chapter twenty-eight | goodbye jordan

SINCE THEIR LAST call, there hasn't been another. Gracie felt that she was shutting her out and moving on already. Sure, they hadn't been together for a while, but she thought they would fix their problems and get back together. She wanted to be with Mila forever, she was...no, IS in love with her. Mila was all she wanted and more.

They had a special connection, they understood each other on a level that other people couldn't. For Gracie, it felt like they were the only two people in the world whenever they were together. With the way Mila had been recently, she wasn't sure if she felt the same way anymore. Mila would find any reason to change the topic or stop texting whenever they would text.

She had used various reasons, such as work, her family, friends, or anything she could think of. She was determined to know where their relationship stood, and she had a plan.

She sat in her room, her laptop on her lap as she sat cross-legged on the bed. Her business email was on display as she had been emailing back and forth with Mila's manager and best friend, Adam Santiago. She was hoping to get on the VIP list. So far, things have been looking promising. If she was lucky, she might get her girlfriend back.

Her gaze shifted from her current topic at hand when she heard someone entering her bedroom. As soon as Audrey walked into the room, she saw the email pulled up on her laptop, already knowing what she was doing. "Still avoiding the relationship talk I assume?" Audrey teased once she saw how long the email chain was. She knew that was avoiding it, she had seen it firsthand when she tried to bring it up, but now she avoids the topic altogether. "You know, you could just let it go and let her start the conversation with that. Plus, I don't think trying to get Adam to help will make things any better." She added, taking a seat next to her.

Gracie let out a sigh as she shut her laptop, now glancing over at her best friend. "I would love to let this go, but I have to know where we stand." She admitted, her tone tinged with frustration and vulnerability. "The longer we wait, the longer that we're in this limbo, and it's torturous. I just want to be with her again." She continued, running a hand through her hair. She had always thought that something would change since she found out what Jordan had done, her worries were right and she hated it. "I just miss her, her love, her touch..." Her voice broke as she continued. She took a quick breath to calm herself down before speaking once again. "I miss the way she would look at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. We were perfect together, and now, we can barely say three words to each other."

Audrey's expression softened, looking more sympathetic now. She hated seeing her friend like this. She knew how much Mila meant to her, but she also knew how Mila could be with this. Once a sigh escaped her lips, she rested a comforting hand on her shoulder before she spoke up. "I know how you feel, I do, but think about Mila. She's still trying to be okay after everything." She explained, earning yet another sigh from Gracie. "Speaking of, what are you going to do about Jordan? We never talked about that."

"I have to fire her and find a new manager, I'm just waiting for my album to be released first. I just want one less thing to worry about."

Audrey nodded understandingly and stood up from the bed. "That sounds like a plan to me. Well, I was going to go out for some food and things if you wanted to join." She offered, making her way toward the door, soon looking over at her to see if she would be joining her. "I thought you would like to go out and do something for a while, maybe get your mind off his whole Mila thing and not obsess over her for a little bit."

Without another word, Gracie immediately stood up, grabbed her jacket from her closet, and followed her best friend out to the living room to pull on her blue Converse shoes. "For the record, I'm not obsessing." She corrected, her tone coming out defensively.

Audrey laughed at her statement, showing that she didn't believe a single word. "Gracie, you've been emailing her manager just to find some way to get closer to her to talk about this, you're obsessed. Admit it." She continued to tease her about it, quickly earning a glare from her.

That only made her laugh more.

"Stop laughing at me!" Gracie crossed her arms, her face flushed as she tried to stop herself from smiling. "I'm serious! I'm not obsessed...just committed, huge difference."

Audrey rolled her eyes as she continued to laugh as they stepped out into the cool, evening breeze. "Committed, obsessed— tomato, tomahto. Same difference, but you're lucky that Mila adores you and how stubborn you are." She acknowledged, shaking her head at her with a giggle.

Gracie rolled her eyes at the comment, but she couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at her lips. She thought about all the times that Mila would call her stubborn, immediately laughing and peppering her with kisses afterward. It was her own way of saying that she loved that about her anyway.

"She used to say that all the time, you know," Gracie admitted with a slight grin, an ache in her chest at the thought. "She always used to say that I was the most stubborn person she knew, but she loved me anyway and wouldn't have it any other way."

