Future as Bright as Halogen

The next day when Macy woke up her head was hammering from all the tears she had cried the night before.

She had found herself lying in the guest bed, the duvet wrapped tightly around her like a security blanket. She glanced around the room and found small traces of Gabe’s previous occupation: a stray bottle of aftershave in the ensuite bathroom and a lone baseball cap. Macy felt slightly guilty at having kicked him out but at least he hadn’t seemed to mind too much.

With a sigh Macy slipped out of bed and patted barefoot down stairs into the open kitchen, where she reached into the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. Taking a gulp she then proceeded to rummage around the draws for pancake mix, she felt obliged to at least do something to redeem her intrusion on Pete and Ashlee’s personal life. Breakfast was one such way.

Macy was so immersed in her cooking and mixing that she didn’t realize someone else had joined her in the kitchen until they spoke up.

“Feeling better?”

Macy spun around, a hand on her heart, slightly shocked. Her eyes landed on the tall and lanky form of Gabe who was dressed in flannel pyjama pants and an old black Metallica shirt.

She had never actually met Gabe, even for all his connections and friendship with Pete. Maybe it was because he didn’t actually live in LA, or maybe it was because he was constantly on tour. She had of course heard a lot about him; Gabe was a large influence on Pete’s life both musically and privately, and of course Bronx was very attached to the colourful giant who gave him cool t-shirts. It struck Macy at once how good-looking Gabe really was; she hadn’t noticed it yesterday through the film of her hysterical tears and own personal problems, leaving her feeling very foolish at this precise moment. Not just because she was stood in Ashlee and Pete’s kitchen in tiny pyjama shorts and an oversized clandestine t-shirt of Pete’s.

Macy managed to initiate a blushing nod and quickly flipped a pancake before it burnt, this gave her time to turn her back on Gabe and collect her cool for a minute.

Gabe watched her curiously but a second later she turned around and had a warm smile on her face.

“I feel a lot better thanks,” she said even if it was a blatant lie. “Sorry for kicking you out yesterday.”

Gabe laughed and took a seat at the kitchen island as he reached for an orange that he began peeling.

“It’s ok I don’t really spend too much time here anyway. We’re in the studio most of the time.”

They carried on talking generally whilst the stack of pancakes grew taller and taller. Macy asked the odd question about the recording and what he was doing in LA, but Gabe tried to avoid asking her any questions that could potentially offend or even worse: set off a stream of tears.

Just as Macy was shovelling a steaming pancake onto a plate for Gabe, Ashlee glided into the room dressed in loose sweatpants and a t-shirt, her hair in a messy bun. She walked over to Macy and gave her a sideways hug.

“Sit,” she commanded as she pointed Macy to a stool at the kitchen island. Once Macy was sat obediently Ashlee settled down next to Gabe who had been watching this short interaction with a highly amused expression on his face.

“Talk.”

Macy fidgeted awkwardly. Yesterday she had only just about managed to bring out the words ‘Chase’ and ‘asshole’ through her tears before Ashlee had sent her up to the guestroom, and had sat with her until she fell asleep exhausted from crying.

“He didn’t ask me to marry him, he asked me for permission to go away for half a year again,” Macy said trying her hardest not to cry again. “He didn’t even remember that it was our three year anniversary.”

It was at this point that Gabe felt very awkward, but he wasn’t sure how to create a smooth exit so he stayed put where he was.

“I mean it’s three years!” Macy exclaimed as she stabbed her pancake with her fork. “He can pole vault off cliffs and sky dive into the Amazon but god forbid he propose to his girlfriend of three years! He tackled a polar bear once for Christ sakes how on earth can he be afraid of anything, especially commitment?”

Ashlee and Gabe watched with trepidation as Macy took her feelings out on the golden pancake. Gabe was about to say something but Ashlee sent him a highly significant look, she knew that there was still plenty Macy had left to say.

“But what hurts the most is that he didn’t put up a fight, he didn’t run after me,” Macy said as she looked up at Ashlee with hopeless eyes. “He didn’t fight for me. He let me leave.”

Ashlee stretched out her hand and place it on top of Macy’s shaking one. There were too many emotions to convey, but Macy was thankful that Ashlee did not pester her for answers or did not press questions.

“You can stay here for as long as you like,” Ashlee said kindly. “You know that.”

Macy nodded carefully and swallowed the lump that had risen up in her throat.

“I know I can but I need to face up to all of this, Chase and me are over and the sooner I can accept this the better.”

After helping Ashlee feed Bronx and watching Gabe and Pete mock model some of the new Clandestine pieces, Macy got her few things together and said her thank you’s. It was as she hugged Ashlee and Pete that she realized she was truly blessed with her friends and that regardless of her reckless ex-boyfriend she could always fall back on them.

She gave Gabe a friendly nod, to which he raised his hand in reply and shot her a large smile. She still felt slightly embarrassed of the circumstances they had met under, but Gabe was not one of those people who set great stall by first impressions; he preferred getting to know someone over time.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Pete said as he and Ashlee walked Macy to her car.

“I love you guys for offering, but it’s ok thank you. Give me the rest of this week and everything will be fine.” Macy attempted to reassure them.

Ashlee, who had Bronx in her arms, looked up at Macy sceptically and it was to the latter’s great amusement that Bronx wore exactly the same expression as he too looked up at Macy.

“Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

But the minute Macy unlocked the door of her penthouse apartment and the familiar hazy scent of Chase hit her she felt the tears start up in her eyes, even more so once she realized that he had really come back to collect all his stuff. The only evidence of his having been there at all were the bunch of his keys lying next to the fruit bowl. He had cleared the apartment for everything that belonged to him.

Macy dropped her handbag on the floor and stood in the hallway for all of five minutes, before picking up her bag again and storming out of the apartment heading towards the corner shop to stock up on wine and ice cream.

With that her week of isolation began.