Grace's POV

I spent the entire night going through Dad's travel entries. It didn't take much effort to go through all of them. One second I was at the first entry and the next, I was opening the last one.

It was as if I was talking to Dad. I could hear his voice as I read those words in my head. Short detailed sentences. Every research trip he went to and whatever stuff he discovered there.

I could feel the invisible heaviness overwhelming my heart. I didn't care if it was way past midnight at that moment. I didn't care if my eyelids were slightly drooping with exhaustion. I just kept on going through his notes.

I stopped only when I reached his last entry. His last research trip, years ago. To my surprise, it wasn't opening up on the screen. It seemed as if it was encrypted.

I tried everything to open it up somehow, but nothing had proved  successful. This, with my lack of sleep, irritated me a lot. I had read each of those travel entries and had found nothing. Nothing that justified Burner's words which were repeating again and again in my head.

Burner believed that Dad brought something valuable from one of his research trips. But as far as I had read, I found nothing like such. Only the last travel entry was left, which wasn't opening at all.

Why was it encrypted? How was it not opening up?

I shut down the laptop screen and leaned back against the couch, my back aching in protest as I bit onto my fingernails anxiously.

That's pretty much how I spent the next few hours; thinking and thinking and letting my thoughts overwhelm me. So much so that I didn't even notice the sun coming up until my phone rang.

The same phone that I hadn't touched ever since Jonathan had handed it to me. I hadn't switched it on, not even in the hospital. Mainly because I knew Cynthia must've interrogated everything within my phone. Somehow, the day I had lost my phone at that Carnival, it had gotten in her hands.

She must've used it. All I wanted to do was throw it away, scared that she could somehow track me with it now.

But all I saw, when I switched it on, was Alice's short text.

Good morning :)

After that, time passed by really quick. I went to school knowing that I had already missed out so many classes to skip another day. I tried catching up to all my missed homework, all the while thinking about things like Dad's laptop and why that last entry was strangely not accessible.

Alice was beside me all day, except for few classes, making sure to keep me updated with everything that was going on around me. But I knew the real reason why she didn't leave my side at all was to make sure I was doing all right, especially since I had just left the hospital yesterday.

I was kind of grateful when she left for her last class, leaving me alone with my free period. Not that I hated her company. I just needed some time apart from her.

Instead of going to the library to finish up my Literature assignment, I headed for the grounds. More specifically, the bleachers where I was sure I would find Luca.

And I was right when I spotted him sitting on one of them, his brown curls flipping along with the wind as he pressed a cigarette against his lips.

I followed his gaze towards the group of boys playing soccer along the grounds, before making my way towards him.

"Since when did you start smoking?" I asked the obvious question that struck me first as I sat down beside him, placing few inches of space between us.

He pulled away the cigarette before giving me a tiny glance. "Since you left."

It was certainly the bluntness of his tone that enhanced the anxiousness inside me. And maybe even guilt too.

I didn't say anything for the next few seconds, looking over at the other boys who thankfully weren't paying the slightest of attention towards us. I wanted to say something to him, but I think he was over my constant apologies.

"Um, listen." I started, fidgeting with my fingers.

"I am listening." He replied.

I blinked before raking my hands through my hair, inhaling deeply. I was glad that he was paying attention. But something bothered me. His bluntness bothered me.

"I...found Dad's laptop yesterday. There were many travel entries saved in it. From his research trips." I paused just so that he could catch up to where I was heading. "I looked into all of them but found nothing important, except for the last entry."

He looked at me, raising a brow.

"It wasn't opening. I-I think somebody encrypted it. It wasn't opening at all for some reason."

He looked away before crushing the cigarette under his black laced boot.

"We know that Burner needs something. Something my dad brought back from one of his trips." I added in a lower voice even though I was aware that nobody was near us. The pale blue bleachers were almost empty. "I think...whatever it is, it's mentioned in that last travel entry."

Luca was still silent at that, his gaze fixated on the other boys kicking the soccer ball.

"It could be." He said before placing his elbows on his knees. "Maybe that's why it's not opening."

I kept my eyes trained on him.

"Somebody must've encrypted it." He raked a hand through his tousled curls. "To hide it from someone."

Had Dad done it?

On the other hand, it still didn't settle well with me, the fact that Dad had left his laptop in our house. Why had he?