Audrey listened intently as they walked down the quiet street together, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She hated seeing Gracie this way, this upset. "Well, tonight isn't about Mila or Jordan. We're going to enjoy ourselves and worry about this tomorrow."

Gracie nodded with a grin, a silent acknowledgment. With that, the two had changed the topic for the night, leaving it until tomorrow.

Gracie sat in her manager's office, scrolling through her texts with Mila, searching for any sign that they were still okay. It had been a few days since she had talked to her and Adam. With Mila's tour starting soon, she had been busy and unavailable to talk.

Adam had kept her updated, though. He even added her to the VIP list for any show she wanted to go to, she picked the LA shows. Now,

Now, she was waiting for Jordan, waiting to do the thing she had hoped she wouldn't have to do. As of now, Jordan was half an hour late, no sign of her anywhere. She had checked her notifications, hoping to see a message from Mila or something from Jordan, but there was nothing.

The sound of the office door opening quickly pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up as she shoved her phone into her pocket to see Jordan walking in. "You're late," Gracie pointed out, her tone firm to show she meant business. She wasn't in the mood for excuses.

Jordan shrugged like she didn't have a care in the world. "I got stuck in a meeting, you know how these things go." She replied, walking further into the office, and closing the door behind her. "What's going on here? Why did you call me in here?" Her tone came out harsher than intended.

"I think you know exactly why I requested to meet with you."

Jordan released a heavy yet annoyed sigh, crossing her arms over her chest as she slowly approached the angry singer. "If this is about Camila, we've already been over this a thousand times. You were getting distracted, the fans were starting to notice, so I had to cut out the problem!"

Gracie's eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened. She stood up from her seat, her anger bubbling toward the surface. "I've said this one too many times.  Mila IS NOT a distraction. I love her and care about her deeply," She started, her voice trembling as she tried to control her frustration. "This wasn't about me or my career, but it was some fucked up way for you to continue this power trip you're on, and I'm not going to let it go on any longer."

Jordan rolled her eyes at the statement, stepping closer to her. "Spare me, Gracie. There is no room for a moral high ground in this industry, what do you think this is? A love story? Gracie, you're stupid to think that's what the real world is like because it's not," She argued, her tone raising to match Gracie's. She tried to stay rational and professional, but she couldn't do it. "This is not some fantasy land where you can have your career and the love of your life at the same time, Mila was a distraction fiction and caused you to act out just like you are right now, don't you see that?!" She continued, soon watching as Gracie's hands clenched into fists at her sides, but that didn't stop her from continuing. "Without me, you wouldn't have gotten—"

"That's enough!" Gracie cut her off, her jaw clenching from frustration. "I've sat back and let you get away with this for too damn long. Jordan, you're done, you're fired."

"You're going to regret that, Gracie."

"No, I don't think I will. As of now, you're no longer a part of this team, and you have no power over me or my career." She made her way toward the door as if she was done, but then she turned on her heels to say one more thing. "By the way, never talk about Mila like that ever again. You've got the wrong idea about her, you never gave her a chance." With that, Gracie made her way outside of the office, making her way toward the lobby, pulling her phone out of her pocket to send Mila another text to tell her that they had to talk.

As she walked out of the building, she suddenly felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders. For once, she felt like she had some sense of control back in her life. Now, she had to use this newfound control to get her girl back.

That was all that mattered to her right now other than her album. Mila. Since the beginning, it was always Mila.

Mila had gotten home around midnight, exhausted and slightly tipsy from the night's earlier events. The buzz of the evening still lingered in her mind—all the loud music, laughter, and too many glasses of wine. She kicked off her shoes by the door and made her way toward the couch, sinking into its embrace as she released a heavy sigh.

She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She ignored it at first, enjoying the quietness of her house before she heard the familiar ringtone. She thought if she ignored it a little longer then whoever was contacting her would get the hint, but that wasn't the case. The phone rang one more time causing her to see who was so desperate to get her attention.

Once she pulled her phone out of her pocket, the screen lit up to display Gracie's contact. She looked at it with a confused expression, wondering why she was calling her at this hour, she thought she was sleeping.

Very quickly, she was proven wrong.

She hit the accept button, soon hearing Gracie's voice on the other end. "Hey...I know it's late, but I couldn't wait any longer," She started, taking a deep breath before she continued. "I'm sorry if I woke you up, but this is important. I thought you'd like to know this piece of information, but before I say anything, I'm so sorry that I didn't try harder to defend you with Jordan. I let her get away with too much and I regret every second of it, I might not have the ability to go back and fix it, but I can do something now, and I'm going to make up for it with you somehow."

