Desire To Love

The Album listening party date had been announced all over the internet, and the only thing Gracious hoped for was a turnaround after years of loving her music. She wasn't stressed about the preparation, or was she…? The whole picking an outfit, keeping fit and updating her followers on Instagram thing was so new, exhausting and made her so nervous. “It is today, baby girl, finally!!” Gracie nodded in excitement and sat on the red sofa across from Emily, her best friend. She held a bottle of Wine in her right hand, which she dropped on the table, and carried a glass in her left hand. She had to get some mojo for the big night, and she was prepared just too early even for the red carpet. “I'll have that…okay, let's take some photos for the net.” She got the glass from Gracie and dropped it on the table, next to the bottle. Gracie looked perfect in her Black palazzo pants and transparent black shirt that had a touch of silver trimmings on it at the top left. *Click! Click!* “How is this?” Gracious whispered as she changed into another pose and looked up, away from the camera.“Yeah… Look… Look a bit more into the camera” She waved her hand to direct Gracie's eyes to the right position. *Click! Click!* “Okay, now give me something sultry but confident in the middle…. Yeah, that's it!” *Click! Click!* “They're all nice! Okay, we're done….” Emily held the phone down as she checked out the pictures. “Ohh, we're done! Good….” Gracie whispered back to Emily. “Oh my God, I'm so nervous, my hands are shaking. And I can barely talk above a whisper.” She took up her wine glass from the table again and looked at Emily. Emily turned to her and looked like she was about to give a pep talk. Gracie knew that look and would always run away from it, but right now, she needed it more than anything else. “Girl…?! When have you ever heard of people disliking a Callum album?!” She moved to stand in front of Gracie. “Never, because the man is the best, and that's why he chose you as the best bet to sing in his tracks. And I can't wait for your life to have a great turnaround.” She smiled and brushed Gracie's face slowly and smoothly as a sign of affection. “I know right?!..... And girl, I can't wait for you to hear it because, I killed it!” She almost screamed in excitement and gulped down her glass of wine. Emily walked towards the door, so they could get going, but paused to look at her s*xy and hot best friend for just one more time before they step out for her big night. Gracie being selected to sing on a few tracks of a Star's Album was much of a big deal to them both. “Oh, wait, I think I got something here…” She saw a thread hanging loose on her top and she dragged it in a bid to cut it off. “Ahhhhh!!” She screamed in fear as the silver trimmings on the top ripped off. Her outfit was ruined! “Nooooo!!!” Emily shrieked in total horror and disbelief. “Where the hell are your dresses??” Emily asked, confused, as they moved over to Gracie's closet after about 5 minutes of screaming and crying. “I took them out to storage, when I moved in with you….” She waved her hands as she explained, she quickly brushed through her hair, confused. Emily noticed a neatly hung dress at the far end of the closet and brought it out, she wouldn't have believed Gracie still kept it. “Why's this here, then?!” She looked at Gracie like she was going to spank her *ss for being stupid. “No way I'm letting you ruin my wedding dress. It's a personal belonging!” She looked at Emily and tried snatching the dress away from her. “Look girl…. This is a wedding dress, you are not going to use it anymore, plus James isn't just going to appear and marry you anymore, face it girl!” Gracie's shoulders dropped as the words sank into her. She raised her hand in defeat, signalling Emily to do whatever she wanted to with it. After about 30 minutes, they walked into the hall, it was packed up with fans of the Musician, most who recognized her waved and rushed closer to take selfies on the red carpet. She had let her best friend redesign her wedding dress into a blouse. It had a long strap flowing on the right side with a big round-pleated twin flower on the right bust. A waiter slowly walked past them, and they took out a glass of wine for themselves. They studied the hall and Emily noted…. “Look at them… They are all expecting a beautiful Album…. It feels so good that he chose you for the track, you're so lucky, girl…!” “Well, I hope I deliver to them.” She grinned and seeped in some air through closed teeth as she looked over to everyone. [Somewhere on a Podcast] “I know you all been expecting the Album release from Callum Brown and I heard it's tonight! The event is about to begin and let's keep hoping I get invited because if I don't, I'm afraid it's going to be spoiler alert on some tracks.” There was a chuckle from the presenter. “So guys, do not forget to keep listening