‹ Prequel: Warmness on the Soul
The Way You Look Tonight
Date Night
“We’ll stay here, Grace.” Gena smiled, ushering her towards a waiting Brian.
“We’ll keep you’re couch warm-”
“Sure you will. Just, don’t trash the place, touch my instruments and on your head be it!” she laughed walking out the door.
“Is she serious?” she heard Leana whisper to Val, making her laugh to herself more.
“You like sushi, right?”
“I’ve never tried it,” she smiled, getting into car after Brian opened the door for her.
“Grace, you live in California - no, you live in Southern California how have you never tried sushi?!” Through Brian’s open door Grace could here Val shout.
“I expect her home by midnight, Gates! And I’ll be checking for hickeys!”
“I guess I just never got round to it,” she laughed with him as they drove off, as it happened, Grace lived pretty much in the centre of everything and so it wasn’t long before they were stopping outside of Tuna Town. “Hey doesn’t David Silvera-”
“Own the place? Yeah, bought the building a few years back.”
They went inside, “Gates! Good to see you,” David Silvera’s wife, Shannon smiled, enveloping him in a warm welcome, “And who’s this? You going to introduce me?”
“Shannon, this is Grace. Grace, Shannon,” Grace smiled in acknowledgement, “You working tonight, Shan?”
“No, love, just passing through,”
“Alright, see you. Get David to give us a call sometime.” she left after replying with a ‘will do’ and Brian and Grace were seated at a table.
“Any recommendations?” Grace asked, thanking her waiter for her drink in the process.
“Everything.” Brian laughed, and Grace joined him, “Seriously though I like the-”
“Tell you what, you know me Brian, you order for us both, I’ll have what you’re having.”
***
“Brian that was way too big a tip!” Grace laughed, leaving the restaurant and seeing their waiter’s face. “You know flashing the cash isn’t the way to get in with me!”
“I wasn’t-”
“Relax… Now, I think it’s about time I find out why I was told to wear flats, don’t you?”
He smiled, “I thought you’d never ask.” he walked over to her side of the car and opened the door, “M’lady.”
“Why thank you kind sir,” she laughed, getting in.
They drove a little down PCH to where Grace knew Brian liked to chill out on his own. The girls had been right, they were at the beach. They parked and Brian got out, running round to her side before she could even think about getting out and opening the door for her.
“Hey, why don’t you go on ahead, there are some logs just there you can sit on, I’ll only be a second.” she obliged, walking over to where he had directed and sat down, taking in the black night sky and sighed, she really did love the beach.
Brian appeared behind her a short minute later, a guitar case in his hand, she laughed, “First you flash the cash and now you’re going to show off.” she mocked, moving her feet so he could get past her to the opposite log. He flipped her off, laughing along with her.
“I was actually going to sing to you, but if you don’t want me to-”
“You were going to sing?” she smiled, “I’ve never heard you sing before. I’d love to hear you.”
He strummed a few chords, checking his tuning and began. The song was familiar to Grace, she didn’t know where she’d heard it, or who it was by, but it made her sad. She listened to his voice, different from what she expected, she found it was soothing, less… manly than his speaking voice, but in no way a higher pitch.
He finished just as a tear escaped.
“Aw, Grace don’t cry, I know I’m no Matt-”
“No, it’s not your voice, it’s that song. My dad wrote it, that’s the one that he had on the piano. It’s my song, how- how did you get this?”
“Your mom called me up a couple of weeks back, your brother found some lyrics and wanted help polishing off the melody. So I said of course I’d help him, as long as I was the one to debut it to you.”
“I’m glad it was you.”
“Me too.” he leant his guitar up against the log and went over beside her, sitting in the sand at her feet. She slid down and joined him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
They sat like that for a while, gazing out into the ocean, and every once in a while gazing at each other until Brian felt her shiver. He looked down at his watch, “I was going to offer you my jacket, but it’s 11:45 and if I don’t get you home Val’ll kick my ass!” Grace laughed and accepted his hands for a help up, dusting herself off with sand she walked towards the car as he grabbed his guitar.
They both got in and Brian drove the short distance home.
He parked outside her house, Grace could have swore she saw her blinds twitch, “I had an amazing night, Bri’” she leaned towards him.
“Me too.” he leaned towards her. Their lips touched for a fleeting moment, and crashed back down again, their kiss heated, but not desperate.
