by Lulu
READ FIRST!!!!!!!!
Author's Note - The thing with Eli and Grace in his room smoking pot never happened. Because in this story he doesn't even do drugs, he works at the studio with the same blonde girl he was sleeping with in the real episode. Karen is not always on his back. Grace still has a crush on him, and they are really playful and flirty with eachother. Jessie never dated Tad. And he is actually a pretty decent guy. The play is not Shakespeare's "As you Like it" but Guys and Dolls. Ok, so the last night of the play...
***Alert - I do not remember the blonde girl's name -- so in this story her name is Cheryl.****
"Eli, honey you came!" Karen exclaimed as she made her way through a small crowd of parents and students waiting for their programs and tickets. "Hi mom," Eli greeted with a quick kiss on the cheek somewhat reluctantly as Karen embraced him. For the first time, Karen noticed the leggy blonde in the mini skirt and pulled away to acknowledge her. "Mom, this is Cheryl from work. Cheryl, my mom." "Hi..." Karen said wearily. "Nice to meet you," she added extending a hand. Cheryl flashed a wide smile and murmered greetings as well.
There was something about twenty-somethings who dressed in mini skirts, fishnet stockings, knee high boots, and tight black sweaters that didn't sit with her. This was an experienced woman, Karen had a feeling she'd been around the block more than she had. And now she was with her baby boy. "Well, I'll see you inside Eli, you don't wan to miss any of Jessie's or Grace's performances. They were fantastic! Do you want me to save you two some seats?"
"No, we'll be fine," "Ok...nice meeting you again," Karen said as she walked off.
"You're mother's nice...I think it's sweet how she baby's "wittle itty bitty baby" Eli!!" Cheryl teased rudely in a baby voice and smushed Eli's cheeks together. "She's just a tiny bit overprotective, alright? Ya know, you could have put on some more clothes..." he added turning to her. "That's not what you said last night," she smiled seductively and ran her hand over his chest. "Not here, alright? Come on," he said leading her inside the auditorium.
**************************************
The lights dimmed in the auditorium, and large stagelights illuminated the maroon velvet curtains. Eli and Cheryl took a seat in the 5th row, near the aisle. Eli settled into his seat as Cheryl settled into him, wrapping her arm around him and grasping his hand. Slowly the curtains were parted, and the crowd cheered. The auditorium was bursting with supporters, coming to see the last night of the show. The costumes were also great like the set. The drama classes were lucky enough to borrow the props from a professional local theater who had put on a production two years ago. Eli waited impatiently as the first song was sung, for perfomances by Jessie who played Adelaide and Grace who was Sarah. Grace stepped on stage with the mission workers dressed in a knee-length blue/grey business skirt, ruffled white shirt, and matching jacket to sing her song.
Then quickly ran backstage to get ready for the highlight performance of the night. Her big scene.
"Grace, your up!" the stage manager hissed and she quietly entered the spotlight with Tad, who was Sky Masterson. The spotlight followed her across the stage, and Eli slightly perked up from his slumped position. "Don't worry, I'll know." she spoke before her sweet voice broke into song.
"For I've imagined every bit of him,
From his strong moral fiber,
To the wisdom in his head,
To the homey aroma of his pipe"
Tad: You have wished yourself,
The scars dale Gallahad,
The breakfast-eating, Brooks brother's type.
Eli let himself chuckle inside thinking about typecasting. Grace was her character. She was Sarah; conservative, smart, opinionated, good-hearted, and afraid....afraid to love, to open up.
Grace: Yes.
And I shall meet him when the time is right.
I'll know when my love comes along,
I won't take a chance.
For oh, he'll be just what I need.
Not some fly-by-night Broadway romance.
Grace sang with such vulnerability, a side of her Eli or anyone else rarely saw. She was reserved in her manner. Appeared impenetrable, like she had this sheild to hide her or protect her. Grace was also afraid to take risks, she would wait just like this girl, Sarah for love. Instead of going out and looking for it.
Sarah:
I'll know, by his calm steady voice,
Those feet on the ground.
I'll know as I run to his arms,
That at last I've come home safe and sound.
And till then,
I shall wait.
And till then,
I'll be strong,
For I'll know when my love comes along.
Tad: spoken) No, no, no, you can't dope it like that,
What are you picking, a guy or a horse?
The room burst out into laughs. Appreciating the classicness of the play and the joke. "I wouldn't expect a gambler to understand," Grace said her line as the bright light highlighted her firey auburn hair and hazel eyes. Her beauty was not unnoticed by the crowd. Now it was Tad's turn to respond to Sarah's song.