and keep your notification bell on.....” He stated and ended the podcast. [Back at the Album Launch] “Boss! I'm afraid I've got some news” A young man in a black suit walked forward to Callum. “Bad news, I guess… Because why else would you be afraid about a news?” He turned around to face the young man. Callum was a 6ft (1.83 m) handsome looking, fit, hot young man with a few tattoos on his neck and arms. Furthermore, he wore army cargo pants with a Gucci vest and Jordan's. Not only that, but he also threw a scarf on his neck for the effects. “Some f**ked up podcaster just leaked a track from the Album. It's not so bad, boss.....” Callum shot him a deadly glare and immediately rushed to him and took him by his collar…. “He what?? What the f.ck did you say he did?!” His eyes were as red as blood and rage was written all over his face. He punched the young man in frustration and yelled. “I'm sorry, boss, but he…just one track.....just one” He tried to assure Callum, but he obviously wasn't ready to know how little the damage was, a leak was bad enough to ruin the whole album. The MC called him up to the stage for his little speech and performance, Gracie was on the other side of the hall choked up on anxiety for her big entrance, not knowing what had happened. “Are you all here to hear some music! Are you all here to listen?!!” He bent his microphone towards the crowd, and they screamed in wild excitement. “Well, here's something….why the f·ck do you all like my songs, but you go way ahead to spoil it? You all rather leak a track from my album that allow it get released first!… Well, there won't be no album anymore!” He picked up a glass of Cocktail from the tray of a passing waiter and poured it on the laptop. The crowd screamed in horror. A few people took out their phones and flashes began to come alive. It felt like a nightmare to Gracie. “No, no, no! Jesus, No.” Gracie screamed in horror as she watched Callum throw and stump the laptop into pieces after spilling liquid on it. “You shouldn't be watching this.....you'd get brain damage from the horror......” Emily could barely blink her eyes as well, she stared in utter disbelief. “Thank you all for coming. Enjoy the rest of the party.” Callum wiped the sweat off his face and walked out of the stage in a rage. The people in the hall murmured among themselves, obviously surprised at the drama. Gracie felt her heart literally break into pieces. She and Emily walked out of the hotel building an hour later, and it was freezing that night. Gracie's makeup was ruined with tears, her mascara was dripping down her cheeks and she was obviously very drunk. “I can't believe this......” She stopped ranting when she heard a familiar song coming from a little loudspeaker in the street by the left. “Sir, can you play some other song, just change it” Emily begged the man from behind her, and he looked at them confused. “And why…?” He didn't understand why they should walk up to his space and ask him to change the song he was playing on his speaker. “…. Because, I was going to get married last year, to that wonderful song; to a man, Jason and he left to Rochester and I didn't go with him” She started to talk before Emily to utter a word, and she sighed in defeat. “He got a job, and he left….he left the wedding, and he took this Rice Baker we used to make rice….now I don't have any more rice!! I'm even wearing my wedding dress, and you're playing my wedding song?” She cried very loud and turned away to fall on Emily's shoulder. The kiosk owner finally understood the situation and looked at Gracie in pity. He reached out to the speaker and changed the song to another one, still looking at them. [2 Weeks Later] Gracie stood on a dimly lit stage with a microphone on its stand, singing happily to her man with Emily present. She wore a black mini blazer-dress and a lap-length heeled boots. “Happy Birthday to you, James. You wonderful, wonderful, sweet man!” She shouted out to James, who was seated very close to the stage at a booked table of four. Emily was also at the table, seated next to her boyfriend, videoing the moment. A waitress walked over to the table with a Cake and dropped it down right in front of James. “Aww!” James exclaimed in surprise. The cake had burning candles on it and James blew them all off immediately, Gracie stood next to him. Gracie, Emily, and the rest of the crowd cheered as James made his wish. They clapped, and a few people started to video as well. “Now, let's see if that wish would come to pass….” James said solemnly and stood up from his chair. Gracie looked at him in slight confusion and her eyes almost popped out immediately he went on one knee. Emily's boyfriend, who happened to be James's friend, brought out his phone as well to record. “Wait, what are you doing…?” Gracie whispered in shock to James. She was shocked to the bones. “Gracious, would you spend