chapter thirty-one | get her back!

NEW YEAR MEANT a new Mila. She was now on tour, traveling the world with her band and the best opener that she could get. It also marks the four-month mark since she had last talked to Gracie, which still didn't feel right to her, but it was what she needed to do.

Now, she starts her tour in the great city of New York, the city that never sleeps.

The city was alive, even in the middle of winter. She walked the snow-covered streets, looking around at all the things she wanted to do, the stores she could visit, and the Broadway shows she could see. She was currently focusing on the piece of perfection that was Hamilton. It had always been a personal favorite of hers, and she had hoped to experience it with Gracie.

That four-month mark lingered in her mind; it was all she could think about. It had been four months since she had talked to someone she considered her soulmate. She still believed she was, but after everything, she just couldn't forgive or trust her yet. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

She shoved her hands into her pockets as she approached the restaurant that she had been looking at since she got there, a cozy spot that was tucked between two buildings. When she first walked into the restaurant, she immediately thought of Gracie. She planned everything with the intent of being here with Gracie; she thought she would forgive her by then.

The place reminded her of all the times Gracie would steal food from her plate, claiming that her food was always better. She thought about all the date nights where they would talk about their hopes and dreams over a glass of wine. She missed those days.

She was quickly pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of her phone ringing, pulling it out of her pocket to see Adam's name on the screen. After accepting the call, she put her phone to her ear, and Adam's voice came through. "This is your first show of the tour, are you ready? Are you excited?" He asked with an excited tone, immediately making her smile despite her thoughts.

"Of course I am." She replied, an audible grin on her face. She then twirled the straw in her drink. "How could I not be?"

"I just know how you are, and I know you've been thinking about Gracie recently."

"I have not."

Adam let out a chuckle as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. "Mila, I saw your Airbuds. You were listening to her new album on repeat for a week." He paused for a second, then he continued. "Don't try to say it was for research purposes either. I can see right through you."

She rolled her eyes, although he couldn't see it. She then took a sip of her before she responded. "She had been looking forward to it for months; I had to support her." She explained, knowing that he wasn't going to believe her.

"Right...okay, whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I'm serious."

She heard her friend trying to stifle a laugh, but he let it out. He wasn't buying a single word she was saying, that much was expected. "I'll take your word for it...this time." He chuckled once again, now clearing his throat to compose himself. "Remember, sound check is at four; be there half an hour earlier, though."

"Got it, I'll be there."

With that, the call was dropped, and her thoughts drifted back to Gracie. They always went back to Gracie. While she waited for her food, she began to scroll through her Instagram feed, the first post to catch her eye was an edit that a fan had made about her and Gracie. She watched as all the pictures and videos played on the screen, bringing a small smile to her face. She remembered them all too well.

She wished that Gracie could be here.

The second that she had run off the stage, she was handed a towel to wipe off the sweat from her face. She could hear the sound of the crowd cheering, echoing in her ears. This was the loudest crowd she'd ever heard. The second she heard the crowd singing her lyrics back to her, she knew that she had made it.

She had never been prouder of herself.

She made her way back to her dressing room, stopping along the way to accept a water bottle from one of the crew members, and immediately taking a long sip. The cold liquid soothed her throat.

"That was crazy!" Her drummer exclaimed as she quickly approached her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Since the tour had started, Mila and her drummer, Abby, had gotten pretty close. They acted as if they had known each other their whole lives. "The way they knew all the words? That was truly something magical. I'm surprised they even knew the new songs so well."

"I was just thinking that! I can only imagine what the next show will be like." Mila grinned, the adrenaline still running through her veins. "For the first stop, this is truly something."

"You'll do great tomorrow for night two." Abby looked up to see the opener walking their way with a smile on her face. "Looks like you have more praise coming your way." She teased, splitting from her and going her separate way.

She was then approached by the opener and immediately pulled into a tight, happy hug.

"You were amazing!" Chappell Roan gushed, squeezing her tightly before pulling back to look at her, the two exchanging excited grins. "I was watching from the wing and, holy shit, they were loud."

Mila laughed, trying to catch her breath. "I appreciate that, but your set? Talk about a show." She was quick to return the compliment. Chappell waved a dismissive hand as if she didn't deserve it. "It was amazing to see them all dancing along to Hot To Go. And surprising them with The Subway? That was an honor to witness."

"Awe, you're too kind."

"I'm not kind enough," Mila replied, making the two laugh.

The two silently walked back to their dressing rooms, an arm wrapped around the other. Chappell was one artist that she was super lucky to get on this tour, she still couldn't believe that she was here with her. "I swear, if the paparazzi try to follow me back to the hotel, I'm going to lose my mind," Chappell spoke, a wave of annoyance flowing through her. "They tailed me down here and wouldn't leave me alone." She rolled her eyes, just making Mila chuckle.

"There's a third exit out of here, I'll help you out without being noticed." Mila offered with a smile. She then saw that her friend's mood changed almost instantly. "I'm assuming that would help?"

