Saving Grace

The night was still young and the moon set it’s reflection on the window and struck a magnificent view into the room. Grace yawned and slowly tilted her head. She saw the shadow of someone seated slantly on a chair, his right hands placed on his chin and his legs dangling, she shrieked in fright.

“I can’t believe that you don’t recognize your man.” Joshua joked.

Grace was relieved that it was Joshua and she banged her chest with her hands gently.

“What were you doing there? You got me scared.” Grace pouted.

“I was thinking about something and I was also watching you sleep.” Joshua grinned.

“And since when have you been watching me sleep?” Grace asked with a hint of playfulness.

“Since five hours ago.” Joshua shrugged.

Grace’s mouth flew open. She wondered how and why he could watch her sleep. She knew her sleeping posture was bad, she often slept with her mouth wide open.

“What are you thinking about?” Grace inquired.

“Everyone thinks that you are wrong for me, they believe that you are disabled and you lack meaning to me. But I don’t believe that. I can’t deny my feelings for you, I like you, Grace. I like you so much. What do you think I should do?” Joshua confessed, staring intently into Grace’s eyes.

“Follow your heart, your heart will tell you what to do.” Grace suggested. She was elated that he liked her regardless of the fact that she couldn’t walk.

“I want you, I always wanted you even when I didn’t know what I wanted. Even before I really knew you, it was you. You were the Chapter that I didn’t know the words to but always knew it existed and when I finally found it and began to read. I knew I was home.” Joshua admitted honestly, scooting closer to Grace’s bed.

His romantic words shook Grace completely, she had never heard someone confess that to her. Tom was her first boyfriend and she regretted dating him now. Her heart was racing and she couldn’t stop the immense joy she felt.

“When…. was the first time you liked me?” Grace spoke with difficulty, nervousness creeping into her mouth.

“I liked you from the first day I set my eyes on you, I liked you from the first time you placed your warm hand on my cheek. I tried to deny it but I realized that I was already falling helplessly in love with you.” Joshua confessed.

“Really?” Grace’s cheeks began to turn pink.

“Yes.” Joshua affirmed with a nod.

“So when was the first time you liked me?” Joshua asked her with his eyebrows raised.

“You…. want…. me….. to…say…. it?” Grace was getting nervous, she fanned herself but there wasn’t hot, it was hot inside her. She felt a little bit reassured seeing that it was night.

Joshua nodded.

Grace gulped.

“Well……I….. liked you from the first time I saw you. You looked too handsome for a doctor, so I called you an angel. And to be frank, that name is still stuck in my head because you are still my angel.” Grace chuckled.

She watched as Joshua’s smile grew wider. He then rose up and sat on the bed.

“Aren’t you going home anytime soon?” Grace wondered.

“No, I intend to sleep here tonight.” Joshua replied.

“You are lying.” Grace couldn’t believe him.

“Really?” Joshua raised a brow and then proceeded to lie down on the bed.

“You can’t sleep on the same bed with me, you’ll break the bed with your body weight.” Grace snapped at him.

“No, I won’t. Let me show you.” Joshua responded and laid his entire body on the bed. The bed made a creaking sound, a very quiet one.

“Alright.” Grace admitted defeat.

Joshua crossed his legs and spoke, “What else do you enjoy doing apart from running?”

Grace looked at the ceiling for a brief second and then replied slowly, “I enjoy writing books. Well mostly novels.”

“Have you published any?” Joshua continued.

“No, I never finished them. I wrote them all halfway.” Grace replied.

“Then what if you start writing now? It could lessen the boredom you feel and you can also show me your works when you are done with them.” Joshua suggested.

“Do you really think that would work?” Grace tilted her head to look at him.

“It will, trust me.”Joshua assured and cupped her face in his left palm.

Grace felt warmth radiate from his palm to her flushed cheeks. She watched as Joshua stared at her as if he was searching for something missing.

“Why are you looking at me that way?” Grace whispered.

“Huh?”

“You are looking at me in the way someone stares at food.” Grace grumbled with a pout.

“Oh, it must be because you look so delicious.” Joshua winked.

“Quit the cheesy words, I know I look so ugly right now.” Grace argued, a blush creeping up on her cheeks.

“You are beautiful both in the day and night. You are a goddess, Grace.” Joshua replied.

“Stop it!” Grace hit him playfully on his shoulders.

“You are supposed to say thank you instead of hitting me. Can’t you just be romantic for once?” Joshua joked.

