Fing Perfect - S01 E18

Story 5 months ago

Fing Perfect - S01 E18

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 18

-------------------------------------------

Grace sat in the living room, hugging a pillow to calm her nerves. What was she doing? Inviting Cal over? To stay the night? She must be insane! She was only thankful that Cal seemed to catch onto what she was getting at before she had to really ask.

But even at four in the afternoon, only a few hours after the twins left, Grace was getting nervous. She kept feeling like someone was watching her, and sometimes it made it hard to breathe. The thought of sleeping alone in the house knowing that Will was in town somewhere...

The doorbell rang, and Grace launched the pillow she was holding in surprise. Gathering herself, she walked swiftly over to the door and pulled it open.

Cal was standing there in a hoodie and ripped jeans, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She looked nervous, and Grace was relieved she wasn't the only one.

"That was fast," she commented.

Cal scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, well, I was kind of already out and about anyway."

Grace stepped aside to let her in, and Cal looked around the entryway.

"Nice house," she said. "I thought you being rich was just a rumor."

"I'm not rich," Grace replied indignantly.

"Oh, a cat!"

Cal rushed off before Grace could even blink. She ran over to the gray ball of fur perched on the back of the living room couch. Grace walked over, amused at how excited Cal was.

"I didn't know you had a cat!" Cal said.

"I'm more of a dog person, but we took her after a family friend of ours had to move," Grace explained.

Cal raised an eyebrow at Grace. "You? A dog person?"

"You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover," Grace teased. "Anyway, her name's Donut."

Cal laughed, seeming to make the cat mildly uncomfortable as she was barraged with pets. "What kind of name is that?"

"My brothers name her, not me."

"You have brothers?" Cal asked, looking genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I've got two younger brothers. They're twins."

"You don't seem like the older sister type," Cal commented with a sly smile. "I thought for sure you'd be an only child."

Grace crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

A wave of silence fell around the two, and Grace started to feel a sense of awkwardness between them. After all, they weren't exactly friends, but here they were, alone in Grace's house.

Grace cleared her throat, trying desperately to find something to talk about. "Well...it's a little early, but did you want to get something for dinner?"

"Let's cook something."

"Huh?"

"We should just cook something," Cal said, smiling. "It's something to do. And I want to see if you're a good cook or not."

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Grace put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know I'm an excellent cook."

"What's your best dish then?"

"I'm best at Italian food, so probably lasagna."

"Then let's make some lasagna," Cal suggested. "Unless you make it enough that you're tired of it."

"No, I only really make it on special occasions."

"Well, I'd say me being over is a very special occasion," Cal teased, and Grace rolled her eyes.

"I don't have the ingredients."

"It's always something with you," Cal said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the door. "Let's go buy them, then!"

And so, they took Cal's car and drove to the supermarket. Little by little, Grace felt her anxiety and reservations being chipped away as she was pulled along at Cal's speed. The transfer student had a way of getting things off her mind and spurring her to do things she wouldn't normally do.

She couldn't remember the last time she invited anyone over to her house...even Jeanette and Megan had never been over. She was just used to pulling away before anyone got too close. But any time she tried to pull away from Cal, the other girl would follow and close the distance again, getting a little closer each time.

She found herself laughing and smiling more than she had in years as the two of them shoveled grocery items into their basket. Every time she saw the blonde flash that giant, idiotic smile, Grace could feel her heart jump out of her chest a little.

They bought the ingredients and hauled them home. It was closer to a suitable dinner time once they got back and started preparing the meal.

"You got a recipe?" Cal asked once they laid everything out on the kitchen counter.

"Yep, it's in here," Grace replied, pointing to her temple.

Cal smiled. "Then start telling me what to do, Chef."

They prepared all the ingredients and put the lasagna in the oven. Grace was surprised at how adept Cal was with all this, hardly needing any instruction at all. With how she was acting previously, Grace assumed she didn't know how to cook at all.

They sat in the living room as they waited for the dish to finish baking – a decent distance away from each other on the couch. Grace turned the TV on to get rid of any awkward silence, but she could feel herself growing nervous at the prospect of spending time alone with Cal when they weren't doing anything.

"So...do you usually cook at home?" Grace asked.

"Kind of?" Cal replied. "My family has always eaten separately, so I like to cook something fancier for myself once in a while."

"Do your parents ever cook?" Grace ventured, worried she might be treading on touchy territory based on how Cal was acting sort of shifty.

Having guessed correctly, Cal shifted uncomfortably. "Not really. My mom's a single mom and she's always working."

"Are your parents divorced, then?"

"Yeah, since I was pretty young," Cal replied. "My dad was an uptight businessman who got sick of it all. He left us behind to follow his dreams."

"I'm sorry..."

"Nah, it's fine," Cal shook her head, obviously trying to brush it off. "I don't blame him. Anyone would run away having to deal with my mom."

Grace was curious about that last comment, but decided that was enough prying for now. She didn't want to come off as nosy or overly familiar. They weren't even friends, after all. Or...were they? Grace wasn't exactly sure what their relationship was.

Cal scratched her cheek, looking down as if she was debating whether she should say something or not. Finally, she peeked up at Grace. "What about your mom? I haven't heard you mention her."

Grace gave her a small, sad smile. "She passed away."

"Oh, crap, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, no," Grace shook her head. "I mean, I miss her every day, but it's been almost five years now. She had cancer."

Cal seemed to be inching closer, and Grace unconsciously did the same.

"We were really close," Grace continued. "Well, my whole family's always been very close. So luckily, I've always had my dad and my brothers to support me."

Cal smiled. "That's really good."

The oven timer interrupted their conversation, which was almost pleasant in a way. As she stood up to check the lasagna, Grace felt an air of relief wash over her – she'd never really talked much about her mother to non-family members. Plus, she was strangely happy to learn a bit more about Cal, though it seemed there was still quite a bit more to unravel there.

Why was she so interested in getting closer to Cal? Deep inside, Grace knew the answer, but admitting it to herself would be a gargantuan task. There were plenty of obstacles and complications that Grace could spend an entire day mulling over, but for tonight, she was just going to enjoy herself in the company of someone who she once considered her enemy.