Embrace (7 page)

             
“I'll make it up to you. I promise.” He says, clearly feeling very guilty, which in turn makes me feel guilty.

             
“Alec, it's okay, really. I can't thank you enough for getting me the tickets in the first place. Tonight was.... well it was amazing.” I say, obviously not bothering to mention what made it so amazing.

             
“That's great Gracie. I'm glad you had fun. Where are you now?” He asks, probably wanting to see if Zayne is still with me.

             
“Heading towards my apartment now.” I say, pulling out into the street filled with traffic, no doubt caused from everyone leaving the venue at once.

             
“Okay well, I'll let you go so you can concentrate on the road.” He says and then sighs when I laugh at his obvious over protection.

             
“I'll be careful. I promise.” I laugh again.

             
“I'll call you for lunch next week. Love you Grace.”

             
“Love you too. And Alec....” I say. “Thank you so much for tonight. Honestly, it was amazing.” I say, trying to ease some of the guilt I am sure he feels for bailing on me.

             
“You're more than welcome baby girl. Get home safe.” He says, ending the call before I have a chance to say goodbye back.

             
Shaking my head, I toss my phone into the passenger seat and focus on the road in front of me.

             
The further I get from the venue, the fewer cars there are to surround me. Driving through the darkness I am sure of only two things.....

             
One, I have to be the absolute worst sister in the world for keeping whatever is going on with Zayne from Alec, especially after everything Alec has done for me.

             
And two, seven o'clock tomorrow can not possibly come soon enough......

Chapter Eight

              “Are you kidding me? You can't wear that!” Emma exclaims, leaning her small frame against the doorway of my bedroom and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

             
“What's wrong with it?” I ask, looking at my black lace skirt and silver sequenced tank in the floor length mirror in front of me.

             
“You look like you are heading to one of your grunge bars.” She laughs, shaking her head at me.

             
“Grunge bars Em? Really?” I grimace, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “I think it looks okay.” I say, turning my attention back to the mirror.

             
“It looks fine, just not appropriate for a date with the man that you are completely gaga for. You should be shooting for unforgettable, not okay. Wait right there.” She says, quickly backing out of my doorway and disappearing down the hall.

             
I think Emma was more excited then me when I told her about my upcoming date with Zayne. “I'm really rooting for the two of you.” She had said last night while we laid in my bed and I filled her in on everything that had taken place last night. “You two are gonna show the world that fairy tales exist.” I couldn't help but laugh at that comment.

             
I also can't help but feel like maybe this whole thing is just one monumental mistake. And I keep making it over and over again. Isn't that the very definition of insanity? Doing something over and over again expecting a different result.

             
It's like I'm an alcoholic and Zayne is the hardest liquor around. No matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to stop, once I see the bottle, I can't resist taking a sip. And taking a sip leads to me drinking the whole damn thing.

             
Reappearing just moments later and pulling me from my thoughts, Em crosses the distance of my room and tosses a scrap of black material at me. “Here, try this.” She says, shooing me away from the mirror.

             
“What is this?” I ask, holding up the small piece of material in front of me.

             
“It's a dress Grace. Now shut up and try it on.”

             
Quickly slipping out of my original outfit, I hesitantly step into Emma's black dress. It takes me a good two minutes to pry the material onto my body and by the time I finally get it into place, I'm quite certain that it is restricting my ability to breathe normally.

             
“Em, you can't be serious. If I eat a carrot you'll be able to see it.” I say, indicating to how tight the dress is.

             
“Oh don't be ridiculous.” She says, swiping her hand through the air and then making her way over to stand in front of me.

             
Grabbing the front of the strapless dress, she twists it to the side and then pushes my boobs together. “Hey!” I exclaim, swatting at her hand.

             
“What? You want everything to be in the proper place don't you?” She laughs at my expression and then continues to fiddle with the material.

             
“Now look.” She says, turning me towards the mirror and grabbing the hem of the dress to fix the bottom just as I catch sight of myself.

             
“Wow.” I breathe, completely caught off guard by my appearance. The dress is tight, most definitely, but not in a way that looks like it's too small or anything. Actually, it hugs to every curve I have perfectly and really accents my round hips. Ending about four inches above my knee, it's the perfect length too. Short enough to be sexy but not so short that it's slutty.

             
“Told ya.” Emma chimes from behind me, nodding her head in approval. “Am I good or am I good?”

             
“You're good.” I admit, running my hands along the smooth material.

             
“I have a necklace that will go perfectly. Hang on.” She sings, disappearing again. Reaching up, my fingers settle on the silver compass that Kyle bought me. I have not been able to take it off since Ian sent it to me a few weeks ago and the thought of doing so now leaves me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

             
“Taking it off isn't a betrayal Grace.” Emma says from behind me, reading my exact thoughts as she catches sight of me gripping the charm in my hand through the mirror. “It's okay to wear a different necklace for one night.” She reassures me.

             
Nodding, I reach around and unclasp the chain, leaning over to lay it on the top of my dresser. Stepping up behind me, Em drapes a black lace choker around my neck and secures the clasp before handing me a pair of black drop earrings.

             
I pull out my silver hoops and put Emma's in their place, taking another look in the mirror once my jewelry is in place.

             
“You look amazing!” Emma sings from behind me. “But...”

             
“What now?” I whine, turning to face her.

             
“It's just, well..... This dress would look even better if you wore your hair down.” She says, eying my stylishly messy up-do.