“Well…I can be romantic.” Grace suddenly said out of the blues.

An idea popped up into her head and a mischievous smile settled on the corner of her lips. She began to unbutton his blue shirt and refused to stop amidst his soft protests.

“This is sexual harassment, Grace.”

“Are you dying to see my abs?”

“How can you just unbutton my shirt without permission?”

“You are a pervert.”

“Grace, talk to me.”

“Answer me, I didn’t mean to call you a-”

Grace groaned aloud, she was already tired of his rants and she stated, “I was trying to be romantic, just like you suggested.”

“Oh!” was all Joshua could whisper.

“If you wanted to be romantic, you should have done this.” Joshua stated with a wink before demonstrating something that left Grace flabbergasted.

Grace watched as Joshua peeled off his shirt and placed her hand on his rock hard chest, she swallowed a mold of saliva when he placed his firm hand on her waist and pulled her towards him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Now that’s romantic.” Joshua declared.

Grace couldn’t respond so she resorted to staring at his eyes. Those eyes could bewitch the cruelest soul. She simply drowned in the beauty of them. She was astonished when Joshua raised his head and pecked her lips but it became crazier when he lingered on her bottom lip. She looked into his eyes when he withdrew from her lips and all she saw was desire.

“If you want me to stop, tell me now.” Joshua whispered. When Grace nothing, he brushed his mouth against the hollow of her temple. “Or now.” He traced the line of her cheekbone. “Or now.” His lips were against hers.

“Or-”

But Grace had reached up and pulled him down to her, and the rest of his words were lost against her mouth. He kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn’t gentleness she wanted, not now, not after all this time, and she knotted her fists on his hard chest, pulling him harder against her. He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circled her, gathering her against him.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” Grace said softly.

“Yes, we should.” Joshua managed to whisper.

Grace was about to counter his statement when she felt a hand brush her neck slightly. She moaned into his mouth when the hand travelled into her hospital gown, desperate to find it’s solace. She stifled when his palm wrapped around her naked breast, she completely forgot that she wasn’t wearing a bra. His fingers then curled around her nipple, pinching it playfully. His hands felt good, gently massaging her, playing with her nipples, making them harden and swell.

“Your breasts are so full.” Joshua whispered against her lips. Her right nipple was suddenly caught firmly in his hand, then squeezed. Grace gasped so much from the sensation and she heard Joshua growl into her ear with each breath. Through her hospital dress, her nipple was kneaded between his fingers, then pulled, then rolled. She began to moan helplessly, needing more. Joshua’s thumb stroked her nipple, flicking it back and forth and Grace moaned again.

Suddenly she pulled away from his lips, her lips hot from the kiss. But his fingers were still tightly curled around her right nipple.

“We can’t do this Joshua, it’s not right.” Grace whispered, reaching her hand into her dress to remove his hand. But as soon as her hand touched his. He pinched her nipple.

“Stop it!” Grace commanded.

“No.” Joshua was unwilling.

“Joshua, I’ll kill you if you don’t-” Grace started but was interrupted with a kiss. She tried to fight him but that encouraged him and he kneaded her breasts, diving his other hand into her dress.

“Please.” Grace begged, closing her eyes.

“Okay.” Joshua replied and removed his hands from her dress slowly.

“Thank you.” Grace responded but her nipples suddenly felt lonely and cold.

“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you.” Joshua touched her cheeks.

“It’s fine. But we need to take this slowly. Let’s start from being friends and see where it goes.” Grace suggested with a smile.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, after all what had happened in the last forty eight hours, I don’t think we can be friends.” Joshua objected.

“Then what are we? Enemies?” Grace inquired.

“No!” Joshua grinned.

“Then what?” Grace spoke with mild irritation.

“All I know is that you are mine and I am yours.” Joshua replied with a wink.

Grace nodded slowly with a small smile and curled her head into his chest, she wrapped her arms around his back. Dizziness was catching up with her and all she desired now was sleep. She yawned loudly and Joshua got the message and responded by placing his hand on her hair, gently smoothening it with his palm. It felt warm and fuzzy.

“Am I ever going to walk, Joshua?” Grace whispered.

“Sleep tigress.” Joshua replied.

“But I just want to know if–”

But her words were stuck in her mouth when Joshua wrapped his arms around her and patted her on the back.

“Sleep tigress.” He repeated.

Grace snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes, she heard him sing a lullaby and she giggled. Slowly and slowly, the lullaby sank into her brain and his gentle voice was the last thing she heard before rousing into sleep.