Tad: Mine will come as a surprise to me.
Mine I leave to chance and chemistry
Yeah, Chemistry.
Suddenly I'll know, when my love comes along.
I'll know then and there.
I'll know, at the sight of her face,
How I care,
How I care,
How I care.
And I'll stop,
And I'll stare,
And I'll know long before we can speak,
I'll know in my heart.
I'll know and I won't ever ask,
Am I right?
Am I wise?
Am I smart?
But I'll stop,
And I'll stare,
At that face in the throng.
Yes, I'll know when my love comes along.
As Tad sang the last of his verses, he showed off the range of his voice, hitting high notes and singing with perfection. When he sang, "But I'll stop, and I'll stare, at that face in the throng" he had approached Grace's character and reached for her hand and placed it on his heart, then cupped her face, bringing it up slightly. Everyone kew what was about to happen but Eli. The kiss was approaching; the signs were all there. "Oh this is the best part," a young girl commented from behind, but Eli was clueless as to what she was referring to. He'd never seen Guys And Dolls before.
"I'll know, when my love comes along." Grace and Tad harmonized and sang beautifully together. Their gaze getting more intense as they lost themselves in their characters. They carried out the last note before their kiss was to occur, a stage kiss. A simple brushing of the lips. Supposed to be innocent.
But there was something in Tad's eyes that Grace could see was different from the other nights. She had been hanging out with him more because of all the afternoons they'd spent rehearsing. He'd even helped her forget about Eli and his troubles for a few hours everyday. He would joke and she would laugh and they would talk. Sometimes he even drove her home. There was something different there as he bent his head and leaned into kiss her. And Grace couldn't help but close her eyes as their lips met. Each caress, each soft slide of their lips...she could feel herself giving into him. Into her emotions.
Tad pulled Grace closer to him, deepening the kiss. And if it hadn't been for the hoots and hollers of the crowd; they would have never pulled apart. For the moment they were together, it felt as if she and Tad were the only people in the world. Completely oblivious to the huge crowd of people, to parents, and friends, to Eli.
******************************************
However, all of these events did not go unnoticed by him. Eli couldn't help but feel jealous pangs at his heart. He had missed talking to Grace the last few weeks. He was spending most of his time with Cheryl, and she had the play to rehearse for. When she'd come home, he would be out. Or she'd be so tired she wouldn't eat dinner, just straight up to bed to study or sleep. He had seen less and less of her, and this was why, he had reasoned in his mind. And started to feel angry and more jealous. Eli tensed up in his seat, because of his inner turmoil. Feeling this, Cheryl sat up and slightly pulled away. "Something wrong?" "No, I'm fine," Eli lied through his teeth all the while seeing green. This Tad guy was some smooth operator, who was just going to break her heart. He couldn't believe he had to watch this.
"Break it up already!" an obnoxious student screamed from the back. But Eli was relieved that someone else had done it before him. Thankfully, Tad heard, realized where they were and broke the kiss. Wiping Grace's lipstick from his face, he never let go of her hand, just smiled shyly, shrugged his shoulders, took a bow to lighten the mood and whisked Grace off backstage.
*****************************************
Backstage Tad had pulled Grace into a side room as everyone else in the next act rushed around them. There was an awkward silence. "Listen," they both looked up and said at the same time. "You first," Grace smiled nervously. "Ok....about what happened out there.... I don't know what came over me, but I just felt this overwhelming urge to kiss you...I really like spending time with you Grace, I really like you..." Tad said shakily, confessing his feelings. "I..." Grace let out a sigh of relief, looking away. "Me too," she smiled shyly.
Tad smiled wide, "Ok... so we'll talk about this later? I can give you a ride to the after party,"
"Umm....sure. I have to get ready for our next duet," Grace exclaimed quickly and ran off in the other direction. Grace plopped onto her make up chair and began to get ready for the next scene. Her reddish brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders as she pulled out the bobby pins that held her hair into a mature bun. She reapplied her lipstick and gave her hair a quick brush. Then began to change out of her missionary clothes. Grace pulled from the rack of clothes her next outfit. A knee length black dress w/ spaghetti straps and a red cardigan with embroidered flowers on the front over it.
