loved by you // j.b

one

☆ one: hello, old friend ☆
word count: 1235

  "Thank you, guys. You've been a great audience," I laughed into the microphone as my final song came to an end. Bar-goers drunkenly cheered and raised their glasses in approval. It was nice to get such a reaction, seeming my music was mainly RnB and Nashville was the home of country music. I stood up from the stool they had provided me on stage, and grabbed my flash drive that held my instrumentals from the DJ's table.

  "Hey! Great job tonight, kiddo. You put on a great show, there's no denying that. Tell you what... I'll give you a little extra this time," the owner, Vinnie, said as he patted my shoulder. I smiled up at him, "Thanks, Vinnie. One of these nights, I wanna try what we talked about."

  Vinnie and I had previously discussed letting me see if there was actually a demand to see me perform. He mentioned that he would promote my show for about a month in advance and sell tickets to attend like an actual concert. I normally just perform here and get paid a set amount. It's not much, but it's not about the money for me. I'm just glad Vinnie allows me to perform from time to time.

I usually turn out a decent crowd when Vinnie lets me do a show. I would just like to test and see if they're coming to see me or if they're just simply coming to the bar.

"We'll see," he winked playfully, "Don't head out just yet, drinks are on the house y'know." I only smiled in response as I took my phone out from my back pocket. "Come see me before you leave and I'll get you your money," he said before disappearing off to handle bar-owner business.

I walked over to the bar and asked my favorite bartender, Nina, for a tequila sunrise. "You put on a good show tonight, babe," she smiled as she slid the drink across the counter to me. "Why thank you, my darling," I imitated back, tipping my glass upwards before taking a sip.

  "You did amazing!" I heard from behind me as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. "Hey, what the fu-," I said aggressively, yanking the pair of hands and turning around. Just as I was about to slap whoever was touching me without warrant, I saw a face I recognized.

  "Grace?" I asked, turning the sour look on my face into a huge grin. "Hi!" Grace squealed, bouncing excitedly and engulfing me in a hug. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, rocking the both of us back and forth.

  "When did you get back into town? Last I heard you were off in Vegas for a modeling gig," I smiled, rushing her to sit down on the stool next to me at the bar. "I was, yeah. I took a flight back last night. I know you always talk about performing here on Instagram and well, here I am!" she giggled, ordering a shot from Nina. I asked Nina to cover her and put her on my 'free drinks' tab.

  "Unexpected, but I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you!" I pouted as I took another swig of my drink, "It's been, what, well over six months at least."

  Grace nodded with a sad smile, thanking Nina for her drink and downing the whole thing in one go. "I really do miss you, Ry. It's been way too long," she smiled, looking into my eyes. "Hey! How long are you in town?" I asked her, swirling my drink lightly in its glass.

"Just a few days, if that. I really just stopped by to stay somewhere familiar for once," she sighed in a laugh. I could tell there was something bothering her. If I had to guess, I would assume she's just feeling lonely out there in the big cities she's bouncing between.

Grace Morrison and I had been best friends since the sixth grade. With her long, blonde hair and icy blue eyes, she had always been gorgeous. She had aspired to be a model: walking runways, having photo shoots, and covering magazines was her dream. It was a dream she could easily achieve with her beauty.

During high school, she started to get more into modeling. She accepted small gigs here and there throughout our home state, eventually traveling to Atlanta and Chicago for bigger gigs. Her career had grown so much that by the time we graduated high school, she was signing a contract with an agency out of New York and on her way.

With her busy schedule, jumping from New York City to other big cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, I hadn't seen her in what felt like close to a year. It was so good catching up with her and seeing a familiar face. I had made friends living in Nashville, as I'm sure she had made friends in her busy life, but there's nothing like seeing someone that really knows you.

"Where are you staying?" I asked, finishing my drink and raising my hand to signal Nina for another. "Well, I just got into town this afternoon so I rented a room for the night," she smiled, asking Nina for a vodka cranberry.

"Grace!" I gasped, thanking Nina quickly for our drinks and taking a big sip, "Stay with me!" Her eyes grew wide with a mixture of excitement and confusion. "No, really. I have a nice apartment and plenty of room. We can share the bed like old times, or I don't mind taking the couch. Come on, it's not often I get to see you and I'm greedy."

"Are you sure?" she asked, sipping her drink with a smile. I nodded slowly with a closed grin, "Absolutely. My apartment is just down the block, you wanna head there now? Or should we catch an Uber to your hotel to get your things first?" I asked before eagerly downing my drink.

  "I'll order an Uber to go get my stuff," she smiled, pulling out her phone and clicking away. As she was occupied with that, I got up to find Vinnie for my payment. I wandered through to the back office of the bar where Vinnie was sat, puffing on a cigar.

  "Hey, kiddo. Here," he smiled, reaching into one of the drawers in his desk and handing me a small wad of cash. "Thank you, Vin," I smiled, grabbing my purse from one of their spare employee lockers and placing the money inside my wallet. Just as I was zipping up my purse and throwing it over my shoulder, I saw a familiar face pop in from the side of the doorframe.

  "Hey," Grace smiled, sending a small wave in Vinnie's direction, "Uber's here." I smiled, turning and thanking Vinnie once again for letting me perform before joining Grace. We walked through the crowded bar, waving goodbye to Nina and the other bartenders before walking outside and finding our Uber.

☆ author's note ☆
— hey everyone! i hope you enjoyed the first chapter. hang in there with me, i promise it gets better (at least i hope you'll agree lol). this chapter introduced you to the main character's best friend which is kind of exciting. she holds a big role in this story. anyways, more to come <3