"Why don't I just come with you now?" Theo asked as came down the stairs, dressed and ready to go car shopping.
Harvey was stood in the hallway with Grace, ready to drop her off home and to also reveal the news he had received from his dad this morning. Things had been a bit hectic when Grace woke, as the family had sat down for hours eating food and talking, while at Harvey's request, not bringing up the trip.
"I'll come back and get you man. I'll be like 20 minutes." Harvey insisted, desperate for his brother not to ask anymore questions but knowing that was unlikely.
"Why? It's easier if I come now."
"I wanna talk to Grace. Just wait here." Harvey instructed and gave Theo a look that he finally seemed to process.
Taking that opportunity to make his escape, Harvey took Grace's hand before leading her out of the house. He didn't dare look at her for a moment because he knew he would probably be faced with some confusion over his comment. He was nervous enough as it was for her reaction and this was just building it up even more.
"What did you wanna talk to me about?" Grace asked as she got into the passenger side and glimpsed over at Harvey.
She knew this must be something he felt on edge about or he wouldn't have chosen the drive back to hers to discuss it. The car was a place where you could have a difficult conversation in the most comfortable way. You didn't have to look at the other person and that meant you could be oblivious to their reactions, and they wouldn't see yours either.
"Oh yeah..." Harvey began as he pulled off his parents driver and joined the road. "... I didn't want to bring it up at home with everyone there."
"Bring what up?"
It was obvious that Harvey was trying to stall this conversation. His eyes were focused on the road ahead as his speed picked up and it was only making Grace more unsure.
"My dad asked me this morning if I wanted to go and run the garage in Cambridge for the next 2 months. Corey's going away, so they need someone." Harvey finally spat it out and it felt like such a huge relief.
"Wow..." Was all Grace managed to say to begin with as she processed what that meant. "You're..."
"...going to be in Cambridge for the next 2 months."
Harvey knew what was likely going through Grace's head right now and he instantly felt guilty. She was gutted, yet she was trying to hide it.
"That's amazing, Harvey! Wow. That will be so cool for you."
"Yeah." Harvey just nodded, yet there was very little enthusiasm from his voice, and Grace's too. "It's a huge responsibility but it will be good."
"So you'll be gone for the whole 2 months then?" Grace finally directed the factor that had made her heart sink.
"I will be back at the weekends, so it won't seem that long."
As Harvey continued to drive down the road, passing rows of houses, the car was just filled with silence. He wanted to say something, he wanted to provide Grace with reassurance that this wouldn't change anything but he didn't know what to say. He couldn't judge what she was thinking.
Grace also wanted to say something too. She didn't want Harvey thinking that she wasn't excited for him because she was, but she couldn't hide that she was gutted.
"You okay?" Harvey finally broke the silence as he reached over to gently squeeze her thigh.
Glimpsing over at him, Grace nodded her head.
"Yeah, sorry I'm fine. I am so happy for you, I don't want you to think I'm not. It's just that 2 months is a long time... and I will miss you."
As Harvey momentarily stopped at a traffic lights, he took that opportunity to finally look at Grace. Lifting his hand to cup her chin, he angled her face so she had no choice but to hold his gaze.
"Trust me, I'll miss you too but it will just be Monday to Friday. I'll be home on a Friday night. It won't feel that different."
"I know and I will look forward to that." Grace nodded, accepting what Harvey was saying, even though on the inside she couldn't help but feel gutted.
This wasn't like her at all. She suddenly felt so needy yet couldn't seem to control the emotions. She had finally started something with Harvey that was very new to her and that brought so many feelings with it too. Although many of those feelings were always filled with so much joy and warmth, she wasn't a fan of the opposite side of it. It was the other extreme and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block it out.
...
The rest of the car journey back to Grace's consisted of very little conversation being shared between the two. Instead, all that could be heard was the faint sound of the radio as both Grace and Harvey's minds were filled with thoughts. Neither of them really knew what to say, so it seemed like a better idea to just say nothing at all. It wasn't until Harvey pulled up outside of Grace's parents house that she did finally break the silence.
"When do you leave?" She asked, desperately hoping that he would respond with a month or more.
"Next week." Harvey replied, looking apologetic as he knew that wasn't that long at all.
"Okay, well I'll see you sometime this week and if you need help packing, let me know." Grace forced a smile in response, trying to lighten the mood slightly.
Smiling back at her, Harvey seemed relieved that some of the tension had been reduced however, knew that she was probably hiding the true emotions.
"I will definitely need it. You and Brin can come over tomorrow and help me figure out what to take."
Nodding her head, Grace then watched as Harvey leaned across the car to close the space between them, so that he could place a soft kiss to her lips. Even though they were still both on edge, that kiss was something Grace definitely needed. It gave her a sense of reassurance and as much as she wanted to deny it, reassurance was definitely what she needed right now.
......
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