"Grace! Five minutes!" Katherine yelled just was she was slipping on her high heeled strappy shoes. Quickly, Grace pulled the wispy front strands of wavy hair and pinned then up away from her face. She readied herself behind the curtains and peeked through at the audience while Jessie was singing with the hotbox girls. She scanned the crowd and felt her heart begin to race as she spotted Eli. She never expected to see him there, even though Jessie was in the play. "Oh no!" Grace thought nervously. "He saw me kissing Tad," Grace peeked through the curtain again and noticed who was sitting next to Eli, "Practically on top of him," she thought as she rolled her eyes.
She was much older, probably a good five years older. And she was pretty....heck, who was she kidding. The girl, ahem woman, was beautiful. And she had a body to die for. No wonder why Eli liked her. Grace frowned discouraged and decided now was the time to get over him once and for all. Eli would never see her as anything more than a friend. It was useless, setting herslef up for the fall over and over. Useless to hope for anything more.
***************************************
Eli's mind was swimming. Flooding was more like it. And he was drowning. Where did these feelings suddenly come from? Grace was just a "friend." Then why were images of Grace and Tad kissing playing over and over in his mind? It was hard to define the relationship that he and Grace had. It was familiar, it was comfortable; yet it had the excitement and freshness of meeting someone new. She was easy to talk to, a good listener, and he valued what she had to say. Although, he never took her advice. "Eli!" he admonished himself. "This is ridiculous! You were just surprised by it, that's all...be happy for Grace. Be happy."
A severe thunderstorm warning was announced over the PA system. And unfortunately, the play was cancelled right after Jessie's hot box performance. Rick, Lily, Judy, Jake, Zoe, and Karen were waiting in the school lobby with flowers for Grace and Jessie. "Hi son," Rick acknowledged Eli and Cheryl smiled and left the building to head home where it was safe. "Hey Dad," "You're mom and Judy are staying over tonight," Lily informed. "It'll be like one big family thing!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Ok...." Eli said wearingly. "Honey, you were wonderful!" Karen gushed and hugged Jessie. Rick and Karen each handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Thanks," Jessie smiled and blushed.
A crash of thunder echoed loudly from outside. "Where is Grace?" Lily asked concerned. "Oh, she'll be just a second. She was taking off her stage make-up." Jessie exclaimed. "I can go get her," she offered. "Jess, it's ok, I can do it." Eli said and took off running towards the dressing rooms jumping at the chance to start their first real conversation in weeks.
"Grace!" Eli called from the end of a hallway when he spotted her and motioned her over. But she was too busy talking to someone else. Eli jogged over and frowned when he saw Tad with her. "Grace," he said as he approached. "Oh, hi Eli, I wanted you to meet Tad. Tad, this is Eli" she politely introduced. "Oh right, Jessie's brother,"
"What are you doing back here?" Grace asked curiously. "Actually, we're all waiting for you at the front of the building..." "I can give her a ride home," Tad chided. "It's no problem,"
"Grace, your mom kinda wanted everyone to go home together because of the storm. It's supposed to be this big family thing tonight..." Eli reasoned, anything to keep her away from Tad. What kind of a name was that anyway? "Oh ok, I'll walk you," Tad said hopefully. Gosh, this guy just doesn't give up does he? "No, it's alright," Grace answered surprising Eli. "I'll just go, call me or something." she smiled and reached for her things. "Here, let me carry them" Eli offered gentlemanly, taking her duffle bag and make-up kit from Tad. "Um..ok then, so I'll see you?"
"Yeah definately, bye..." Grace replied and walked away reluctantly joining Eli.
"You were really great tonight," Eli complimented, walking alongside her. She turned to him and smiled genuinely. "Thanks. I always get nervous before I get on stage. Even if it is the last night," she paused before going off to that dreamy stare.
"So...you and Tad?" the very thought made his stomach churn, but he forced a smile and brought it up casually. "Oh, you saw that?" she blushed and looked away, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Grace," he chuckled. "I think everybody saw that," "I don't know really," Grace said. "It all sort of unravelled tonight....the past few weeks I mean," "Oh really?" Eli listened intently. "Yeah...." she let her voice trail as she caught glimpse of the Manning and Sammler clan. "But I think I like him," she admitted truthfully and Eli's face fell, his heart collapsing in on himself.
****************************************
Eli sat in silence, darkness hiding his features...the expression on his face. He didn't know why it hurt him so much. It would have happened sooner of later, Grace finding someone. Someone who she liked and liked her back. She was smart and beautiful.... but he would have liked later than sooner. But why was he thinking this way anyway? It would be wrong for him to want to be the only man in her life. He didn't have that claim, that right. Sullenly, Eli settled back into the seat and stared out onto the hazy night, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain against the window.
FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!!!
READ FIRST!!!!!!!!
Author's Note - The thing with Eli and Grace in his room smoking pot never happened. Because in this story he doesn't even do drugs, he works at the studio with the same blonde girl he was sleeping with in the real episode. Karen is not always on his back. Grace still has a crush on him, and they are really playful and flirty with eachother. Jessie never dated Tad. And he is actually a pretty decent guy. The play is not Shakespeare's "As you Like it" but Guys and Dolls. Ok, so the last night of the play...
***Alert - I do not remember the blonde girl's name -- so in this story her name is Cheryl.****
"Eli, honey you came!" Karen exclaimed as she made her way through a small crowd of parents and students waiting for their programs and tickets. "Hi mom," Eli greeted with a quick kiss on the cheek somewhat reluctantly as Karen embraced him. For the first time, Karen noticed the leggy blonde in the mini skirt and pulled away to acknowledge her. "Mom, this is Cheryl from work. Cheryl, my mom." "Hi..." Karen said wearily. "Nice to meet you," she added extending a hand. Cheryl flashed a wide smile and murmered greetings as well.
There was something about twenty-somethings who dressed in mini skirts, fishnet stockings, knee high boots, and tight black sweaters that didn't sit with her. This was an experienced woman, Karen had a feeling she'd been around the block more than she had. And now she was with her baby boy. "Well, I'll see you inside Eli, you don't wan to miss any of Jessie's or Grace's performances. They were fantastic! Do you want me to save you two some seats?"
"No, we'll be fine," "Ok...nice meeting you again," Karen said as she walked off.
"You're mother's nice...I think it's sweet how she baby's "wittle itty bitty baby" Eli!!" Cheryl teased rudely in a baby voice and smushed Eli's cheeks together. "She's just a tiny bit overprotective, alright? Ya know, you could have put on some more clothes..." he added turning to her. "That's not what you said last night," she smiled seductively and ran her hand over his chest. "Not here, alright? Come on," he said leading her inside the auditorium.
**************************************
The lights dimmed in the auditorium, and large stagelights illuminated the maroon velvet curtains. Eli and Cheryl took a seat in the 5th row, near the aisle. Eli settled into his seat as Cheryl settled into him, wrapping her arm around him and grasping his hand. Slowly the curtains were parted, and the crowd cheered. The auditorium was bursting with supporters, coming to see the last night of the show. The costumes were also great like the set. The drama classes were lucky enough to borrow the props from a professional local theater who had put on a production two years ago. Eli waited impatiently as the first song was sung, for perfomances by Jessie who played Adelaide and Grace who was Sarah. Grace stepped on stage with the mission workers dressed in a knee-length blue/grey business skirt, ruffled white shirt, and matching jacket to sing her song.
Then quickly ran backstage to get ready for the highlight performance of the night. Her big scene.
"Grace, your up!" the stage manager hissed and she quietly entered the spotlight with Tad, who was Sky Masterson. The spotlight followed her across the stage, and Eli slightly perked up from his slumped position. "Don't worry, I'll know." she spoke before her sweet voice broke into song.
"For I've imagined every bit of him,
From his strong moral fiber,
To the wisdom in his head,
To the homey aroma of his pipe"
Tad: You have wished yourself,
The scars dale Gallahad,
The breakfast-eating, Brooks brother's type.
Eli let himself chuckle inside thinking about typecasting. Grace was her character. She was Sarah; conservative, smart, opinionated, good-hearted, and afraid....afraid to love, to open up.
Grace: Yes.
And I shall meet him when the time is right.
I'll know when my love comes along,
I won't take a chance.
For oh, he'll be just what I need.
Not some fly-by-night Broadway romance.
Grace sang with such vulnerability, a side of her Eli or anyone else rarely saw. She was reserved in her manner. Appeared impenetrable, like she had this sheild to hide her or protect her. Grace was also afraid to take risks, she would wait just like this girl, Sarah for love. Instead of going out and looking for it.
Sarah:
I'll know, by his calm steady voice,
Those feet on the ground.
I'll know as I run to his arms,
That at last I've come home safe and sound.
And till then,
I shall wait.
And till then,
I'll be strong,
For I'll know when my love comes along.
Tad: spoken) No, no, no, you can't dope it like that,
What are you picking, a guy or a horse?
The room burst out into laughs. Appreciating the classicness of the play and the joke. "I wouldn't expect a gambler to understand," Grace said her line as the bright light highlighted her firey auburn hair and hazel eyes. Her beauty was not unnoticed by the crowd. Now it was Tad's turn to respond to Sarah's song.
