32: Test Run

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Nearly two weeks passed in a flurry of activity and confusion. Halloween was easily forgotten due to the whole protection order issue occurring only a day prior. And any day after that quickly came and went for Grace. Not only was she preoccupied with trying (unsuccessfully) to find Will to serve the restraining order, but midterms were right around the corner and Grace had admittedly been slacking in her studies.

Really, who could blame her? She had to deal with that drama with Sarah, entered a new relationship with Cal, and was currently trying to resolve an issue with a potentially dangerous stalker. It was only natural that some school work would fall to the wayside.

Grace's father managed to call the school to get an extension on some of her assignments, but there wasn't much anyone could do about midterms. Before her dad could explode on an unsuspecting teacher, Grace assured him that she would be fine. She needed a distraction anyway, and studying had always been the go-to for her.

Still, she was slowly getting eaten away by stress. Every shadow out of the corner of her eye, every phone call, every male stranger she saw on the street...she was just waiting for him to show up. Maybe he found out about the law getting involved and he was upset. Maybe he was waiting for the right moment to strike, watching her from the shadows constantly...

She had to shake this paranoia. But it was extremely difficult. Grace just wanted this whole thing to be over before she developed a heart condition.

Besides, she'd hardly been able to see Cal at all lately. It seems like they saw each other all the time before they started dating, and now that it was more difficult to be apart, they rarely crossed paths. They saw each other at school sometimes, but Grace had to go home immediately after school (per her father's orders) and they still didn't spend lunch together. Grace had half a mind to abandon her stubbornness and pride and just be with Cal for every lunch period.

But she wasn't sure the spreading of rumors would be good for Grace's mental health either. School was her only refuge since her father was quick to interrogate her the moment she came home a couple minutes late.

By Wednesday morning, Grace was so stressed and sleep-deprived that she sent a rather urgent text to Cal during second period.

Grace: Let's have lunch together today.

Grace kept her phone in her lap as she waited for a reply, doing her best to scribble notes and pay attention to class while she waited. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her phone to buzz.

Cal: Yes!!

Cal: Where do you want to meet?

Butterflies swarmed in Grace's stomach at the thought of actually getting to be alone with Cal again. They really hadn't hung out in person at all since they went to Main Street weeks ago.

Grace: By the door to the back parking lot

Cal: Ok!!

Grace stifled a giggle, imagining the visible excitement Cal was probably showing in her respective class. The honor student's mood was greatly improved now, and she was having trouble paying attention to the lecture. All she could think about was hurrying through these next few classes so she could see the tall blonde again.

--

Unfortunately, there was no "hurrying" after all since the following classes seemed to drag on for forever. Grace had to deal with Dana's nosiness in study hall and she'd have to review the notes for basically everything since she could no longer focus in class.

When the bell rang for lunch, she was already out of her seat and rushing out the classroom door. She was so over-eager that she figured she'd be the first one to arrive to their meeting spot at the back door of the building. But when she opened the door, Cal was already leaning against the outside wall, looking at her phone.

When the transfer student locked eyes with Grace, she shoved her phone in her pocket and broke into a wide smile. Grace found herself getting enveloped in a hug so tight she was having trouble breathing.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy to see you!" the blonde gushed.

Cal's body was so warm, and besides the protection from the cold autumn air, Grace was getting lost in the touch she hadn't had for what seemed like forever. She knew she missed Cal a lot, but actually hugging her again made her realize just how much she'd dying to see her.

Still, Grace held on to the rational part of her brain, and lightly pushed the taller girl away. "Cal! We're still at school!"

Cal just flashed her a crooked smile, the one that made Grace's knees weak. "Yeah, but there's no one around right now."

"Anyone could just walk through that door!" Grace protested. "Let's go to your car before anyone sees us."

"My car?" Cal asked, looking obviously surprised. "Are we going off campus?"

"Well, there's not really anywhere else for us to go."

"But if your dad finds out-"

"Ugh, I know!" Grace interrupted, suddenly exploding with frustration. She clutched the sides of her head in her hands, eliciting a weird look from Cal in the process. "I just can't take it anymore! I'm stressed out of my mind and I just wanted to see you. So just for today, he doesn't have to know. Is that so bad?"

Cal's expression softened, and she offered a gentle smile. She grabbed Grace's hand, warming it against the chilly breeze. "No, it's not bad."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Grace felt overwhelmed with relief at getting to be together once more. Cal pulled her to the parking lot where her car was, and Grace couldn't even find it in her to care if anyone saw them together.

Once they piled in the car and started warming it up (not that Grace wasn't already plenty warm), Cal turned to her.

"Where to?" she asked. "I don't usually eat lunch, so it's up to you."

