ethereal

s e v e n

"I actually don't drink wine anymore but I'm still up to come inside if your alright with that." Frank told her as scratched the back of his neck, raising his eyebrows in question. Grace nodded her head in agreement, and without another word she was unlocking her door before opening it, letting them both in.

Frank was immediately hit with different smells all at once that just screamed Grace and seemingly made him feel more at ease. It was the sweet scent of oranges and a hint of peppermint along with an rustic yet comforting aroma. He wasn't in the least surprised by the interior of her home because it all just seemed so much like her— warm, relaxing, and positive. It was almost like nautical decor with a bunch of unfinished wood for the tables along with chic linen upholstery as furniture. There wasn't much but he could tell how much effort she put into decorating the house to make it a home.

She guided him through the small house and into the kitchen, her immediately going to the fridge to grab two bottles of water. Turning around, Grace let out a quite gasp as Frank was directly behind her, and she had to look up at him from where she was— more than she did anyways. Clearing her throat, she practically shoved the water bottle into his chest as she spoke.

"Here you go," she said quietly, knowing he could hear her from just how close he was. Frank thanked her, a grin tugging at his features because of her flustered state making her look away from his eyes that were just about the same color as her blue yankee candle on one of the countertops. "So, I uh don't have a couch or anything yet so if it doesn't make you uncomfortable we could just go in my room? Unless that's stepping over some sort of boundary-"

"Grace, it won't make me uncomfortable. And since when did we have boundaries or anything like that?" Frank told her as he had to contain the smile that wanted to break free from its confines.

"O-okay." Grace agreed halfheartedly and felt a sudden nervousness bubble up from the pits of her stomach making her feel almost nauseous, but not the sick type. Grace then turned away from him, looking back for a second as a signal for him to follow, and began walking towards the hallway connected to the kitchen. The first room on the left was her bedroom, and she softly opened the door causing the hinges to squeak in the slightest.

Frank walked into the surprisingly large room and admired the decoration and decor of it. There was a large king sized bed in the middle of the room under a windowsill. The room was rather deserted beside a few framed pictures on a small wardrobe in the corner, and a few pieces of artwork framed on the walls. Frank watched as Grace sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair, and he could obviously tell she was holding something back from him.

"What's wrong?" Frank asked as Grace took a seat on her bed, setting her water bottle on the nightstand.

"Nothing— it's nothing." She told him and gave him a false smile but Frank shook his head quickly, before taking a seat beside her and setting his own water bottle on the nightstand.

"Grace, I know you well enough to know that there's something bothering you." Frank told her and she scoffed out a laugh under her breathe, eyes avoiding his gaze as she bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about the next words that were to come out of her mouth.

"It's just...Roberta told me about Mary visiting some college in Boston in a week or so and I was just wondering exactly why your mother, Evelyn, was really here." Grace said to Frank and he stared into her eyes before biting his lip while looking away as he let out a heavy breathe.