"One hundred percent."

"I'll get you back there once we get changed then. You can ride with me."

"I love you so much," Chappell responded, wiping away an invisible tear. That made Mila chuckle, her first genuine laugh of the night since she thought about Gracie. It was something she needed.

She let out a chuckle and fondly shook her head. "You're so dramatic." She teased, gently bumping her shoulder.

"It's part of my charm." She shot back with a wink and let out a laugh, laughing with Mila.

The two shared one more friendly smile before going to their dressing rooms and changing into more comfortable clothes. Once they stepped back out, they headed toward the exit that Mila had mentioned earlier. She made sure to scope out the venue before soundcheck in case something like this happened; she always tried to be prepared for anything she thought was possible.

An escape from the paparazzi was no different.

The two stood outside in silence, waiting for Mila's car to arrive. She knew Chappell got the question often, but she couldn't help but ask it herself. "So...when do you think you're gonna release The Subway?" Mila spoke up, breaking the silence, glancing over at her.

Chappell flashed her a teasing grin, the type of look that told you that she knew something. She planned something. Gracie would give her that look all the time, especially after she finished a song or put an album concept together. "Very soon. I planned to release it on October twenty-fourth." She replied with a satisfied nod; she had been holding onto that secret for a while now, she could tell. "I have this whole plan. I'm gonna announce a new album, too."

"A new Chappell song and an album announcement?! You're feeding the fans very well."

"Yeah, well, they deserve it." She replied, letting out a chuckle as the car began approaching them.

Once they were in the car, Mila pulled out her phone and opened a game that she had been playing a lot recently. To help keep herself calm, she started playing a game called Block Blast, and she loved it. She just wished it could help her forget about Gracie for the time being, but it didn't.

She wondered what she was up to.

The only sounds to be heard from Mila's hotel room were the sounds of her steady breathing and the TV with the volume low. She was peacefully asleep, stuck in dreamland, the one place she never expected to get hurt. She was mistaken to think that.

She quickly shot up, her breath coming out in short, shallow gasps. The dream that reminded her of the voice, the face that she so dearly missed, clung to the forefront of her mind as her heart pounded in her chest. The night that everything changed seemed to be on a constant loop, haunting her in her dreams. That dream felt too real like she was living the day over again, but the details changed each day it repeated.

It was like her subconscious was finding new ways to torture her for the decisions that she made and ultimately regretted. It felt like a message from the universe.

After a few minutes of getting her breathing back in check, she looked over at the clock to see it read 1:45 am, making it 10:45 pm in LA. She knew Gracie never slept early unless she had something important to do, but that was the problem, she didn't know what she had going on anymore.

That was her fault, and she knew it.

Before she knew it, an outgoing call to Gracie was displayed on her screen. She didn't know how it happened, she didn't remember doing it a second ago. She couldn't stop it now, she didn't want to. After a single ring, she heard the voice she begged to hear again. "Mila? What's going on? Are you okay?" Gracie's voice sounded worried as it came through the speaker, soft but alert. She had been sleeping though, she heard the same exhausted tone from all their previous nighttime calls. The calls they had when either of them couldn't sleep.

Mila shut her eyes, letting out a breath as she relived every phone call that gave her a sense of peace in a loud world. "I...uhm...I'm not sure why I called." She softly replied and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Yes, you do." Was all Gracie said in return, her tone sounding almost firm now.

Gracie could always see right through Mila's bullshit, she was always observant. "Okay, yeah, I do." She embarrassingly admitted. She took a deep breath before she continued. "I couldn't sleep...and I missed you, like a lot."

Gracie went silent for a moment, but then she responded. "I miss you too."

"Gracie, I miss you- us. I want that back."

"I think you're too tired to know what you're saying." She teased, hearing as she started to laugh. Mila joined in not even a second later. This was the stuff she missed the most, laughing with her. She missed being with her in every way. "Do you want me to stay on the phone until you fall asleep?" She softly asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"It would help," Mila replied as she settled back into bed, her head resting on the pillow. "Do you think we could talk too?"

"About what?"

"Anything. Tell me about your day."

She heard a soft chuckle escape Gracie's lips, it was like music to her ears. She could listen to her laugh and voice forever. "Alright, let's see..." She started, thinking of the perfect place to start. "I started the day by seeing fans' reactions to the album, which was the best thing ever. It was amazing to see their reactions to it, and the playlists these songs have been added to are questionable, to say the least." She pointed out, making Mila laugh.

Mila lay there as she listened to Gracie talk about everything, a smile on her face.

She thought she wanted to be single for a while, but she was wrong. Everything always led back to Gracie, almost everything reminded her of her. She just had to find the best way to make everything better for Gracie.

Maybe she could get some help.

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AUTHORS NOTE !

this is the last act guys.

in just nine more chapters,

this story will be complete,

i'm not ready. gracie and

mila are forever my babies

and hold a special place in

my heart. i hope you enjoyed

and I hope there's no mistakes!