Page 48 of Eleanor & Grey
“Do you want to be alone?”
“No... not really.”
He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with his hands gripping the side of the mattress. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I keep saying it, and I know it doesn’t do anything at all, but I am. I’m so sorry, Ellie.”
He placed his hand on top of mine, and so many feelings raced through me. I knew in my heart he’d always be one of the most important people in the world to me.
“Thanks, Grey. That means a lot.”
“I just wish I could do more.”
If only he knew how much just being there meant. That was enough.
We lay down in bed facing each other and didn’t really say much, because there wasn’t much that needed to be said. He was there, I was there, and we were us.
“He doesn’t plan to go back,” I whispered, my head resting on the pillow.
“What?”
“My father. I heard him talking to Camila. He’s thinking about selling our house back home.”
“But I thought... I thought you guys would come back. I thought you’d be coming home.”
“Yeah... I thought that too.”
The fairy tale part of me had thought I’d go back to Illinois, had thought Greyson and I could fall back together. I figuredI’d be going to college up there, and even if we hadn’t gone to the same university, we’d be close enough to at least be with each other.
But fairy tales aren’t real, and the reality of it was that I couldn’t leave my father, not when he was as broken as he was. If he was staying in Florida, I was going to stay right there with him. I’d made a promise to my mother, and I had no plans of breaking it.
“I just thought we’d have the summer, at least,” he said softly as he placed his hand on top of mine. “But it looks like we only have now.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be. Now is enough.”
“You go home tomorrow?” I asked after Greyson yawned, which made me yawn too.
“Yeah. Pretty early. Camila said she’ll take me to the airport,” he told me.
“Grey?”
“Yes, Ellie?”
“How long will I be sad?”
He shrugged his shoulders before he combed my hair behind my ears. “For as long as it takes. There’s no rush to be happy; that will come when it’s ready.” I yawned again, and he smiled. “Get some sleep, Ellie.”
“You’ll stay with me?” I asked.
He moved in closer and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I slept awful that night. My sleep had been bad since Mom passed away. I’d randomly wake up in a panic, sweating after twisting and turning nonstop.
When I awakened, Greyson was there to soothe me. He held me tight as I cried against his T-shirt. He told me it wasfine to break, because he was there to pick up every broken piece of me.
“Still here, Ellie,” he whispered as my head lay against his chest.
He was still there.