"I'm not really hungry," Grace replied truthfully. She was more interested in finding a place for them to be alone, but she couldn't just outright say that.

"Hmm...it's a little too cold to go to the lake."

"...yeah."

Cal looked at her, as if trying to read her eyes, as if she wasn't sure if she should say something. Grace prayed that she would guess what the honor student was thinking, and that she shared the same sentiment. Cal visibly swallowed, and Grace guessed that they might be on the same wavelength.

"We could stop by my house," she offered, a bit timidly. "My mom's at work."

"That's...fine," Grace replied with a small nod.

Cal gave her a lingering look, then put the car into reverse and drove out of the parking lot. Oh boy, now Grace was getting nervous. Before she'd wanted nothing more than to be alone with Cal, but now she was actually afraid of it.

Would Cal want to...?

No, no.

It was still way too early for that.

Cal turned on the radio to fill the silence, and the two didn't speak much as they drove to the house. Soon enough, they were passing the park where they met that one night after they just started dating, and Grace knew they were close. With every minute that passed, it seemed like her heart was getting louder and faster, her breathing more shallow.

They pulled up to Cal's house which was a sort of thin building mashed between two larger ones. It was smaller than Grace's house, but it definitely looked nice, and Grace recalled that Cal's mother was an attorney.

Wordlessly, Cal led the way up the walkway to the front door. She seemed relatively calm, but when she pulled her keys out to unlock the door, Grace noticed her hand trembling.

At least I'm not the only one...

They stepped inside, the warmth of the heater wrapping around Grace's form. She shut the front door behind her and prepared to take her boots off, but before she could even take in the view of the house, her back was shoved against the door and Cal's lips were pressed against her's.

Shocked, it took Grace a second to respond to the kiss – one of Cal's hands held her chin while her other arm was pressed against the door above her. Almost immediately, Cal's tongue was in her mouth touching her own, and the sensation caused Grace's mind to go blank as she matched the taller girl's movements. Although the honor student was cold a second ago, her body was now on fire from the sensation of suddenly touching Cal after what seemed like forever.

Cal's arms moved down to wrap around Grace's waist, and Grace slung her own around Cal's neck. Right before Grace was about to completely run out of breath, Cal pulled away and started kissing up her neck. When she made it to her earlobe, she licked it, and Grace unsuccessfully stifled a moan.

"I'm sorry," Cal breathed into her ear, her voice hoarse. "I just really missed you."

"I...missed you, too," Grace choked out as Cal slowly kissed up her jaw.

Cal made it back to Grace's lips and captured them again, this time moving slower and more deliberate now that the initial desperation was out of the way. It was really unfair how good the tall girl was at kissing, and Grace couldn't help but wonder if she was keeping up well enough. Regardless, Cal certainly seemed into it, so she couldn't have been that bad.

These feelings were foreign to Grace – although she had kissed before, she'd never made out with someone so much, and the intensity of doing it was almost overwhelming. It was somewhat terrifying when Grace, who was always in her own head, lost the ability to think whenever Cal touched her. There was a conflict of wanting to run away, but not being able to stand being apart.

Grace, typically so level-headed and logical, was completely controlled by instinct and emotion in these situations. And even when Cal's hands slipped under the bottom of her shirt or into the waistband of her jeans, Grace found herself at the mercy of her own primal desires.

Cal's hands stopped moving and she pulled her face away so their lips brushed but weren't connected.

"You're not stopping me," Cal breathed out in a voice that Grace had never heard from her before.

"I probably should be," Grace whispered, hardly able to keep her voice steady. If Cal and the door weren't supporting her weight, she would probably sink to the floor.

"I always thought you'd sock me in the face if I did stuff like this," Cal muttered.

"I'm still considering it," Grace joked weakly.

Cal smiled, then pulled Grace into a full on hug. "Are you grossed out at all?" she asked. Her voice was less confident than before, almost a bit childlike in its insecurity. Grace thought that perhaps hugging was an excuse to hide Cal's face from her, as if she was afraid of showing her reaction to the answer of that question.

"No," Grace said, putting a hand on the back of Cal's head. "Should I be?"

"Well...I just figured you originally like guys, so..."

Ah. So that's what it was.

Maybe Cal's pushiness was a little test to see how Grace reacted rather than an actual invitation to go further. The thought both relieved and distressed the brunette.

"I don't really know," Grace admitted, "but I don't feel disgusted at all. Trust me, I would tell you if I was."

She heard Cal let out a breath. The taller girl pulled back to study Grace's expression. "Really?"

"Really."

Cal leaned down and kissed Grace once more, but this time it was very gentle and short-lived. Hesitantly, the blonde pulled away and broke into a wide, toothy smile.

"I guess I should give you a second to take off your shoes now."

Grace smiled back.

"How polite of you."

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