"That's the only way." I murmured, looking away from him. "But I don't know–"

"I can try." He cut me off, glancing at me sideways. "I know how that stuff works. I can try to access it."

My eyes widened a little at that. I hadn't known he could do that. But then again, I hadn't known a lot of things.

"Yeah." I nodded, almost a little too hopefully. "I can come by your house after school with the laptop."

He narrowed his gaze before looking away. "Sure."

We both went silent after that. I didn't mind the silence, though. It was comfortable in some way. But as more thoughts crowded in my head, I realized that it wasn't. The silence couldn't be comfortable when so many questions were still left unanswered between us.

I glanced over at him, at his relaxed side profile. "How's your shoulder?"

He looked at me and furrowed his brows. "What happened to my shoulder?"

I inhaled deeply and leaned back. Was he expecting me to act along with him?

"I don't know. You didn't tell me." I gave him a blank look in return. "My only guess is that you got beaten up by someone?"

His raised his brows slightly and I saw the corner of his lips tugging upwards before he looked away, back towards the grounds. "It's fine. It was just a punch. Not like I would've died."

And the mere fact that he was talking so casually about his death made me frown a little.

Almost the exact second, I saw Natalie rushing towards the bleachers, towards us. In her cheerleading skirt and short fitted top. "Luc!"

And when her excited gaze drifted towards me, I realized how she must not have expected me to be here. Beside Luca.

"And Grace. Wow." She let out a small giggle at that. I didn't bother smiling at her as she looked back at Luca. "Hey, I heard that you left the team?"

I glanced over at Luca as he responded with a short shrug. "Yeah."

"What? Why?" She flicked her pink-dyed hair behind her bare shoulder and leaned towards him from the other side of the bleachers. "I thought you loved soccer?"

I thought so too.

"I don't anymore." Was his short reply. And some part inside me breathed out a sigh of relief when he leaned back, away from Natalie's perfectly flawless face.

She gave him a pitiful look before looking back at me. "That's sad, isn't it, Gracie?"

I didn't reply to her, not even when Luca rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I also heard that you were hooking up with Fraser Nash few days ago?" She pointed one of her red painted fingernails towards me, smirking with some sort of accusation. "Was that why you weren't coming to school?"

I almost laughed. I really did.

Did she not have a life?

"She was at the hospital." Luca replied when I didn't say anything. And I did notice the hint of edge in his voice, though I didn't know whether it was directed towards me or Natalie.

Natalie's eyes widened at that. "Oh yeah, I heard about that. Unfortunate, I guess."

This time, I rolled my eyes.

"Talking about unfortunate," She eyed me specifically. "Fraser left the school. Do you know why?"

I still didn't understand why she was even here. "No."

She formed a small pout at that. "You two were pretty close. I thought you'd know."

I tensed up slightly when her lips curved up in a little smirk, as if she knew that Fraser had kissed me. And maybe she did know. That was exactly why I stood up hastily, Luca glancing at me with a small frown.

"I think I'll go now." And I left them both, my heart beating a bit too loudly in my ears.

•••••

Later that day when I went to Luca's house with Dad's laptop, none of us talked about the little conversation we had with Natalie. Which was more than fine by me.

I was still trying to acknowledge the fact that Fraser was gone now. Without an explanation. Without any reason as to why he had even kissed me.

Luca hadn't given me any explanation either.

"Do you think your dad did this?" Luca broke the silence, still looking at the laptop screen with a small frown on his face.

I looked away from his side profile and directed my gaze at Frost. More particularly, I found myself looking where I could hear his small barks from. I had no idea what he was even doing in the kitchen.

"I don't know. I can't think of a reason why he would do that." I murmured.

The frown didn't leave his face as he pressed something over the keyboard. I really hoped this would work.

He muttered something lowly under his breath, something I didn't quite understand. So I looked away again and stood up this time, going over towards the kitchen.

"And you found this laptop just now?" He asked.

I stopped near the kitchen counter and turned back towards him. "Yes. I hadn't seen it before."

He looked up from the laptop and narrowed his gaze at me. Something about the way he was looking at me made me tug at my sweater sleeves. I hadn't even changed from my school clothes when I headed over here. I had literally just picked up the laptop and ran over to his house. I was that desperate.

"What?" I questioned.

"You know, this doesn't settle with me." He leaned back against the couch, still eyeing me. "Why would you not notice this laptop before?"

