To Caress My Day

When the 8th of January reeled around, Seth grudgingly let his girlfriend return back across the sea to her homeland. Her manager, Mikey, had managed to rack up a fresh gig for her that was keen on booking her on as a dancer in a music video. Seth had caught Twigs on the phone in his kitchen, and translated the look on her face when she glanced at him. She’d never seen a sun die before, but she had an idea what it would look like just by the crushed look on his face. He wanted to quarrel with her to keep her there, she could see that too as he paced around and ran his hands through his hair. Opting instead to be the superior boyfriend, he was supportive of this opportunity though his face said otherwise. Twigs appreciated his neverending support…but also hated it. Sometimes she wished he’d have a tantrum just to see how raw his feelings for her got, but then again it wouldn’t help her case in the least bit because she’d still had to leave his side. She needed money, and she wasn’t about to ask her boyfriend for any.

Derek was called in to drive her to the airport. It didn’t need to be said that Seth was tagging along. The couple tried to abstain from making out in the backseat since they wouldn't see each other for god knows how long this time. They weren’t so successful. The time for goodbye in the back seat was even more passionate that Derek had withdrawn from the car to retreat a few feet away in the parking garage to give them some privacy. Seth’s fingers were gripping as if it would be the last time, his lips just as soul-sucking as if he were trying to keep even a tiny piece of her left with him. Twigs was practically a leech on him, greedily taking as much of him in as she could too like he was oxygen. Tears flowed from her eyes, and her voice choked when she finally bid him farewell.

Twigs managed to hold herself in check as she strode through the airport to her gate. She held it together throughout the flight. As soon as she entered her apartment in London, the dam of control breached due to her surroundings. Barely taking three steps inside, Twigs wobbled on her feet as the sobs burst forth from her lips, the impact nearly knocking her down to her knees.

Every single item that Simone held dear to her heart was missing. Pictures, and small knick knacks were not where they once lived. Sure, she let her have the coffeemaker and such, but things like those were without heartfelt meaning. Simone was gone and everywhere she looked there was a reminder that she was missing. It was a depressing suffering, the feeling that someone you loved was there but not there at the same time. And you need that person to physically be there, that was the messed up part!

Was what she was feeling truly comparable to losing a loved one?

If so, it was outrageous! Simone wasn’t dead, she was in another country, for god's sakes!

That awareness didn’t brake the tears from gushing down Twig’s face. Ditching her suitcase by the front door, Twigs navigated quite clumsily to the couch and wept until she received two text messages back to back. Reclaiming her phone, she read the texts while blubbering to herself. One was from Seth and the other from Simone. They both wanted to make sure she made it home okay.

“God.” Twigs grieved, shutting her eyes as she pressed her phone to her heart. She loved these two more than anything in the world, and they clearly care for her the same despite the time differences between them. Getting a hold of herself by practicing some deep breathing, she let them both know she was just fine and had made it back safe and sound.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock on her apartment door.

Frowning, Twigs puzzled over who it could be before she heard Neon Jungle’s voice calling out her name to let her know it was them. Solaced that she got four shoulders to cry on tonight, she scampered off the couch and wrenched the front door open to four tear-streaked faces.

All at once, the four stumbled through the doorway to embrace a sobbing Twigs in a group hug made up of tears and friendship.
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“I fucking hate this, you guys!” Amira lamented, dropping her fork down on her plate with a pout. “And I don’t even fucking live here to deal with it everyday!”

“We don’t have to live here to miss Simone.” Jess sighed mournfully, picking at her cake and ice cream that they brought over in hopes that they could all drown their heartache together. It kinda helped.

“A toast to all of Simone’s happiness and success in the future years to come.” Shereen announced, lifting her glass of champagne up in the air. The others followed suit. “To our Superstar!”

“To our Superstar!” Twigs cheered along with the rest as she downed her glass. Wiping her mouth, she added softly. “And I hope she takes over this goddamn planet.”

“The world won’t know what hit em!” Amira smiled confidently.

“We sure as hell didn’t.” Asami stated, her mind reminiscing on good times. “Remember when we left that one party and Simone had to save me from that werewolf in the alleyway?”

Jess burst out laughing, recalling that night perceptively. “Oh my god, Asami, will you stop being so over-dramatic about that? For the billionth time he wasn’t a werewolf!”

“Yeah, he was a homeless guy!” Shereen corrected her.

“Whatever.” Asami drawled, moving on. “Anyway, she whacked his ass in the head with her boyfriend’s skateboard before he could drag me into that alleyway he called his lair.”

“Yeah, I remember. I also remember I have a gig to go to tonight so I gotta be getting ready.” Twigs groaned with annoyance, not wishing to send them off. Scanning their mutually crestfallen faces, she asked. “Do you think you guys can stay over? I don’t wanna sleep alone in this apartment tonight.”

“I was just gonna ask that!” Amira gasped with delight, her brown eyes shimmering with excitement. “And yes, we totally fucking can!”

“We’re not that prepared for a sleepover though.” Jess opposed. “How about we go grab our stuff first and come back later? We’ll be here before you get back from your gig, I promise.”

“I’m holding you to it!” Twigs warned her with affection before getting up to hand them a spare key that once belonged to Simone.

After getting ready, they all walked out of the apartment building together and went their separate ways.

Twigs hadn’t had time to rehearse the routine when her manager found the gig and sent her link to a fellow dancer’s dance routine video, but it’s been on her mind all day. She’d imagined herself dancing it all out while on the plane holding back her tears from missing Simone and Seth so much. Some would say imagining oneself dancing a routine wouldn’t be enough to pass for a professional music video but Twigs has done it a few times before and had made it through the set without missing a single step. Tonight’s gig proved to be no different. No one would have suspected it was her first time practicing it.

By the time she got back later that night, Twigs discovered her friends all garbed pajamas in her living room watching Christmas movies still rerunning on the TV. “You all know Christmas is over right?”

“Yeah.” Shereen answered with a shrug, munching on some Sour Cream & Onion chips.

“Tell the television people that!” Jess ordered her, pointing a finger to the TV. “They’re the ones who haven’t gotten the message yet.”

“How was the gig??” Amira asked her, lying on her stomach on the rug with her chin propped up on her hand.

“Oh you know, ass shaking here, ass shaking there.” Twigs sighed wearily. “Same old same old.”

“That sucks. Wanna join us?” Asami invited her. “The Grinch is coming up after this one wraps up.”

Twigs arched a brow at her. “Which Grinch?”

“The only one worth mentioning.” Shereen answered. “The masterpiece with Jim Carrey.”

“Isn’t he the best!?” Twigs agreed before retreating from the room to get changed in her own pajamas. Upon returning she finished her previous statement. “I can’t stand any of the other Grinch movies now.”

“I know!” Jess concurred. “When he walked onto that movie set, the Grinch was reborn and I haven’t looked back or forward to a single Grinch movie since!”