To Caress My Day

Later that week, Twigs was back in London rehearsing within the open space between her kitchen and living room. In the late morning she had taken up the task of muscling some of her furniture around between the two open rooms so she’d have some room to hone her dance routines in the comfort of her own home. Unfortunately, all of the dance studios she used to go to nearby had finally become a luxury she could no longer afford, and with Derek in Los Angeles with her boyfriend, she had no way of making it to the one Seth assembled her in his long forgotten UK Mansion. Lord knows she couldn’t afford the ride there by Taxi either.

After struggling through her mother’s Intervention and getting on the other side of it fulfilling her and her step-father’s goals, Twigs returned to London hell bent on keeping herself out of depression and working towards the career she longed for…and also with the one she didn’t want anymore but paid her bills. With her curls messily amassed in an updo, Twigs had donned on a white lacy bra top with a flesh tone pair of spandex shorts to dance in, her feet bare. From Simone’s old room, she had towed a tall full-length mirror into the living room in hopes of getting an accurate view of how her moves come out. Today, she wanted to center her mind and body on making sure every flow of her routine was precisely immaculate, and considering the fact she didn't have her male counterpart there to practice with her, she had no choice but to perfect her own routine solo. This coming weekend will be the first full rehearsal meetup, and so then she’ll be able to work with her partner on this set and perfect their routine together. And so with nothing better to do at home, Twigs practiced on her routine alone. There wasn’t anything else to spend her time on. Seth was far too busy as always to pick up his phone. Neon Jungle were still on tour with Jessie J though they took advantage when they could to send her selfies and video clips of the tour along the way. Simone had attended the public announcement of GRL to the public. Technically, Twigs and Simone’s parents were kinda there too. Simone had them on the speakerphone shoved into her back pocket so they’d be present too. They had heard everything from Simone’s pocket, and silently celebrated amongst themselves over the wonderful occasion.

Twigs smiled to herself in memory of that late night as she went to grab one of her kitchen chairs to use in a seductive chair routine. That hadn’t been the last time she saw Simone’s parents either. After making their decision to move to California to reunite with their only child, Twigs had lend them a hand with packing up their home for the major move. The couple couldn’t wait to see their baby, and Simone couldn’t wait either. Though her parents couldn’t afford to live in Los Angeles with their daughter, they were content enough to be within the same state. Twigs had grown to be truly happy for the lovely couple…that was until she met the new Landlord and Landlady. They were a very cordial couple at first that had a very foreboding aura about them that Twigs couldn’t overlook. It was the first thing that came to mind every time she recounted their meeting. She didn’t know why, but her gut was telling her they were bringing some kind of trouble along with them though she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly.

Simone’s parents didn’t seem to pick up on the ominous ambience like she did. But Simone had before when they talked about it over the phone one late night. Twigs must have sounded very concerned because her former roommate went as far as to order her to inform her the second they try to mess with her in any way, and she’ll go straight to her parents with it. Twigs was touched at how protective her friend still was over her, but she didn’t want to overwhelm Simone’s parents with anything.

Speaking of parents…Seth was supposed to call her tonight. He had received an email from Twig’s mother about agreeing to see the Specialist he wanted to recommend to her. Quickly, he wasted no time in sending a text to Twigs that he wanted to talk to her soon about the next few steps. Until then, Twigs danced the day away. It was very late when she gracefully lowered herself down to the floor into a full split and her phone rang, interrupting her. Rising up on her feet, she turned off her stereo and answered her phone, knowing already it was Seth. “Good evening, McFarlane.”

“Good evening, my Pixie. How has your day been going so far?” Seth asked her, lounging around in his bed in the early hours of the morning so he could spend some time with his girlfriend on the phone for much longer.

“It’s been fine, other than missing you all the time of course.” Twigs confessed to him, a flirty smile on her face as she giggled to herself. Her steps were slow as she meandered here and there in her apartment, her mind fixated on the man on the other end of the phone. “And you?”