I shrugged blankly. "I told you. I didn't see it before."

The work with the laptop was long forgotten as he continued staring at me. "You got kidnapped days ago, found out that Burner needed something from your father, and now, all of a sudden, you find this?"

He wasn't the only one. This all seemed suspicious to me too.

Frost's loud bark broke me out of his intense stare as I turned back around and went inside the kitchen. "I really don't know. I'm hoping you can fix that so we can find out."

He was silent for a while, making me think that he was once again busy with the laptop.

"What happened to Fraser?" He asked. And when I glanced at him, I realized that he was still looking at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Where is he? I haven't seen him since days." He replied. And when I didn't say anything, he added, "He disappeared the moment you got kidnapped."

I didn't like where he was going. But deep down, I had my own suspicions too. Suspicions that I wasn't willing to speak about.

"He seems shady to me." He said, finally looking back at the laptop. And then he lowered his voice just so that I wouldn't hear, "Not to forget how all of a sudden he wanted to hook up with you."

But I did hear it, trying my best to ignore the way my face heated up with embarrassment. Instead of answering him back, which would just have been stupid, I chose to go towards Frost who was busy snooping around in an opened lower cabinet.

"Frost!" I hissed before pulling him back. He barked loudly and tried freeing himself from my grip. I had to clutch him tightly before I closed the cabinet.

"I think it's done." Luca spoke up from the lounge, his gaze directed towards the laptop screen before he stood up from the couch. "It'll take few minutes, I guess. To authorize access."

Frost jumped down from my hands and circled around my feet, sniffing for something. I watched as Luca came towards us, stopping at the other side of the kitchen counter.

He eyed me with that intense gaze once again and opened his mouth to say something when I accidentally took a step back, stepping right on one of Frost's paws.

And really, I hadn't even stepped on it that hard, but Frost reacted way badly to it. Barking loudly, he lunged at me out of nowhere.

I saw Luca's eyes widening as he shut his mouth. I tried holding onto something but stumbled backwards, hitting my head on one of the cabinets behind me. Luca scrunched up his nose, eyeing something above me.

Before I could've done anything, something toppled over my head. And all I could see was complete white for the next few seconds. Not until I started coughing and wiping off the white powder from my face.

"God." I heard someone, probably Luca, as a small chuckle slipped out of his lips.

I frowned at that, hastily trying to wipe it off my face. When I could finally see, I realized that I was completely bathed in that white stuff—in flour.

"Frost, what the heck?" I glared at the small pup who had somehow forgotten everything and had left the kitchen.

The entire floor around me was filled with flour now. My hair was filled with flour. My brown sweater was almost covered in flour. Even my jeans had huge white spots on it now.

I saw Luca nearing towards me. "What a mess, Rose." He stopped few inches away from me, eyeing the powdery mess disapprovingly.

I found myself looking at him, at the small smile on his lips. My stomach tugged a little at that. I was expecting it to turn into one of his frowns any second. But when his warm brown eyes looked back at me, the smile didn't leave his face.

And I found myself smiling as well.

Until some of the flour went into my eyes, making me wince slightly as I tried wiping it off.

"I'm going to kill you, Frost." I grumbled under my breath before a small sneeze escaped from my lips.

"That would be an amusing sight."

"Are you serious–" I sneezed again, rubbing my eyes at the same time.

I froze almost instantly when I felt his fingers at the side of my face, nudging me to look up as he pulled on his hoodie sleeve over his fist and wiped the corner of my eye cautiously.

"I really thought you were over your temperamental phases." He murmured, wiping the flour off my other eye. "But I guess, some things never change."

I would've taken offense to that only if I hadn't realized how close he was. This time when I opened my eyes, I could see clearly. Clearly as in his eyes just inches away from mine. And they were the warmest of browns out there, gazing back at me with an emotion that made something tug harshly inside me.

Maybe that was what made me lean forward towards his lips. Or maybe it was him who leaned towards me first. Whoever it was, it really didn't matter. Because the moment I felt the familiar softness of his lips against mine, I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

None of us pulled away for the next few seconds.

Not until we heard a very loud gasp from behind us. Almost immediately, I pulled away and looked behind him. He turned around too, this time the smile not there on his face.

And we both saw the only person we weren't expecting to see at all.

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Xoxo,
Crystal 🌿