Saving Grace

We were both sat on Jack's plush sofa, awkwardly sipping from our mugs of tea, the rising steam causing my glasses to fog. I heard him chuckle softly at this. Taking another sip of my tea I relished in the warmth I longed for and the sweet yet bitter liquid sliding down my throat. It then fell silent, I convinced myself that this was due to Jack thinking back to inviting me here and wondering why he ever thought it would be a good idea. I took another sip of tea, hoping that the liquid gold would down my thoughts.
It may have been the most perfect cup of tea I had ever had.You see, I'm quite particular about my tea and anyone who could make it just right went soaring up in my estimations.

Again, Jack clearing his throat propelled me out of my mind and its thoughts.
"So, um..." He paused as if to search for the correct words to follow his shaky attempt at a conversation starter.
"Talk to me. Tell me about yourself," he settled on, seemingly more confident than a few seconds ago.
"Oh." I was stuck. I didn't know what to say. I forgot completely that words exist and that I actually have a working set of vocal chords to speak them. It was in this moment that I realised I could happily pause this exact second and live in it forever. Although my brain was panicking at 100 miles per hour over what to say, my thawing body turned towards Jack slightly and him mirroring my position, his prepossessing smile was all that mattered in the entire universe. It was contagious. The way his lips curved sideways and upwards revealing his perfectly white teeth caused his left eye to close partway melted my heart and the cold from the weather outside. The crinkle in his long nose only reinforced how beautifully cute he was. I only felt my attraction towards him grow stronger but it felt wrong. I had barley known him for more than an hour.

"We could play twenty questions?" Jack abruptly interjected bursting my bubble of distraction and awe.
"Um, sure," I peeled my gaze away, worried that if I looked at him for a second longer I would combust, "F-full name?" I was caught off guard a little by the falter in my speech and sunk back into the couch.
"Jack Bassam Barakat. And you?"
"Grace Eleanor R-Rose," I took another sip of tea cringing at the harsh coldness of it. How long must we have been sat in silence for while I stared at him? I placed the cup down as I shook of the thought and continued, "birthday?"
"June 18th. When's yours?"
"24th of December." Pausing to think of my next question for him, I glanced back at the frames hung on the cream wall, " S-so I noticed your plaques. What do you actually do?"
"Well, I'm the lead guitarist of All Time Low with my three best friends, we've been making music and touring the world for around 13 years now. We tour for like 300 days of the year and don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do but I'm looking forward to two weeks off," he wore a proud smile and a bright sparkle in his deeply dark eyes, "what do you do."

Oh, well I just sit in my sad little house, doing sad little things and crying sad little tears. So not a lot.
I didn't say that of course, instead I looked down and shrugged my shoulders. I felt his concerned and confused eyes burning into me so I told him the closest thing to the thruth that I could.
"I was training to be a vet but at the moment I'm kind of in between things."
"Cool. What kind of things?"
Living and dying.
I hated lying but I quickly made something up.
"Just temping here and there."
He nodded his head, "why aren't you training to be a vet anymore?"
I had no intentions of telling him the answer and was beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake by coming here.
"Excuse me. It's my turn to ask you something, don't get ahead of yourself now," I said with a light, joking tone in an attempt to steer away from the thought.

Giggling he said. "Sorry, what did you want to ask me?"
"Clearly you aren't from the UK, where are you from?"
"I was born in Lebanon but when I was baby my mum fled with my brother, sister and I to the U.S. where my dad was practising medicine. I grew up in Baltimore which will always be my home but London is one of my favourite cities. I moved here about a month ago, it just feels right to be here. You're obviously English but have you always lived in London?"
Jack just gets more and more interesting.
" No I've only lived here for around 4 months. I grew up in this little village about 2 hours or so from here. So I've never fled any wars like yourself, just a crappy little town full of idiots." Jack released a small laugh when I finished.

Silence enveloped us again while I desperately searched for another question to ask.
Minutes had passed and I was still stuck. Looking back up at him the length of his thick eyelashes made me insanely jealous although his effect on me became more powerful and the urge to run my small hands through his dark hair with a cute little blonde patch. It looked temptingly soft with its fluffiness and slight messy edge from the rain.

I must have tuned out for a while because the next thing I know, Jack is tapping my shoulder, shaking me ever so slightly.
"Hello? Earth to Grace? Anyone in there?" He mimicked knocking on my head as if it were a door.
"Oh, sorry. I space out quite a lot."
"Yeah, I noticed. But it's okay, I'm used to it. My best friend, Alex is the worst for spacing out." He seemed truly happy when he spoke of his friend, he wore the same proud smile as when he spoke of his band which as if by natural reflex stretched my lips upwards into a smile.
"Thought of another question yet?"
No, I was too busy daydreaming about stroking your hair as if you were a tiny little puppy.
I then fell back into the black hole of admiring him. I needed to get a grip, I hardly know him!
Suddenly a question hit me.
"Why were you crying earlier?"

His face dropped and I instantly felt a harsh pang of guilt, knowing I had hit a nerve.

Notes