"Who is ready to partyyy?!" Mel B burst trough the door, kicking her foot in the air with a huge grin on her face. Jimmy followed her into Victoria's hotel room, threw an arm around her waist and gave her a slobby snog on the cheek.
"Hello ladies," he said to Victoria and Melanie C.

They looked up from the mirror in which they sat in front of on the floor, both faking an enthusiastic smile. "Hello almost birthday girl," Melanie C said to Mel, who jumped on the bed and spilled some champagne in the process.

"Come on now Vicky, hurry up," Mel said when she noticed that Victoria was nowhere near dressed up and ready. "It's my birthday in - what," (she grabbed her boyfriend's arm to take a look at his watch) "36 minutes. You're not going to miss it now are ya?"

"I won't," Vicky reassured her, rubbing lotion on her legs. "Now get of my bed!"

"We're almost done," Mel C said. "Is Emma ready as well?"

Mel got of the bed and took a huge sip from her drink. "Is she in her room? I'll go check on her. See you in a minute, all right? Come on, pretty boy." She left the room and dragged Jimmy along with her, shutting the door with a loud bang.

Victoria and Melanie shared a look. No, they were NOT ready to party. The show had ended almost two hours ago, and they still hadn't heard anything from Geri. It had been an exhausting day and all they wanted to do was crawl into bed to sleep and have a good cry. But they couldn't do that to Mel, who was turning 23 and was determined not to let the situation ruin her birthday. As a matter of fact, she had rented out the hotel lobby and invited the entire crew and staff to celebrate her birthday with her.

"Let's just hope she doesn't want to go clubbing after," Victoria said, fully aware of the fact that Geri was Mel's partner in crime and clubbing partner. If they didn't feel like going out in the past, it was never a problem, because Geri was there to more than compensate their absence. But now, they would have to come, wouldn't they? It was her bloody birthday.

Melanie shook her head at the door Mel had just disappeared behind. "Can you believe her?" she asked, referring to Melanie's nothing is wrong attitude.

Victoria shrugged. "Well, I don't quite know what I expected. We all know what she is like."

"I expected anger. I expected her to be furious. To not shut up about it. Or cry even. I know she never cries, but I don't know. It's Geri we're talking about."

Victoria didn't even think of that last sentence as confronting. They all knew that Geri and Mel were each other's favorites. So, what Melanie meant was: it's not like one if us left, it's Geri, her to go to person for everything. So why isn't she going mental?

"She cried during the show, you know," Victoria said.

Melanie's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Victoria nodded in confirmation. "During Viva Forever. Jimmy said he saw tears."

Melanie let out a sad sigh. Geri wrote most of that song. "I think we were all struggling at that point. I know I did. I just can't believe it, ya know."

Victoria walked over to her closet. "Have you ever given the lyrics much thought?" she asked while holding a black dress in front of herself. "This one?"

Melanie gave her face a final touch and started collecting her make up. "Of course I did." She looked up. "Yeah, you look bloody amazing in that one."

Victoria zipped the dress open. "No I mean, have you ever really listened to the words?"

Melanie squeezed her eyes together in confusion.

"Feelings unfold, they will never be sold, and the secret's safe with me," Victoria quoted.

Melanie looked at her friend in silence. She stared right back at her, as if she was waiting for something to click. Waiting for the realization to kick in. "Are you saying-"

Victoria nodded before Melanie could finish the sentence. "I'm saying it's about Melanie," she said. "A hundred percent. And Mel knows it."

"Fuck sake," Melanie said. She stared into nothing. "You really think so?"

"The first verse alone, is really applicable to their bond, ya know what I mean? Feeling together, believing whatever, both of us were dreamers," she started to sum up. "Can you zip me up?"

Melanie got up and walked towards Vicky as the first verse automatically popped up in her mind, Emma's soothing voice wavering:

Do you still remember
How we used to be
Feeling together
Believing whatever
My lover said to me
Both of us were dreamers
Young love in the sun
Felt like my saviour
My spirit I gave ya
We'd only just begun

"I mean, it could be," Melanie agreed, a bit stunned.

They all knew something was going on between the two of them. It wasn't a secret that Geri and Mel had a special connection: it was common knowledge within the group, but it was never clear to what extend it was feeling-wise, and also it was not something that was continuous. It had happened gradually and had started when they all lived together. Back then it was just a fun, thoughtless thing; a result of them both being so alike, so fearless and free spirited that they were just drawn to each other in a way. They were sleeping in the same bed, going out together every weekend while the rest of the group went back home to see their families, and they just were crazy together, you know?

"But do you think it was that deep?" Melanie asked.

"I don't know. I've never been able to keep up with whatever it is that they have. Or had. Because we all know they weren't getting along as well as they used to lately." Victoria looked at herself in the mirror and sprayed some perfume on her wrists. "Are you ready?"

They passed Emma's room to see if she was still there, but she had already gone downstairs. They entered the lobby around 11:50, just in time.

"Bloody hell, did she invite the entire hotel?" Melanie C asked. The lobby was packed with a lot more people than they had expected and there were a lot of unfamiliar faces.

"There she is," Victoria said. Melanie turned her head. There she was indeed. The both of them let out a small sigh.

She was standing on top of one of the tables, her big hair bouncing along the rhythm of the music as she poured vodka in the mouths of people that had gathered around her. She laughed enormously and placed the bottle on her own lips to finish it before waving to one of the waiters, holding the empty bottle up in the air.

This was promising.