and reached for my phone a couple feet away. I’d brought it in the room with me, but hadn’t bothered to look at it. The world outside of this apartment didn’t matter when I was with Harry. We both rolled over on to our stomachs, looking at the assault my recent calls and texts had taken. 10 missed calls, 4 voicemails, and one very annoyed text. I assumed they were all from Zak.
“Open the voicemails” he said, his pink lips drawing up into a playful smile, an amusing light in his eyes.
“Why, so you can make fun of him?” I said, the same playful smile mirrored on my lips.
“Exactly! So open them!”
I sighed in compliance and opened up the first voicemail
‘Babe, where are you going? I know something’s going on. Call me back’ – Click.
‘Honey, why haven’t you called me back? I’m starting to get really annoyed’ – Click.
‘Ava, what the fuck? Call me. Now!” – Click.
The whole time this was going on Harry had been making faces, mimicking Zak’s voice. He had me in absolute stitches by the time we finished the third voicemail.
“Go on, open the last one” Harry prodded, his smile absolutely blinding. Laughing I opened the last voicemail, and instead of hearing an angry Zak through speaker it was an automated woman’s voice.
‘Hello. This is the United Kingdom Office of Corrections. You have registered for updates on offender #009658, Aiden Walker. Offender #009658 has been released on parole. If you have immediate concerns for your safety, please dial 999. Good day’. – Click.
My heart dropped to my stomach, and my hand immediately shot up to trace the now faded scars on my cheeks and forehead. Harry stood up and was again pacing the room, his face twisted up in anger. I didn’t know what to think, or what to say. Aiden was out on the streets, a free man, and probably looking for me, or worse, for Harry. My stomach lurched at the thought of anything bad happening to him, and I thought I was going to be sick. Almost as if he read my mind, Harry stooped down to me, taking my chin in his hands.
“Grace listen, he is NOT going to hurt you again, you hear me? I won’t let him come anywhere near you. This time, I can protect you love. I’ll die before he touches a single hair on your head, understand?” his voice was urgent and serious, and I just nodded. He sat down on the floor again and collected me in his arms, letting my head rest against his chest, his arms encasing me protectively… home.
“Everything is going to be fine Gracie, I promise” he whispered into my hair, and I believed him.
We’d made no mention of our confession of love for each other, but I could see he didn’t forget about it either. Sometimes when we fell into comfortable silences I’d catch him looking at me, that same mysterious look in his eyes. We also never talked about Zak or my current “life” as Ava Smith. I guess some topics were still of limits, either that or it just hurt too much for either of us to talk about it. I rarely saw Zak anymore and I felt awful about it, considering he’d been nothing but great to me. I don’t know why I felt so guilty, it wasn’t like I was screwing Harry behind his back, no matter how much I wanted to, I wasn’t that kind of person.
Another month went by like this. Harry and I sneaking in to the apartment eagerly every morning at quarter to 12, and sneaking out sadly and slowly by 5, but it wasn’t enough. We’d started meeting earlier around 10 am and leaving later around 5:30. One morning I was feeling especially daring, and decided to get up and meet Harry while Zak was still in bed. I crept out of bed silently and went to the dresser to get dressed. I put on a light pink dress and beige leather jacket over it. I brushed my hair and let the auburn waves fall around my shoulder. I liked that seeing Harry gave me a reason to get pretty again.
“Where ya goin babe?” Zak mumbled sleepily from bed. I turned around in surprise not expecting him to wake up.
“Uh just out for coffee with a girl I met at the gym the other day” I said fumbling around my words. Since talking to Harry I had become progressively worse at lying. Zak sat up realizing something wasn’t right. I started towards the door, trying to change the subject before he could ask any more questions. “I’ll be back shortly babe don’t worry!”
“Ava! Ava don’t lie to me!” he yelled after me as I darted for the door. Fuck. The last thing I wanted was to have to lie to Zak. I’d have to tell Harry we’d have to cool things off for a little until Zak was less suspicious. God it sounded so awful when I put it like that. Once I arrived at the apartment though, every thought and worry about Zak was gone. Harry had put on a black button up and some nice khakis, he’d ditched his shoes by the door and was dancing around the kitchen to music, while he buttered a bagel. There was a whole array of food laid out on the kitchen counter island.