Mila had a hard time trying to understand what was being said to her. At the moment, nothing sounded clear or logical. "Gracie," Mila slowly started, her words coming out slurred and sluggish. "What are you talking about? It's too late and I can barely think straight right now."

Once she heard Mila's tone, she paused. Something wasn't right. She didn't just sound tired, there was something else there, a faint slur that she recognized too well. "Mila...have you been drinking?" She asked her curiously, her tone showing a hint of worry.

"No..?" She replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Don't lie to me."

Mila let out a defeated sigh. She knew that Gracie was too smart to fall for her bullshit, she could always see right through her. "Okay, yes. I went out with some friends and we had a little bit of wine, it's not a big deal." She mumbled, her tone quiet and defensive. "I'm just tired, that's all. I'm fine, I promise."

"No, it IS a big deal," Gracie spoke, her tone firm. She got up from her bed, grabbed her car keys, made her way through the apartment to get to the front door, and pulled on her shoes. "You're home alone and tipsy, what if something happens?"

"I'm not a child, Gracie. I don't need a babysitter, I was just...unwinding."

Gracie paused and shut her eyes, trying to compose herself. She didn't want to push Mila, but she couldn't leave her alone either. "I'm not trying to babysit you, I just care about you. I'm coming over, just sit tight for a little bit."

"That's not necessary—" She tried to argue, but she knew there was no use in doing that.

"Yes, it is. Now, I'll be there in twenty." She cut her off and then left the apartment.

"Door is unlocked."

When Gracie arrived at Mila's house, she found her exactly where she imagined—curled up on the couch, her hair messy, and her cheeks flushed from the wine. The living room was mainly dark, the faint scent of red wine lingered in the air.

Gracie knelt down beside the couch, brushing a strand of hair out of Mila's face, gazing at her with concern and affection. "Hey, party girl." She whispered with a soft smile, her touch light.

Mila's gaze flicked up at her, a tired grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "You really didn't have to come." She quietly responded.

"Of course I did. You're important to me and I love you, you know. Plus you shouldn't be alone right now."

"Thanks, I love you too."

Gracie smiled, her chest tightened at the softness of Mila's voice, her love for her growing stronger even if she couldn't express it. "Always. I'm always here for you, no matter what." She murmured.

She took a seat on the edge of the couch and grabbed the throw blanket that rested on the armrest, tucking it around her to make sure she was comfortable. "Did you have fun?" She lightly teased, smoothing the blanket over Mila's lap.

Mila nodded, her eyes shutting for just a moment, blocking out any light she could. "It was nice to go out...I thought it would help, but it didn't." Her voice trailed off, her tone growing more tired and vulnerable. "I just needed a break from...everything, you know?"

"Hey, I get it." She replied, leaning back to give her space, but still stayed close. "Just call me next time, okay? If you need a break or someone to talk to, just call me and I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course I do. Mila, we may be broken up, but you're still the most important person in my life and I don't want anything to happen to you. We're still friends."

Mila glanced at her, searching her face for any hint of doubt or a lie, but there was nothing. "Friends." She repeated, the slipping out like it was nothing, but tasted bitter coming out of her mouth. She didn't want to be just friends, but she couldn't date right now either. "You're too good to me."

Gracie chuckled at her words, taking her hand into hers and brushing her thumb across the back of her hand. "I'm just treating you right, there's a difference." She corrected, her tone sincere. "Plus, you'd do the same for me."

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks for coming, Gracie. I thought I would be okay on my own, but I'm glad you're here."

"I'm always here, no matter what," Gracie replied, moving her hand to brush another strand of hair out of Mila's face. "Now, you get some sleep, and I'll stay as long as you want me to."

Mila let out a soft yawn, her then shutting. "Stay..." was the last thing she said before she passed out for the night.

Gracie smiled softly to herself, pulling her phone out of her pocket to dim the light. As she scrolled through her phone, she would glance over at her, admiring how peaceful she looked.

All the tension from before didn't matter anymore. Mila was safe with her, that's what matters to Gracie the most.

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AUTHORS NOTE !

guys, my babies are getting

comfortable with each other

again and i'm so excited to

start act four soon. i hope

you enjoyed and i hope there's

no mistakes!