The Way You Look Tonight

It was midday and Grace was just up. The guys had had a drinking session at the studio the previous night after the fans had left and Grace was happy to join in, she hadn’t let her hair down and just had fun in a while. Brian, the rest of the guys and the other girls had all stayed over there that night, as the boys were aiming for an early-ish start on recording tomorrow and so staying over there meant they didn’t have to get up an hour earlier. Grace took Pinkly home out of choice. She felt it was a little early to be staying over with Brian, even if it wasn’t in his house. They were doing things right this time. Besides, Pinkly would need his morning walk and there was nowhere truly suitable to walk a dog near the studio.

She slipped on her flip-flops and put her hair into a ponytail. She took Pinkly’s leash and clipped it to the pink collar around the little dog’s neck. Making a mental note to get Brian to buy Pinkly a more manly colour of collar (let’s face it, he had enough self-esteem problems being a Maltese) Grace walked the well trodden path down to the beach. A walk along the beach would ensure ‘daddy’s’ peace when it came to going into the studio.

Taking the first few steps tentatively to make sure the sand wasn’t already too hot to walk on, she took off at a leisurely pace. She loved living right on the beach the freedom to come out here whenever she saw fit was the greatest benefit. The little dog walked as leisurely as Grace, sniffing around occasionally stopping to do its business and then carrying on jovial as ever.

Looking down at her phone, Grace smiled as she read the ‘good morning’ text from Brian, but looked up when the spring in Pinkly’s step seemed to get… springier, something had intrigued him. Looking up from her phone, Grace realised that the something was in-fact a someone.

It was Michelle.

Grace stopped walking and looked at her a second, deliberating whether it was really worth opening her mouth. Deciding against it, she turned on her heel and started walking in the other direction. “Grace, wait!” Michelle had got up and ran towards them, blonde hair blowing in the sea air.

“What do you want, Michelle?” she asked, turning back around.

“Can we talk? Maybe get a coffee?”

Grace almost laughed, “And why would we do that?”

“Please? Humour me?” Grace nodded her head once and followed Michelle to a little café just off of the beach. They sat outside as it was turning out to be a really nice morning, but also because they had Pinkly and he wouldn’t have been allowed in.

“Just a coffee for me thanks.” Grace said to the waiter.

“I’ll have the same.”

Their coffees arrived, “What did you want to talk about, Michelle?”

“I, I, uh, I wanted to apologise… for the way I treated you - not only the day at the beach but the entire time. Can I explain?” Michelle almost spluttered, in her haste to get the words out her mouth. Grace’s eyes widened in shock, so she took a sip of her coffee to hide her astonishment somewhat.

“Um, thanks…?” Grace didn’t know whether or not she was being played but she nodded her head at her question nonetheless. She was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s just, I’d be with Brian, or the guys and, all they’d talk about was you - how great you were, how funny you were, how caring. Truth be told, Grace, I was jealous. I’d be in Brian house and I’d find little things of yours, not just things you’d given him, but things like your shampoo, or house keys and when I found a pair of underwear under the bed-” Grace blushed profusely as Michelle smiled wryly at her, “He’d say your name in his sleep - hell he even moaned your name a few times-” Enter more blushing on Grace’s part. “- and that day at the beach his eyes were on you, never left you. I just, I saw red. I’ll admit it.”

“Thank you, Michelle.” Grace had finished her coffee.

“I have nothing against you Grace, not now. I’ve realised that for him, it’s you, it’s always been you. I wish the two of you all the happiness we never had.” both woman stood up and Michelle opened her arms awkwardly for a hug, Grace obliged, she didn’t want to fight with her. She never really thought about Michelle’s feelings in all of this.

“Hey, Michelle?” she said as both of them left the little café, biting the bullet Grace said, “I’m heading over to the studio once I pick some things up from my house. They were your friends before they were mine, and it wouldn’t be fair of me to take them aswell, come with me?”

“I don’t think-”

“Please?” Michelle thought about it, and smiled.

“Sure. Why not?” Grace joined in with her smile and they both walked back to Grace’s.

She gave Michelle a quick tour of downstairs, grabbed her purse and car keys and led Pinkly out to her car. They partook in idle chit-chat on the way to the studio and arrived in no time.

Getting out, Grace helped Pinkly down and walked around the side of the building where she could here voices. Michelle seemed to be a few paces behind her, “Come on! They won’t bite - well, no promises about Jimmy…”