Complicated

Chapter Thirty Three: Theirs

Cause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.

Bruno Mars -Marry You

The living room of their apartment was full of unpacked boxes all stacked neatly in a variation of sizes from large on the bottom to small on the top.

Their apartment, it was strange to think that this was their space now.

In reality it had been theirs from the very beginning, Grace had always felt more comfortable here than back at her own dwelling. That space had been a transition from one place to the next. This was home, it always had been.

Don had always been the secure fixture in her life. No matter what happened he had always been there with a kind smile, a witty one liner and a touch that could calm the very worst of all her fears. He was her safe house. It was as simple as that.

"I never really realized how little stuff you actually have." Don remarked as he set another box down on the coffee table.

Grace found herself watching him as he moved methodically. The white wife-beater was taunt over his firm muscular chest as he sat down across from her on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table. Her eyes lingered on grey shaded ethology of St Michael tattooed down his right bicep. His mother had hated it when he'd gotten the patron Saint of Police inked into his skin after graduating the academy. His father had laughed and clapped his son on the back proclaiming she should be glad that it wasn't his badge number.

He reached for the Stanley knife, flicking out the blade before slicing down the lining of the brown tape that held the box shut. Grace shrugged at his comment as she lifted something wrapped in newspaper out of the box before laying it down upon the coffee table with care.

"I got rid of a lot of stuff the first time I moved." she said quietly as she unwrapped a picture frame before raising to her feet and setting it on the wooden mantelpiece.

Don's lips curled into a small smile as he caught sight of the picture. It was photograph of the two of them encased in a silver frame. It had been taken at the bar one night by Adam when he'd been testing out his new digital camera. Grace's hand covered her mouth, but you could tell by the look in her eyes that she was trying to stifle a laugh behind her fingers. Don was looking directly into her pretty features, his hand resting over her free one as he drew her attention back to the hilarious story he had been telling at the time. He was happy and carefree in this picture, his grin was wide and infectious and Grace remembered a second later that he had erupted with an raucous snigger.

Don ducked his head, focusing his attention on the box before him as he peeled back the cardboard flaps, his eyes going wide as he surveyed the items inside.

"You know something doll, I haven't seen half the things in this box before but I know I want to." he said holding up an item of lingerie, the straps hanging by his fingertips.

The Basque looked enticing, created out of cream silk and black lace it left very little to his imagination as Don raised his eyebrows at the matching garter belt. Grace smirked as he displayed the item of clothing before delving back into the box and pulling out a midnight blue sheer baby doll.

"Huh, I forgot you hadn't seen some of my lingerie yet." she said, propping her chin up on the coffee table with her hand watching as he picked through the array of materials in delight.

"You have a whole box for lingerie?" he questioned, his hands smoothing over a deliciously tiny black g string.

"Some girls collect shoes or handbags..." Grace said, nonchalant. "I buy lingerie."