When Gracie Met The Grump

Reaching across the bed, my fingers found his forearm and I patted it. “If you’re too scared to sleep by yourself, it’s okay. I’m not one to judge. I’m scared to sleep by myself too. I kept thinking I was going to get dragged under the bed by an evil spirit in the middle of the night. Just so you know though, the only thing I’ll protect you from are flying roaches. We lived in Texas for a while, and I’ve killed a ton of them. If the Bogeyman comes in, you’re on your own.”Part of me expected him to laugh, but instead, I felt a brush at the top of my hand. It only lasted about a second, but the touch sent a shot straight up through my forearm and into my chest and… other places. “I bet you would,” he said, his voice soft. “But I can do the protecting from now on, Cookie Monster. Bogeyman or not.”

“I like it up here. It’s quiet,” Alex said out of nowhere. “There are some places where the clouds hang low, and I used to go out there when I was tired. It reminded me of why we do this. It’s to protect humanity, but it’s mostly for this planet. We’re here to take care of her too. Some day we won’t exist, and we won’t be able to help, but we have to try while we can.”I pressed my mouth to the spot on his neck closest to me, and I felt the arm around the middle of my back give me a gentle squeeze.“For someone who said he’s never taken care of anything before, it sure does sound like you’ve had a whole lot to take care of,” I told him.

I reached up the second my feet touched the ground, and I palmed his smooth cheek as I wobbled. My cheeks were achy from how hard I’d smiled for so long. “You made my dream come true.” I smiled even wider. “I’ll never be able to thank you, but I’ll buy you some cookies, deal?”That perfect face was tipped down, and I didn’t think I was imagining the fact he turned his cheek deeper into my palm. “You’re welcome,” he grumbled softly.“Are your ears okay? I think I might have torn something in my throat from screaming.”“They’re fine.” Alex’s gaze moved over my face. “You’re going to sound like the Cookie Monster again.”