Revenge

Chapter 6

"Hey Simba," Jacob said enthusiastically after letting himself into the house, as the little dog ran over to greet him. Jacob crouched down and ruffled his fur before standing up again and looking around.

"Grace?" He called out as he walked further into the house. It felt strange going back there after the break up. He'd missed it. He'd missed coming home from work on an evening with Connie. He missed eating pizza with his two girls and laughing and joking with Grace. He even missed Connie's grumpy morning mood. It had only been a week but it felt like a million years ago.

"I'm in here," she replied from the living room.

"Hey firecracker!" He said cheerfully, peering round the door.

"Jacob!" Grace smiled as she watched him walk over. She was happy to see him. She hadn't even seen him in over a week, let alone spoken to him.

"How you feeling? You okay?" He asked, slightly concerned as to why she had called him.

"I'm fine," she replied. But the worried expression on her face told Jacob otherwise.

He took a seat next to her and put a comforting arm around her. "Hey," he said, ducking his head, allowing him to make eye contact with her. "What's the matter? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"It's- probably nothing," she said slowly, trying her best to pronounce the words. "Carmel called m-me earlier," she continued.

"Carmel?" Jacob asked, slightly intrigued. "Carmel Sims?"

Grace nodded and went on to tell him about the phone call she had had with her friend. Jacob listened attentively as she spoke. It seemed over the last couple of days he was hearing the name Sims everywhere. This was just the latest in a long line of times. He knew that Grace wasn't exactly the worrying type - she was just like her mother when it came to her feelings - so the fact that she had felt the need to tell someone about it made him a bit nervous.

Not wanting to add to Grace's worries, he reassured her by telling her that he was sure it was something and nothing. He couldn't be sure himself that anything was wrong but after hearing what Grace had to say he did feel like something was amiss. Of course, he wouldn't tell Grace that.

After having done his best to reassure her, he decided to change the subject to take her mind off it.

"Your mum tells me you managed to walk on your own the other day," he said. He had rarely spoken to Connie over the past couple of days but when he had done, he had made sure to get updates on Grace's condition. After all, he had been by her side to see her through the worst of it, he wanted to be there for the good moments too.

Grace smiled and nodded. "I can show you if you want?"

"Are you sure?" He asked. He didn't want to push her.

She held her hand out to him so that he could help her stand up and get her balance. Once she  felt comfortable enough, she let go of his hand and slowly walked over to the living room door. She turned around to look at his reaction with the biggest smile on her face.

All he could do was smile back at her for a moment. Clearly full of pride for her and how far she had come. He could hardly believe that she was finally getting back to her old self. He wouldn't have thought a couple of months ago that she would be there now, walking around on her own and having long conversations. It really was a miracle.

"Do you have any idea how amazing that is?" Jacob said proudly, standing up to help her back over to the sofa.

Grace giggled as he helped her sit back down.

"I p-practice every day," she said proudly, moving to one side, leaving room for Simba to jump up beside her.

"I know you do," he smiled. "Your mum keeps me updated." Deep down he was happy that Connie kept him informed. After their break up, he feared he wouldn't hear from her at all. He was grateful that he did. That being said, he couldn't help but wish things had turned out differently so that he could actually be there with Grace to witness her walking again for the first time for example instead of having to hear it from Connie.

He knew that he'd messed up but he felt like there was nothing he could do to make it better this time.

"Can't you come home?" She asked innocently. The fact that she referred to her home as his, especially due to the fact that they got off to a bumpy start warmed his heart. But knowing that he couldn't give her what she wanted devastated him.

"I don't think your mum would agree to that," he replied, a hint of regret to his voice.

"I can talk to her," she proposed, still full of hope that her mum and Jacob would get back together. All he could do was smile sadly.

Hearing the front door open, Jacob jumped to his feet.

"Gracie?" Connie shouted up the stairs but when there was no answer, she made her way to the living room.

"I'm in here with Jacob," Grace said as Connie walked in.

He was the last person Connie expected to see when she got home. What was he even doing there? Did he still have a key?

She stood at the door frame and looked him up and down before staring at him, ready to hear his excuse for being in her house.

"I came to see how Grace was doing," he explained. He looked down at Grace and they exchanged a smile. "I was just about to leave."

Connie stayed where she was, not wanting to get any closer to him. "Yes well I'd appreciate it if you checked with me next time, if that's okay with you?" She said coldly, pursing her lips. She wasn't asking. She wanted to make sure that he knew where they stood. He had no reason to be letting himself into her home.

"Course," he replied, clenching his jaw. "I'll see you later firecracker. You keep up the good work, yeah?"

He stroked Grace's head before taking his leave. As he got closer, Connie took a step to the side, letting him past without saying a word.

He walked in silence to the front door before Connie called out to him.

"Oh and Jacob," she said, catching his attention. "Leave your keys on the side table."

I'll most likely post the next chapter tomorrow. I hope you're still enjoying this fanfiction.
Thanks again for your reviews and please feel free to leave more.