State Of Grace

Chapter 22 - Question...?

Gracie and Rachel fell asleep together on the couch, their bodies locked together like two pieces of a puzzle. Gracie's head was buried in the crook of Rachel's neck, and her arm was draped over her waist just like Rachel's had been the first time they slept in the same bed. The difference this time was the fact that neither of them was wearing any clothes.

It was the late morning sun flooding through the blinds that woke Gracie up. She lifted her head gently and saw her girlfriend fast asleep, Rachel looked like an angel when she slept; her eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly as she dreamed.

'What is she dreaming about?' Gracie wondered, and she couldn't wait for a future where she could wake up next to Rachel every morning.

She used a spare blanket to cover herself as she got up and started gathering her clothes that had somehow been strewn all over the living room floor. She let Rachel continue to sleep while she got dressed for the day. Once she was ready, she went into the kitchen and figured out how to use Rachel's coffee machine, brewing her a cup just how she liked it.

She sat back down next to Rachel, "Hey," she whispered.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she let out a long yawn while she stretched her arms and legs. When her gaze met Gracie's, a relaxed smile spread across her face, "Hey."

"Coffee?" Gracie asked, and Rachel sat up, taking a big sip from the mug and kissing Gracie on the cheek. "Thank you for last night, it was perfect."

After the incident in Rachel's room, Gracie wasn't prepared to go through with it anymore, but then she and Rachel talked for hours, they shared a long kiss, and one thing led to another. Gracie didn't know what to expect, and she was nervous, but so was Rachel. It was awkward at first; figuring out what to do, what the other girl liked or didn't like. Slowly, they fell into a rhythm.

"So, no regrets?" Rachel asked, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of Gracie's hair behind her ear.

"None at all, you?"

"Nope. I'm glad my first time was with you, I wouldn't have had it any other way," they kissed again.

"I have to get to group therapy," Gracie stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Well, give me a minute and I'll drive you," Rachel said, sitting up.

"No it's okay, it's only a couple of blocks from here. You just stay here and relax, you've earned it," she winked.

"Okay, I love you," Rachel called out as Gracie left.

"I love you too."

As Gracie made her way across the hospital grounds, she was smiling; still riding the high of her perfect night with the perfect girl. All she wanted to do was announce to the world that she was in love. She hated not being able to talk about Rachel with anyone, but a thought crept up on her; if she couldn't tell the world, could she settle for telling her best friend?

Maybe if Sarah knew just how serious they were about each other she would understand. Rachel would be against it, but Gracie knew she could trust Sarah. Keeping secrets from her foster family was hard enough, but keeping secrets from Sarah was a different story. They used to tell each other everything.

"Hey," Sarah got out of her car and linked her arm through Gracie's as they walked into the building, "So, did you finish?"

"W-what?" Gracie blushed, how could Sarah possibly know already?

"Your English paper? Did you finish it?"

"Oh, right, yeah," she sighed with relief, but it was getting harder and harder to keep her secret to herself.