“That’s so great, good for him.” He grunted a little and I leaned over to grab the shirt he laid out for me.
As I leaned forward, my behind brushed against him. Feeling pulsing run through my body, I promptly grabbed the shirt and popped back up. As I stood up straight, I was not sure if it was him or me who did it, but one of us leaned closer to the other. My bare back lightly stroked his clothed one. I felt heat spreading through my chest and a pulsing between my legs. I wanted him to see me like this, to see I wasn't just a girl with nothing to offer. But Grant cleared his throat and leaned away from me, signaling his undesirous attitude towards me.
I put the shirt on and couldn’t help but sniff as it fell into place. It smelled of earthy cologne and sandalwood. I resisted the urge to burrow my nose into it, and I turned to poke Grant on the shoulder, to say I was finished.
Grant turned toward me, finally looking my way. His lips curved into a small smile, and his eyes held amusement. I looked down, and his shirt came nearly to my knees.
I looked like a girl playing dress-up in her dad’s closet. I shook my head, and he let out a small laugh.
“I’m not sure if I can go back there like this either. It looks like I’m being swallowed.”
He put a hand on his chin, rubbing his light stubble. “Nah, you look fine. But if you want to, we could go somewhere else?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Somewhere else?” He nodded. “What have you got in mind?”
He smirked at me and patted a hand on top of the old truck. “Hop on in.”
∞∞∞
Grant drove and I had absolutely no clue where we were going. He took the back roads up the mountain, and if it were anyone else, I probably would’ve been worried for my safety. But feeling unsafe with Grant had never been an issue.
He turned down a gravel road and we pulled into what looked like a construction site. There were giant mounds of different kinds of dirt and some mini excavators off to the side. Grant turned the truck off, and without the lights, it was pitch black out. He shone a flashlight on the back of the truck and reached back to grab a blanket.
“Come on.” He gestured his head to the truck bed and we both got out. He laid the blanket down and helped me climb up in bed.
I leaned back on my hands and he came to sit beside me. Turning the flashlight off on his phone, he got comfortable beside me.
“Look up.” I go flat on my back and gaze up at the sky. There were more stars than I had ever seen. With no city lights or street lamps, the sky lit up and I felt I could reach out and touch each star. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.
“It’s like a painting. Do you come here a lot?” He lied down, his shoulder placed right beside my head.
“It’s our next job site. We’re preparing the land for a new house. I tend to work late, so at night, when everyone leaves and all the lights are off, I just sit here sometimes.”
I couldn’t help but feel a little sad thinking of Grant out here by himself, doing God knows what he had to do to prepare the site for a new house. I had to respect how much he worked, it seemed like every time I’d been near him he was either working, about to work, or had just finished up. The ethics he must have had drilled into him were remarkable. I was sure most people our age worked full-time jobs, but nothing like him.
I placed my head on his shoulder, getting more comfortable and when he didn’t move, I took it as a sign that he was fine with it.
We sat there like that in silence for a minute, taking in the view. I could feel his chest rising and falling and his shoulders slightly twitch if I ever moved.
The view of the stars reminded me of Gram and her crazy conspiracies. She would tell me stories of how God spread a black sheet over at night and stars were little holes that had been poked through. She would have lied here all night, painting and talking all of her nonsense. I thought back to Grant’s previous statements about his own family. He never did let up any details, my little vault.
“Tell me about your sister.”
His chest moved in a small motion as he let out a chuckle.
“Lily? She’s something. I think she’s been thirty since she was a kid, honestly. She likes to be more like a mom to me than my sister, but she’s got good intentions. She was forced to grow up sooner than she should have been. Working two jobs and going to night classes when she was nineteen just to keep us steady.”
I felt sick to my stomach thinking of Grant and his sister on their own, and before I could really filter my own words, I let out what I’d been wondering about the last week or so.
“Where were your parents?” He stiffened and sucked in a deep breath.
“They died in a car wreck when I was thirteen. Lil didn’t want me in foster care, so she started working enough to cover us for an apartment till I could start working. But it wasn’t enough, so that’s when I dropped out.” He said it nonchalantly like it was no big deal. I tried not to react poorly. I had students who had lost their parents in the past, and I found that sympathetic eyes and the classic ‘Oh, it’s gonna be okay’ spiel weren’t what they needed. I simply traced circles on his chest.
“You’re lucky to have each other.” My voice cracked halfway through. He nodded his head but stayed quiet.
I had a million other questions for him. I wanted to pick his brain apart till I knew his life front to back, but I stayed silent, not wanting to overwhelm him anymore.
Grant’s fingers played with the bottom of my hair, and I felt light tugs at my scalp that would spread chills down my back. Since Grant was being vulnerable with me, I thought I should take the time to ask him.