             
“Let me guess, the makeup is too light too?” I ask, gesturing to my face where nothing but a light layer of mascara and eyeliner have been applied.

             
“Are you kidding? No way. Your makeup is perfect.” She says, smiling widely when she catches my surprised expression.

             
“I'm sorry... come again? Did I just hear you say that my makeup is perfect? I'm pretty sure those are words you have never uttered before in your entire life.” I say, laughing through my words.

             
“Oh shut up. I am not that bad.” She says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room behind her. “Now your hair on the other hand.” She laughs, glancing back at me with an innocent smile.

             
“Yeah yeah. Do your thing.” I sigh, plopping down on the closed toilet seat when she pushes me inside the bathroom.

             
The next thirty minutes are spent letting Emma curl, tease, and spray every square inch of my hair. But I have to admit, it looks amazing once she's done. I may give her a lot of crap when it comes to how particular she is with appearance, but let's be honest, she knows her stuff.

             
By six thirty, I am a ball of nerves. Pacing the living room wondering what the hell I was thinking agreeing to this. It's one thing to be around each other and instinct simply take over. It's quite another to plan to spend time together and try to fight that instinct.

             
In what world does a person agree to go on a date with a man like Zayne rather than just taking him to bed and having their way with him? He's not the type of man that you date. He's not a man that you talk to, share secrets with, get to know on an intimate level. No, he's a man you fuck. A man you fuck and then a man you get the hell away from. So why the hell am I not running?

             
“Would you sit down already, you're making me nervous.” Carver laughs at me from the couch. Normally Emma is my sanity but given that she had to leave for work a little over an hour ago, Carver has had to step into that role and let's just say, he's not near as good as Em. Mainly because he's male.

             
“This is a mistake. What was I thinking? Carver, I can't do this. Oh god, I can't do this.” I say, more to myself then to him.

             
Continuing to pace and not really paying attention to where I am going, I turn and run smack into Carver's firm chest. I jump, not realizing he had gotten up from the couch. He places a hand on each of my upper arms as I peer up to find him smiling at me, maybe even on the border of flat out laughing at my ridiculousness.

             
“Stop moving.” He instructs and I immediately stop the restless movement in my legs. “Now, take a deep breath.” I do. “And let it out.” He says. Once again, I comply.

             
“Now look at me.” He says, waiting until I meet his eyes before he continues.

             
“Do you like him?” He asks.

             
“You know the answer to that.” I reply dryly.

             
“Do you want a chance to be with him?” He asks it in a different way.

             
“Again, you already know the answer.” I repeat.

             
“Answer the question Grace. Do you want to be with him?”

             
“Yes.” I say, irritated. “What's your point?”

             
“You feeling this way has nothing to do with the fact that you don't want to go out with him but everything to do with the fact that you
do.
” He says, a quirky smile turning up his lips.

             
“This is how everyone feels about going on a date with someone they really like. It's completely normal to be freaking out right now. It means you really like him.” He says, still smiling his impossibly cute smile.

             
“I don't just like him Carv.” I say, trying hard to fight down the sudden urge to vomit.

             
“Then focus on that.” He says. “You've spent time with him before. Maybe not on an official date but it doesn't matter what you call it. At the end of the day, this is just another moment. Another fraction of time that you get to spend exploring your feelings for this person.”

             
I can't help but peer up at Carver with a look of sheer disbelief. Certainly this is Emma somehow linking into Carver and giving me the talk that she would have given me if she were here.

             
“Did Em coach you through this?” I ask, not able to contain the laugh that bursts from my throat at his offended expression.

             
“Please, that girl has nothing on me.” He says overly dramatic and we both start laughing.

             
“Feel better?” He asks, when we both regain our composure.

             
“Much.” I answer.

             
“Good, now you better get down there.” He says, glancing past me to the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. Following his line of sight, I see that I have less than ten minutes until Zayne is scheduled to arrive.

             
“I guess so.” I say, moving past him to grab my clutch purse and cell phone off the kitchen counter. “Wish me luck.” I say, turning back towards Carver who quickly makes his way towards me.

             
“You don't need luck Gracie. He would be a complete fool to let a girl like you walk away a second time.” He says, sweetly tucking a stray curl behind my ear. “But if it makes you feel better, good luck.”

             
“Thank you Carv.” I say, wrapping my arms around his lean waist and squeezing tightly. “Love you.” I say, giving him one last hard squeeze before releasing him and making my way towards the front door.

             
“Be safe.... And Gracie.” He says, waiting for me to turn around before continuing. “Have fun. You deserve it.”

             
“I will. Thank you.” I say sincerely, pulling open the front door and stepping out into the dimly lit hallway of our apartment building.

             
Deciding to take the stairs since I still have a few minutes, I make my way to the end of the hall and enter the stairwell on my left. Going down five flights of stairs proves more difficult than I originally thought, given the four inch stilettos that Emma insisted that I wear. By the time I reach the bottom, my feet already feel like I just finished walking down a gravel road barefoot.

             
Pushing my way outside, I am fully prepared to wait for Zayne to arrive, so when I glance up and see him standing against his black sports car, body clad in a black tailor made suit, arms crossed over his chest, I about damn near take a nose dive down the staircase.

             
There is no way that a man as beautiful as the one in front of me exists. And even more so, there is no way said man is here for me. Moments like this simply do not exist... Do they?

             
But as I approach the man that literally takes my breath away, all I can think is that maybe, just maybe, these moments do exist. Perfect little pieces of time that remind us why life is worth living.