All Chapters of Ashes to Dawn : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

GRACE’S POVIt wasn't lunchtime yet. Julia has lied. Perhaps she just needed an excuse to leave the office, which was nonsensical anyway, because she came right back in. The office didn’t return to normal immediately after Lana and Victoria's reunion, and Grey's departure. It couldn’t, very much couldn't. It felt like something had shifted, like a glass had shattered and even though the pieces were swept away, you could still hear the shattering sound of it breaking if you listened closely enough.No one said anything. Not even Craig, considering he always had something to say. And that was saying something.I leaned back slightly in my chair, exhaling slowly, only just realizing I had been holding my breath through most of that entire exchange. My fingers still tingled faintly, goosebumps lingering on my skin like a reminder that I had just witnessed something extremely monumental, and phenomenal.“You people can go back to work now,” Lana said, already turning to her laptop like s

GRACE'S POVBy the end of the day, I understood that Grey worked much more than he ever did. He was so focused on his work that I'd almost forgotten he never was. I'm sure others saw it too, if the occasional glancing and humming were any indication. His eyes never strayed from his computer, except to look at his document. His phone never rang once, which was unusual. His phone always rang at least 9 times every day before lunch, and the phone calls never made sense. If he wasn't talking about a party he was attending, he was talking about a party he was planning. If he wasn't talking about a girl who wouldn't leave him alone after a ‘great night', he was talking about a girl he wouldn't leave alone after a ‘great night’. But he never made or received a call, making the office as quiet as a graveyard, except for Craig's abnormal noise. “Craig, don't you think you should get that nose checked out?” Victoria said all of a sudden, almost snapping. Craig sighed, lazily tapping his keys

GRACE'S POV Once again, Susan had convinced me to go out with her. This time, it wasn't the weekend yet. As a matter of fact, it was only Tuesday. But she had us in her apartment, dressing up to attend a random karaoke night at a random bar. “I cannot believe I'm doing this. I thought you were going on a social purge or something, cleanse yourself of the public for a while and avoid the male population.” I told her as I buckled the completely unnecessary belt she gave me to use. “You said to focus more on loving myself, and that's what I'm doing. I'll avoid the male population, of course. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't do what I want. Who knows? Maybe I could make more female friends.” She replied, reapplying her lipstick.I snapped my head towards her. “More female friends? Am I not enough for you?” She smiled at her reflection in her mirror. “More than enough. But perhaps one of them could have a brother that I'll end up with.” I stared at her, unblinkingly. “Susan.” “Grace

GRACE'S POV Two hours into the night and Susan was on the better way to being drunk quicker than I expected. She was currently on the stage belting out a Luther Vandross song, the one about dancing with his father again. Yes, she was singing that with all her entirety. She wasn't the best singer, but she could hold a good enough note. Her performance was so moving, and drunk, that some people were legit in tears. They were also drunk, like her, so it wasn't totally abnormal. She was doing everything a singer would do at her concert. A lady in front of me was sobbing her eyes out as she downed more alcohol. Her two friends tried but failed to pry the bottle from her hand. They looked obviously frustrated, but the option of leaving her was out of the box “No, let me drown in my daddy issues. Why did my dad have to leave? Why couldn't he take me with him?” She cried, downing another gulp.I blinked twice, then I slowly looked away, because I had absolutely no idea how to respond to t

GRACE'S POV By the time we got to Susan's apartment, she was already asleep, which left me to drag her halfway up the stairs. However, I could only do so much, so I turned to violence for help.Placing her against the bannister, I took a deep breath and slapped her across her face. The sound of my hand against her skin met the almost silent staircase, making the man who was going up before us pause and look down. I smiled at him, letting him know we were okay.Susan woke up with a start, her hand grabbing her cheek. “Ow! Am I dreaming? Or did you actually slap me?” She whined.“I can't pull you up the stairs anymore. My biceps aren't exactly biceping.” I told her, letting go of her now that she was awake.She opened one eye and glared at me. “You're not nice.” “I'm not nice for dragging you up three flights of stairs? When is your landlord going to fix the elevator?” I groaned, stomping a foot.She opened the other eye as well and looked at my foot. “Well, child. It's not my fault