“Missing you like crazy it’s getting harder to breathe without you near me.” Seth complained, the smile on his own face diminishing a bit. His brown eyes drifted around his dark bedroom while they spoke, her melodic voice easing the tension in his body from a long day's work leading right into another one. “But that’s nothing new.”

Twigs had to agree with him there. That condition had become a norm for them both every time they were apart. Curling herself up comfortable on the couch, Twigs got straight down to the business of her mother. “So, what’s the plan you wanted to talk about with my mother?”

“Other than the fact that I got her a Specialist that will see her as soon as next month? Nothing else.” Seth had to brag for more boyfriend points. “Your mother is still expected to regularly visit her Doctor despite this new change. Our Specialist will be planning to drop by Tewkesbury next week to examine her alongside her Doctor herself just to make sure she’s not stepping on his toes or anything.”

Twigs exhaled a breath that sounded like it had been confined since receiving the news of her mother having cancer. “Oh thank god!”

“I’m just as relieved as you, believe me!” Seth conceded. But then his curiosity got the better of him and since he had time he thought he’d ask. “I have to ask through, Pixie. How did you manage to convince your mom to accept my help? I mean, you’ve told me she’s where you get your stubbornness from.”

“I uhh…I mentioned your mother.” Twigs admitted tentatively, not sure if he’d be upset by her airing his personal family business to her own family the way she had. “I’m sorry, love! I didn’t know what else to do at the time, I was desperate! Something in my heart told me she’d have had a harder time refusing your offer if she knew about your mother’s own experience with her cancer.”

Seth was a bit taken aback that Twigs had used his mother’s cancer to save her own mother, but in the end he understood her reasoning. He would’ve pulled the same tactic had the roles been reversed. Not perturbed by his girlfriend in the least bit, he smiled to himself and assured her. “Hey, don’t apologize, Pixie. It’s okay, I’m not mad about it. I’m actually very glad that it worked out for you in the end. You did what you had to do and you got the result we all needed from your mother.”

Twigs sank back into her couch with a reprieved sigh. She was so overcome with relief that he understood why she did what she did and didn’t take offense by her split second decision.

“Oh, I almost forgot one of the reasons I wanted to call you! I’m going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. It’s in the first week of April, but if you want I can leave there early to fly to London and spend my last few days with you. Only if you’re not too busy, of course!” Seth broached to Twigs, awaiting her answer with bated breath. He knew she’d likely say yes, but until she did his heart was eagerly awaiting her verbal confirmation.

“Seth, please. When do I not want you to drop by to see me?” Twigs laughed at him, shaking her head with an eye roll. The man was such a gentleman sometimes. She had no idea they still made men like him anywhere in the world. She thought his type of breed died out centuries ago.

Seth laughed along with her. “Very true. Still, I thought I’d ask.”

“So tell me, who is the lucky man getting married?” Twigs inquired, intrigued.

“A guy that’s been workin on our team for a LONG time.” Seth answered with a careless shrug, scratching the top of his head in confusion. “If I got to be honest, I didn’t expect to get an invite to his wedding. I don’t really know the guy’s name nor have I ever met his fiance in person before...I think.”

“Wow. Some boss you turned out to be…” Twigs jested, making him gasp in feign offense. Laughing at her own joke and his reaction, she softly apologized to him hoping for no hard feelings. “Sorry sorry sorry! I was just kidding. Seriously, you’re a good boss for going anyway.”

“Interesting. Green told me the same thing.” Seth said, mentioning the other Seth by his last name so she wouldn’t get confused as to who he was referring to. “Anyway, will you be free early April?”

“I’ll let you know soon enough.” Twigs vowed to him, unable to mentally pull up her erratic schedule in her cozy state. “I’m planning to go into the studio very soon to get started on my next EP.”

“Ooo, what are you gonna call this one?” Seth asked with interest, waiting for something cool.

Twigs had to hold back her laughter, because the moment she told him the title of her next EP, Seth was gonna die laughing and so was she. “Well, I’ve been mulling over it for sometime now, and decided that in order to go along with my first EP, EP1, I should call the next one, EP2.”