Breaking Me Slowly

Two

I had gotten maybe all of thirty seconds with Grayson, before I had to watch him follow his parents to the study.

Sydney had retreated upstairs to lay down for a little bit and not long after she had left, Jensen also went upstairs.

With a heavy sigh, I go the kitchen for something sweet. I gave it about five minutes of searching before deciding to throw in the towel and call it quits. There was nothing.

I’m sulking up the stairs, on my way to my room when I notice Jensen crouched up against the wall just around the corner from his dad’s office.

I walk over to him with light footsteps. He can hear me coming from miles away, so he even doesn’t lift his gaze from the floor.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He holds up a finger to his lips and says, “Listening.”

My eyebrows peak in interest. “Can’t you do that from your room?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, but this is more fun.”

“Snooping,” I clarify.  

He nods.

I crouch down next to him. “What are they saying?” I ask, since I don’t have supersonic hearing.

He smirks. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“You’re not gonna tell me?” I ask, astounded.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s fun.”

I narrow my eyes. “Do you do everything just for fun?”

“Pretty much.”

I sigh in frustration.

Jensen chuckles. “Don’t worry, Grayson will tell you.”

“Really?” I ask, incredulous.

“Mmhmm,” he says. “Even Grayson can’t keep this a secret.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Hmm.” He pauses for a long moment, then, “I don’t think so.”

“That doesn’t sound convincing.”

A shrug. “What can I say? I can’t see the future unlike someone.”  

I’ve still been having lessons with Rebecca every now and then but ever since the wedding was announced, the lessons have been less frequent. I was honestly okay with it because it meant less practice and less having to see the future. I hated the burden of knowing anything and everything.

“I only use it when absolutely necessary.”

“This doesn’t qualify as one of those times?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Fair enough,” is all he says.

I stare at him, earnestly.

He notices. “What, why are you giving me that look?” he asks, genuinely confused.

“You’re seriously not going to tell me.”

He chuckles. “No. Like I said, I’m leaving it to Grayson.”

Arguing was pointless. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

He smirks. “Wasn’t going to.”

“Good,” I mumble.

Jensen laughs and stands up, stretching his arms back behind his head. “Well, this has been fun but I’m gonna go check on Sydney.”

I nod. “Good idea.”

“You might wanna leave soon.” He jerks his head towards the office. “Sounds like, they’re wrapping up.”

I don’t have time to do or say anything. Jensen is already brushing past me, on his way to Sydney’s room.  

I quickly turn on my heel to head towards my room when I hear the study door swing open. I pick up my pace by a fraction of a second, not wanting to seem too conspicuous.

“Juliette,” I hear Grayson call out in a sigh of relief.

I turn around, thankful that it was just him.

He’s in front of me in a few quick, long strides. He wraps his arms around me and asks, “Are you hungry?”

I shake my head. “I ate earlier.”

He nods, then, “Take a walk with me?”

“Sure.”

The air outside was hot and dry, a clear sign that we were in the middle of summer. Grayson was quiet as we walked the trail leading to his grandmother’s house.

“Is everything alright?” I ask him, just as were about to take the first step onto the cobblestone path.

Grayson looks at me, considerately. “Nothing to worry about.”

I’m not convinced but I still say, “Alright.”

I follow him into the house, wondering why he had brought us here. It looked exactly the same as from before. I feel Grayson’s hand link with mine as he comes around from behind. He leads us to the bed, tugging me down to take a seat next to him.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I was trying to get out early so we could at least have dinner together.”

I smile. “There’s a lot going on right now, I get it.”  

He briefly shakes his head in irritation. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m alright,” I lie. “How are you doing? You seem tired.”

Grayson sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s nonstop.”

I hum an agreement. I hesitate, then ask, “Why did you bring me here?”

Grayson looks at me, startled. “I, uh, wanted to talk in private.”

“About?”

He clears his throat, looking anywhere else but my eyes.

I feel a clench in my throat. “What did your dad say?” I manage to choke out.

Finally, he looks me in the eye. “We have some visitors coming at the end of the week.”

“Oh.” I relax just a bit. “And this is bad?” I ask, confused.

“Not necessarily,” he answers. “They will be staying with us for a few weeks – but don’t worry, my mom sectioned off a part of the house just for them.”

“Aw, I was kind of looking forward to sharing rooms,” I joke.

Grayson smiles. “Unfortunately, there will be no need for sharing rooms.”

I snap my fingers. “Damn.”

“They’re coming to the wedding,” he says with reluctance.

My stomach sinks. I had nothing to do with the guest list, but it seemed to keep growing each day.

“Let me guess, they have an objection about us getting married and it’s probably because I’m human.”

Grayson hesitates. “They’re very… traditional.”  

I nod, already knowing where this was going.

“They might be rude and make some comments to you or about you but please, let me handle it.”

“You’re just going to fight all my battles?”

He closes his eyes and sighs. “No, I’m not going to fight all your battles, it’s just this family is high up in our community as well and also have a huge say in our government.”

I bite my tongue.

“I don’t want to give them a reason to hurt you.”

My mouth drops. “They would hurt me?”

“They’re not exactly the nicest family around and they wouldn’t do it themselves, but they know people. I’m not taking a chance.” Grayson see’s the panic looks on my face. He quickly pulls me into his chest. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you. They won’t do anything to you. They’re stupid if they think they can.”

I hoped Grayson was right.

I tossed and turned all night long. Each time I closed my eyes, the same dream repeated over and over again.

It was me running through the woods in a ruined, muddied dress. I was frantic, looking for a place to hide. Heavy footsteps thudded behind me.

I woke up every time I heard the footsteps.

The odd thing, I thought was I never looked back to see who was chasing me.