Tad: Mine will come as a surprise to me.
Mine I leave to chance and chemistry
Yeah, Chemistry.
Suddenly I'll know, when my love comes along.
I'll know then and there.
I'll know, at the sight of her face,
How I care,
How I care,
How I care.
And I'll stop,
And I'll stare,
And I'll know long before we can speak,
I'll know in my heart.
I'll know and I won't ever ask,
Am I right?
Am I wise?
Am I smart?
But I'll stop,
And I'll stare,
At that face in the throng.
Yes, I'll know when my love comes along.
As Tad sang the last of his verses, he showed off the range of his voice, hitting high notes and singing with perfection. When he sang, "But I'll stop, and I'll stare, at that face in the throng" he had approached Grace's character and reached for her hand and placed it on his heart, then cupped her face, bringing it up slightly. Everyone kew what was about to happen but Eli. The kiss was approaching; the signs were all there. "Oh this is the best part," a young girl commented from behind, but Eli was clueless as to what she was referring to. He'd never seen Guys And Dolls before.
"I'll know, when my love comes along." Grace and Tad harmonized and sang beautifully together. Their gaze getting more intense as they lost themselves in their characters. They carried out the last note before their kiss was to occur, a stage kiss. A simple brushing of the lips. Supposed to be innocent.
But there was something in Tad's eyes that Grace could see was different from the other nights. She had been hanging out with him more because of all the afternoons they'd spent rehearsing. He'd even helped her forget about Eli and his troubles for a few hours everyday. He would joke and she would laugh and they would talk. Sometimes he even drove her home. There was something different there as he bent his head and leaned into kiss her. And Grace couldn't help but close her eyes as their lips met. Each caress, each soft slide of their lips...she could feel herself giving into him. Into her emotions.
Tad pulled Grace closer to him, deepening the kiss. And if it hadn't been for the hoots and hollers of the crowd; they would have never pulled apart. For the moment they were together, it felt as if she and Tad were the only people in the world. Completely oblivious to the huge crowd of people, to parents, and friends, to Eli.
******************************************
However, all of these events did not go unnoticed by him. Eli couldn't help but feel jealous pangs at his heart. He had missed talking to Grace the last few weeks. He was spending most of his time with Cheryl, and she had the play to rehearse for. When she'd come home, he would be out. Or she'd be so tired she wouldn't eat dinner, just straight up to bed to study or sleep. He had seen less and less of her, and this was why, he had reasoned in his mind. And started to feel angry and more jealous. Eli tensed up in his seat, because of his inner turmoil. Feeling this, Cheryl sat up and slightly pulled away. "Something wrong?" "No, I'm fine," Eli lied through his teeth all the while seeing green. This Tad guy was some smooth operator, who was just going to break her heart. He couldn't believe he had to watch this.
"Break it up already!" an obnoxious student screamed from the back. But Eli was relieved that someone else had done it before him. Thankfully, Tad heard, realized where they were and broke the kiss. Wiping Grace's lipstick from his face, he never let go of her hand, just smiled shyly, shrugged his shoulders, took a bow to lighten the mood and whisked Grace off backstage.
*****************************************
Backstage Tad had pulled Grace into a side room as everyone else in the next act rushed around them. There was an awkward silence. "Listen," they both looked up and said at the same time. "You first," Grace smiled nervously. "Ok....about what happened out there.... I don't know what came over me, but I just felt this overwhelming urge to kiss you...I really like spending time with you Grace, I really like you..." Tad said shakily, confessing his feelings. "I..." Grace let out a sigh of relief, looking away. "Me too," she smiled shyly.
Tad smiled wide, "Ok... so we'll talk about this later? I can give you a ride to the after party,"
"Umm....sure. I have to get ready for our next duet," Grace exclaimed quickly and ran off in the other direction. Grace plopped onto her make up chair and began to get ready for the next scene. Her reddish brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders as she pulled out the bobby pins that held her hair into a mature bun. She reapplied her lipstick and gave her hair a quick brush. Then began to change out of her missionary clothes. Grace pulled from the rack of clothes her next outfit. A knee length black dress w/ spaghetti straps and a red cardigan with embroidered flowers on the front over it.