the rest of your life with me and marry me…?” He looked up at Gracie with a smile. Her expression amused him. “Yes… Yes … Yes!!!” She screamed and stretched out her left hand for him to put on the ring. He located the marriage finger and slid on the ring on it. She bent to raise him up and immediately enveloped his lips in a deep kiss when they stood. They kissed for a very long time and people kept cheering them on. “Gracie…!!” Emily called out to her, she was right in front of her, yet her mind was on the laptop. “Gracie….!!” She called out again and angrily closed the laptop where Gracie watched her engagement video. She looked miserable, and Emily's heart melted. Not only that, but she didn't like seeing her friend like this; a potato on the sofa. “Get up girl! You've been on this spot for like, what, ages?!” Emily stumbled as she stepped on an empty cookie jar on the floor of their apartment. “Oh Hi! You finally decided to visit your heartbroken, depressed and unfortunate friend who thought her music career was about to begin but gets the shock of her life as she watched it gets destroyed before her!” She queried Emily from the couch. “Urghh you're being overtly dramatic, ma'am! I live here, and I only slept out last night.” Emily sat down on the table. She looked around the house she thought she had cleaned just the morning before, there were jars and wraps littered on the floor. She looked at Gracie with her baggy joggers and hoodie laying lazily on the sofa. “Alright, I think I have just the cure for whatever you call this.....” She raised her hand and rotated it around Gracie's figure laying on the couch. “You're about to go on a vacation in this earthly paradise!! Feast your eyes on, Royal Dynasty Resort!!” Emily squeaked and handed the flier over to Gracie. She took it and looked at it, it did look interesting, but she dropped it on the table in front of her. “Look at the sky, so Blue….so lovely! I'm doing social media for them and the point person said they were looking for an entertainer, so… I sent him your Instagram, and he was like When can she get here?….” She excitedly gave the gist to Gracie. Gracie looked at Emily and raised herself to balance on her left arm. She looked down at the flier one more time and back at Emily. “Look, Emily, I appreciate all you're doing for me, really, but this, this is a step away from singing on a crew ship!” She had this seriously disappointed look as she talked, and Emily was accepting praises until she heard the last statement. “What is that supposed to mean?” Emily s*ck*d in her breath sharply as the shock of what Gracie had just said settled into her brain. “I'm saying that I didn't grind all these years, trying to build my career to sing cover songs at some hotel lobby. It means I didn't lose a fiancé to become a Lounge Singer, it also means I didn't risk everything and I mean everything to sing…” She was ramping up and Emily was busy shouting ‘Okay’ in the background. “…. Karaoke, I mean….who am I?!” She continued ranting and collapsing on the sofa. “Okay…! I see you ramping up but just hit a pause on one thing, you didn't lose a fiancé….he lost you! And I'm afraid if you don't do this, you might never find yourself able to do anything else about your career.” She calmed down and cooed Gracie with her soothing tone. Gracie breathed in and raised the duvet, she covered her face completely with it and remained still. “Come on girl! Who do you see yourself as; someone who ends up on a couch or someone who stands up and takes another leap…?.” She asked Gracie convincingly, and Gracie pulled the duvet away from her eyes and looked at Emily. Emily gave her the sad puppy eyes, and she rolled her eyes at her. She knew Emily had a point and, by the way, this could also be a vacation for her. “So…. Royal Dynasty Resort, huh?” She picked up the flier and looked at it again, this time with interest. She noticed the blue sky and how gorgeous it was. Oh, Hello Vacation.

The sky looked more romantic and breathtaking than on the flier. Gracie walked out of the airport searching for her pickup ride Emily had said was sent by the Resort during their FaceTime earlier. Gracie was dressed like an excited teenage Summer camper in her White sleeveless crop top and a low-waist blue jeans. She looked at the exit route of the airport for a polish white car. “I guess he should be here somewhere. Wow, the place looks stupidly gorgeous….” She jumped swiftly to the right as she dodged bumping into someone while crossing over to the other side of the road. “Gracious Alexander? Is that you, ma'am?” A young man standing next to a white van asked as he flashed a bright smile at her. “Yeah.....yeah that's me. Ugh, I guess you're the pickup driver?” she stopped to look at him and he nodded. He looked so cool and unlikely to be a pickup driver. He had his beach shirt worn carelessly with the upper buttons a