“Happy 1 month friendship anniversary love” he said with that heartbreaking smile on his face, grabbing my hand and spinning me around in a circle. He brought me in for a hug, and held me tightly. I smiled at the comfort of his arms and the familiar smell of mint gum. He pulled away and held my gaze, his warm fingers sliding through my hair, shifting my gaze to those mesmerizing eyes.
“Grace Abbot, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen” he said earnestly, pouring his soul into my eyes. I shivered not because I was cold, but because I felt his words in my heart. He pressed me closer to him, his hand on the small of my back. The heat between us was almost unbearable. His beautiful emerald eyes were clouded with desire and burned into my caramel ones. He moved his hands to my hips, crashing them into his, creating a new kind of heat to crawl up my spine and flush my cheeks. I dug my fingers into his back through his tshirt, which only made him pull me in closer, if that was possible. I was melting under his heated gaze, but I didn’t want it to end. He brought his face down to mine, closer and closer, and I shivered again in anticipation. Then my phone rang.
Harry let out a low growl and backed away. I blushed from the heat of the moment and went in search for my phone. I wanted him so badly and in a way I was saved by a bell because the bell ringing from my phone saved me from the sweetest mistake I could have made. It was Zak, and I groaned. He’d already called me 3 times since I walked out and no doubt he would continue to call me until I answered. I put my phone on silent and went to join Harry for breakfast in what was now our kitchen.
After a very nice meal we sat on the carpet of what was to be mine & Zak’s bedroom, looking out the huge French windows that lent a beautiful view of London, just talking as usual.
“You know it’s been hours, shouldn’t you call Zak back now? If I were your boyfriend I wouldn’t stop calling. I’d be worried sick if I were him” Harry said, not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. I nodded and reached for my phone a couple feet away. I’d brought it in the room with me, but hadn’t bothered to look at it. The world outside of this apartment didn’t matter when I was with Harry. We both rolled over on to our stomachs, looking at the assault my recent calls and texts had taken. 10 missed calls, 4 voicemails, and one very annoyed text. I assumed they were all from Zak.
“Open the voicemails” he said, his pink lips drawing up into a playful smile, an amusing light in his eyes.
“Why, so you can make fun of him?” I said, the same playful smile mirrored on my lips.
“Exactly! So open them!”
I sighed in compliance and opened up the first voicemail
‘Babe, where are you going? I know something’s going on. Call me back’ – Click.
‘Honey, why haven’t you called me back? I’m starting to get really annoyed’ – Click.
‘Ava, what the fuck? Call me. Now!” – Click.
The whole time this was going on Harry had been making faces, mimicking Zak’s voice. He had me in absolute stitches by the time we finished the third voicemail.
“Go on, open the last one” Harry prodded, his smile absolutely blinding. Laughing I opened the last voicemail, and instead of hearing an angry Zak through speaker it was an automated woman’s voice.
‘Hello. This is the United Kingdom Office of Corrections. You have registered for updates on offender #009658, Aiden Walker. Offender #009658 has been released on parole. If you have immediate concerns for your safety, please dial 999. Good day’. – Click.
My heart dropped to my stomach, and my hand immediately shot up to trace the now faded scars on my cheeks and forehead. Harry stood up and was again pacing the room, his face twisted up in anger. I didn’t know what to think, or what to say. Aiden was out on the streets, a free man, and probably looking for me, or worse, for Harry. My stomach lurched at the thought of anything bad happening to him, and I thought I was going to be sick. Almost as if he read my mind, Harry stooped down to me, taking my chin in his hands.
“Grace listen, he is NOT going to hurt you again, you hear me? I won’t let him come anywhere near you. This time, I can protect you love. I’ll die before he touches a single hair on your head, understand?” his voice was urgent and serious, and I just nodded. He sat down on the floor again and collected me in his arms, letting my head rest against his chest, his arms encasing me protectively… home.
“Everything is going to be fine Gracie, I promise” he whispered into my hair, and I believed him.
5/31/13