Love-in-Idleness Read Online Free

HOME?
                     PROBABLY NOT. Grace knew it was a grumpy response, but her patience was wearing thin. They had been together all day. She couldn’t see the point in texting again to confirm that she managed to cross the street to her apartment safely.
                  His response was almost instantaneous.
    CAN WE FINISH TALKING LATER?
                  She tapped the word TOMORROW into her phone and hit send. She hoped he would let it go for tonight. It seemed like all they did lately was talk. With their senior year approaching and her changing schools, he was having a sudden attack of insecurity. Her moved to the city had shaken him. He wanted her to make declarations about what their future held, but Grace didn’t really think it was necessary. Ryder was her oldest friend. He had become her boyfriend in the past few years, and she adored him. However, her pragmatic nature kept her from making promises that she had no idea whether or not she’d be able to keep. She believed that he was just feeling needy because of her move to Manhattan, but honestly, she didn’t really need the added pressure right now. Theo was getting married in a few days and she was hoping he could hold out a bit longer. She really needed to get through the wedding before she had any life-altering discussions.
                   As she put her phone away, she spotted the small sketch pad that she carried with her and vaguely recalled having recently drawn a picture of the strange rooftop home that sat on top of her building. Finding the picture, she held it up to the real thing, checking it for accuracy. In her picture, there were storm clouds and lightning. The thin trees were bent, as if forced to the side by a strong wind. She made the top of the structure look like a bell tower, in the top of which lurked a shadowy figure.
                            “Perfect,” she whispered to herself.
    “Nice sketch,” a gentle voice remarked from behind her. Grace turned to see an almost unnaturally good-looking boy sitting two steps behind her. He was about her age, with dark wavy hair that was just long enough to brush his high cheekbones. Thick dark lashes framed his indigo eyes.  She studied his face, the creamy skin and perfectly defined angles, before he spoke again, startling her back to reality. She'd never seen anyone so beautiful, male or female.
                   “What’s with the storm and the spooky shadow?” he asked, looking at the picture again and pointing to the rooftop where the unusual building sat. “I see blue skies and an elegant apartment,” he observed, gesturing toward the building in question with his open hands as if he were framing a masterpiece.
                   Grace shrugged.  “Call it an interpretation. My dad’s new boss lives there.”
                   “You don’t like him?”
                   “I haven’t met him yet. I’ll meet him in about an hour, I guess. He’s coming over with his sons for a snooty dinner.” Grace looked at her watch, and jumped up. “Actually, it’s more like 45 minutes from now. I really should go.”
                   The handsome boy stood up as well. “I should go, too. I have my own snooty dinner to attend.” As Grace began to walk away, he fell in alongside her. “I have to meet the new lawyer in my father’s firm. Some guy he brought up from Brooklyn. I’m supposed to make a good impression on his daughter.”
                   As Grace suddenly realized who she was talking to, she stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. “You’re Oberon’s son, aren’t you? One of them, anyway.” She thought back to what Gianni told her about the boys. One was devastatingly handsome and sweet. The other was slightly less handsome and a little on the serious side. There was no question as to which one this was. He was