"Grace! Five minutes!" Katherine yelled just was she was slipping on her high heeled strappy shoes. Quickly, Grace pulled the wispy front strands of wavy hair and pinned then up away from her face. She readied herself behind the curtains and peeked through at the audience while Jessie was singing with the hotbox girls. She scanned the crowd and felt her heart begin to race as she spotted Eli. She never expected to see him there, even though Jessie was in the play. "Oh no!" Grace thought nervously. "He saw me kissing Tad," Grace peeked through the curtain again and noticed who was sitting next to Eli, "Practically on top of him," she thought as she rolled her eyes.
She was much older, probably a good five years older. And she was pretty....heck, who was she kidding. The girl, ahem woman, was beautiful. And she had a body to die for. No wonder why Eli liked her. Grace frowned discouraged and decided now was the time to get over him once and for all. Eli would never see her as anything more than a friend. It was useless, setting herslef up for the fall over and over. Useless to hope for anything more.
***************************************
Eli's mind was swimming. Flooding was more like it. And he was drowning. Where did these feelings suddenly come from? Grace was just a "friend." Then why were images of Grace and Tad kissing playing over and over in his mind? It was hard to define the relationship that he and Grace had. It was familiar, it was comfortable; yet it had the excitement and freshness of meeting someone new. She was easy to talk to, a good listener, and he valued what she had to say. Although, he never took her advice. "Eli!" he admonished himself. "This is ridiculous! You were just surprised by it, that's all...be happy for Grace. Be happy."
A severe thunderstorm warning was announced over the PA system. And unfortunately, the play was cancelled right after Jessie's hot box performance. Rick, Lily, Judy, Jake, Zoe, and Karen were waiting in the school lobby with flowers for Grace and Jessie. "Hi son," Rick acknowledged Eli and Cheryl smiled and left the building to head home where it was safe. "Hey Dad," "You're mom and Judy are staying over tonight," Lily informed. "It'll be like one big family thing!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Ok...." Eli said wearingly. "Honey, you were wonderful!" Karen gushed and hugged Jessie. Rick and Karen each handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Thanks," Jessie smiled and blushed.
A crash of thunder echoed loudly from outside. "Where is Grace?" Lily asked concerned. "Oh, she'll be just a second. She was taking off her stage make-up." Jessie exclaimed. "I can go get her," she offered. "Jess, it's ok, I can do it." Eli said and took off running towards the dressing rooms jumping at the chance to start their first real conversation in weeks.
"Grace!" Eli called from the end of a hallway when he spotted her and motioned her over. But she was too busy talking to someone else. Eli jogged over and frowned when he saw Tad with her. "Grace," he said as he approached. "Oh, hi Eli, I wanted you to meet Tad. Tad, this is Eli" she politely introduced. "Oh right, Jessie's brother,"
"What are you doing back here?" Grace asked curiously. "Actually, we're all waiting for you at the front of the building..." "I can give her a ride home," Tad chided. "It's no problem,"
"Grace, your mom kinda wanted everyone to go home together because of the storm. It's supposed to be this big family thing tonight..." Eli reasoned, anything to keep her away from Tad. What kind of a name was that anyway? "Oh ok, I'll walk you," Tad said hopefully. Gosh, this guy just doesn't give up does he? "No, it's alright," Grace answered surprising Eli. "I'll just go, call me or something." she smiled and reached for her things. "Here, let me carry them" Eli offered gentlemanly, taking her duffle bag and make-up kit from Tad. "Um..ok then, so I'll see you?"
"Yeah definately, bye..." Grace replied and walked away reluctantly joining Eli.
"You were really great tonight," Eli complimented, walking alongside her. She turned to him and smiled genuinely. "Thanks. I always get nervous before I get on stage. Even if it is the last night," she paused before going off to that dreamy stare.
"So...you and Tad?" the very thought made his stomach churn, but he forced a smile and brought it up casually. "Oh, you saw that?" she blushed and looked away, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Grace," he chuckled. "I think everybody saw that," "I don't know really," Grace said. "It all sort of unravelled tonight....the past few weeks I mean," "Oh really?" Eli listened intently. "Yeah...." she let her voice trail as she caught glimpse of the Manning and Sammler clan. "But I think I like him," she admitted truthfully and Eli's face fell, his heart collapsing in on himself.
****************************************
Eli sat in silence, darkness hiding his features...the expression on his face. He didn't know why it hurt him so much. It would have happened sooner of later, Grace finding someone. Someone who she liked and liked her back. She was smart and beautiful.... but he would have liked later than sooner. But why was he thinking this way anyway? It would be wrong for him to want to be the only man in her life. He didn't have that claim, that right. Sullenly, Eli settled back into the seat and stared out onto the hazy night, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain against the window.
FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!!!