Consequences - Grester

Chapter 11

Grace's POV

"Right, are we all ready to fly?" I l bend over Charlotte and do the buckle of her airplane safety belt and pull the strap to fit her tiny little body.

I am ridiculously tired by this point, because I didn't sleep very well last night, after Mamrie gave me a lecture about prioritising my life. I didn't really bother to listen, because I had already booked the tickets by then, so there was nothing I could do. Despite the dark circles under my eyes and the overwhelming desire to shut my eyes and sleep for the entire flight, I have to watch the girls and keep them entertained and happy.

"Yes!" She squeals and wriggles about in her seat. "I can't believe we're going to Disneyland! I'll get to meet all the princesses, and Mickey Mouse and we can go on every single ride! Even the scary ones."

"Scary ones? There are no scary rides at Disneyland, silly." Sophie leans forward, to see past me, seated between the two of them.

I can't help but chuckle at how excited these two are. We'd only ever been to Disneyland one other time, when Charlotte was too tiny to go on anything interesting, so Chester and Sophie went dashing off on all the fun, themed rides, leaving Charlotte and I with all the Disney characters.

I shake my head quickly when memories of Chester in Disneyland invade my thoughts. This little holiday is meant to clear my mind, not to spend time dwelling over what we used to be.

When the air stewards do the safety procedures, I make sure Charlotte and Sophie pay close attention, due to my naturally anxious behaviour.

Charlotte is beyond elated and kicks her tiny feet excitedly as she bounces on her seat to see the plane begin to take off. Sophie and I, on the other hand, clutch each other's hands to calm ourselves as the plane tilts upwards and we ascend into the air.

I feel my stomach lurch as we shoot into the sky, until we reach the cruising altitude, when I am able to open my eyes again and hold Sophie's hand a little less tightly.

"Mommy! Mommy, look!" Charlotte presses her little hands, with her fingers all fanned out, on the glass of the small window. "We're stuck in the clouds."

I chuckle at her sweet comment and kiss her forehead. The flight is going well for now. Charlotte is distracted by the view outside, and occasionally switches her attention to my phone, which is lit up by the game she's playing, and Sophie, as usual, is a pleasure to travel with, as she keeps herself busy and chats to me.

I am half asleep when Charlotte starts shaking my arm and whining.

"Mommy, my legs are sore. I'm tired of sitting." She complains and looks at me with large, sorrowful eyes.

"Just give me a second and I'll take you for a walk up and down the aisle, alright?" I assure her, as I shift in my seat and kiss the top of her soft hair.

"I'll go with Charlie." Sophie offers.

"No, it's okay, Soph." I smile thankfully at Sophie.

Just then, an air stewardess pokes her head around the seat and beams her wide, white smile.

"I don't mind taking you girls for a walk, if your mom doesn't mind. My legs get sore too when I sit for too long." She nods kindly at Charlotte.

"Can we, Mom?" Sophie asks.

"That would be great." I sigh with relief. "Thank you so much."

I lift Charlotte out of her seat to put her down in the aisle and Sophie gets up, as the air stewardess suggests that it is no big deal with her gestures, but to me, it is a really sweet offer.

Charlotte, being the little social butterfly she is, immediately clutches the stewardess' hand as they walk down the narrow aisles.

By now, I'm wide awake, and decide that I should take a trip to the bathroom and wash my face. Surprisingly, there is no line and I slip into the tiny room. I look at the mirror and I immediately realise why the stewardess offered to take the girls.

My dark brown, hollow eyes are rimmed with purple circles, as a result of the sleepless nights that I have suffered after all this conflict between Chester and I. My cheekbones are more defined than usual, indicating my weight loss, from my recent lack of appetite and all of the stress running I've been doing lately.

The stewardess didn't take the girls just because she wanted to. She must feel bad for me.

For fuck's sake, if I saw a single mom travelling with two little girls, I'd feel bad for her. I need to get my act together. This isn't a pity party and I don't need anyone's sympathy.

Chester's POV

As I sit in my car, still parked in our driveway with all my belongings in the back, I pull my phone out of my pocket and start to type out a message to Grace. After several corrections and versions of the message, I finally hit send.

Hey Grace. I figured that it's unfair of me to keep the house to myself, so I've cleared my belongings out of the house and I will be sorting out other accommodation, so you and the girls are welcome to stay there, if you'd like.

Chester

I have absolutely no idea where I'm going to stay, but my situation isn't important right now.