Grace opened the car door, “See you soon?”
He smiled, “Definitely.”
“We’ll keep you’re couch warm-”
“Sure you will. Just, don’t trash the place, touch my instruments and on your head be it!” she laughed walking out the door.
“Is she serious?” she heard Leana whisper to Val, making her laugh to herself more.
“You like sushi, right?”
“I’ve never tried it,” she smiled, getting into car after Brian opened the door for her.
“Grace, you live in California - no, you live in Southern California how have you never tried sushi?!” Through Brian’s open door Grace could here Val shout.
“I expect her home by midnight, Gates! And I’ll be checking for hickeys!”
“I guess I just never got round to it,” she laughed with him as they drove off, as it happened, Grace lived pretty much in the centre of everything and so it wasn’t long before they were stopping outside of Tuna Town. “Hey doesn’t David Silvera-”
“Own the place? Yeah, bought the building a few years back.”
They went inside, “Gates! Good to see you,” David Silvera’s wife, Shannon smiled, enveloping him in a warm welcome, “And who’s this? You going to introduce me?”
“Shannon, this is Grace. Grace, Shannon,” Grace smiled in acknowledgement, “You working tonight, Shan?”
“No, love, just passing through,”
“Alright, see you. Get David to give us a call sometime.” she left after replying with a ‘will do’ and Brian and Grace were seated at a table.
“Any recommendations?” Grace asked, thanking her waiter for her drink in the process.
“Everything.” Brian laughed, and Grace joined him, “Seriously though I like the-”
“Tell you what, you know me Brian, you order for us both, I’ll have what you’re having.”
***
“Brian that was way too big a tip!” Grace laughed, leaving the restaurant and seeing their waiter’s face. “You know flashing the cash isn’t the way to get in with me!”
“I wasn’t-”
“Relax… Now, I think it’s about time I find out why I was told to wear flats, don’t you?”
He smiled, “I thought you’d never ask.” he walked over to her side of the car and opened the door, “M’lady.”
“Why thank you kind sir,” she laughed, getting in.
They drove a little down PCH to where Grace knew Brian liked to chill out on his own. The girls had been right, they were at the beach. They parked and Brian got out, running round to her side before she could even think about getting out and opening the door for her.
“Hey, why don’t you go on ahead, there are some logs just there you can sit on, I’ll only be a second.” she obliged, walking over to where he had directed and sat down, taking in the black night sky and sighed, she really did love the beach.
Brian appeared behind her a short minute later, a guitar case in his hand, she laughed, “First you flash the cash and now you’re going to show off.” she mocked, moving her feet so he could get past her to the opposite log. He flipped her off, laughing along with her.
“I was actually going to sing to you, but if you don’t want me to-”
“You were going to sing?” she smiled, “I’ve never heard you sing before. I’d love to hear you.”
He strummed a few chords, checking his tuning and began. The song was familiar to Grace, she didn’t know where she’d heard it, or who it was by, but it made her sad. She listened to his voice, different from what she expected, she found it was soothing, less… manly than his speaking voice, but in no way a higher pitch.
He finished just as a tear escaped.
“Aw, Grace don’t cry, I know I’m no Matt-”
“No, it’s not your voice, it’s that song. My dad wrote it, that’s the one that he had on the piano. It’s my song, how- how did you get this?”
“Your mom called me up a couple of weeks back, your brother found some lyrics and wanted help polishing off the melody. So I said of course I’d help him, as long as I was the one to debut it to you.”
“I’m glad it was you.”
“Me too.” he leant his guitar up against the log and went over beside her, sitting in the sand at her feet. She slid down and joined him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
They sat like that for a while, gazing out into the ocean, and every once in a while gazing at each other until Brian felt her shiver. He looked down at his watch, “I was going to offer you my jacket, but it’s 11:45 and if I don’t get you home Val’ll kick my ass!” Grace laughed and accepted his hands for a help up, dusting herself off with sand she walked towards the car as he grabbed his guitar.
They both got in and Brian drove the short distance home.
He parked outside her house, Grace could have swore she saw her blinds twitch, “I had an amazing night, Bri’” she leaned towards him.
“Me too.” he leaned towards her. Their lips touched for a fleeting moment, and crashed back down again, their kiss heated, but not desperate.
Grace opened the car door, “See you soon?”
He smiled, “Definitely.”