Exceptions (J)

“Thanks for driving us, by the way.”

“No problem. I was in the area, anyway.”

The fact that Fabi’s schedule was flexible enough to drive us all the way to the beach and back was absolutely amazing, though it was far from the weirdest thing we’d asked of her. A few months ago, Grace had found a baby rabbit. Since I’d been working a night shift, Fabi’s was the only number she could think of. I could still remember the unrestrained excitement as my Sky had told me how they had helped the bunny before releasing it. She’d gushed over and over about how sweet the little guy had been, but I knew it couldn’t hold a candle to how she looked then. And even now, her hair flowed behind her as if it, too, knew she was too beautiful for this world.

“It’s so nice to be outside doing stuff!” Grace was ecstatic. “I think this is the first time we’ve been out together like this since. . . everything.”

“How have you guys been doing?” Fabi asked tentatively.

“Well,” Grace started, “after those bastards started stalking my Jasper—”

I loved it when she called me hers.

“We couldn’t do anything about it. Hell, they still can’t find the bitch responsible. Though,” my Sky sighed, “since things are starting to calm down, it’s better.”

“You should still be careful,” Fabi warned. “This is a cut-throat industry. Some people will do anything to stay in it.”

That was the thing that concerned me the most. Whoever had done this shit had to have known us deeply, and people that crazy didn’t stop for sanity. It was what made me hesitate at the interview offer. I didn’t care about my own security—the doxxer definitely hadn’t—but Grace was a whole different issue. If me speaking out somehow got her into trouble, I wasn’t sure if I could leave it all with a clean police record.

“Oh!” Grace said. “We should name our song, at some point.”

One of my newer strategies for getting her to take a break was having her work on the song we’d discussed before. We knew now that it was going to be a love song, but still had yet to do much past the general chorus. It didn’t even have a beat yet. Not that I minded, though. Grace’s heart was the perfect beat to my soul.

Wow, even I knew that was cheesy.

“You’re doing a duet now?” Fabi asked. “Is that what you’re showing for the Music Gala?”

I wasn’t looking forward to that shit. I knew from the last one that Grace took it very seriously. I probably wouldn’t see her for days as she double, triple, and quintuple checked that what she had was the best it could be. I sighed as I thought about what I’d do on those lonely nights where my girlfriend was too busy for me. But I loved the drive she had for her work, and I would be cheering her on all the way.

“That’s a great idea!” She turned to me. “What do you think?”

If it meant I’d actually get to see her, I’d sing in front of a hundred crowds. “Yeah, I’m down.”

A few minutes later, our feet hit the sand and Fabi left us to our ‘lovey-dovey shit’. Suddenly, my brightest star was beaming at me, dragging me reluctantly into the water. I hardly felt the cold as her gaze warmed me to the core. Overcome with that joy, I lunged at her, splashing us both in the process. She squealed in excitement, shedding away from the sea that was getting warmer by the moment.

“Oh, my gosh. Are you Grace Skybain?”

A group of girls had walked up to us, phones raised. Were they taking a video? Was I going to be on blast again by tomorrow? No, the angle was wrong for that. Besides, a recording like that would look sweeter than anything. But would it attract more attention? Would I never be able to go back to work normally? No, I had no need to be anxious, especially not when my Sky was so excited to be recognized.

“Yeah!” she said cheerily. “You guys want a picture?”

It never got old to see her with fans. She made sure to give each one the time of day, complimenting their outfits, encouraging them to not be so nervous. My Gracie was built for the stage, leading everyone around her to be more confident in who they were. I loved seeing it with those girls, especially when she sent them off like it was nothing. I’d dealt with many strangers at the hotel, but I could never be as smooth as her.

Yet even as they walked off, I knew she didn’t want it to end. She reveled in the excitement, even if she realized we were technically on a date. But my Sky deserved the best, and there were always restaurants to try later. Carnivals were also an option, or arcades. Fuck, I’d wanted to go with her to one since that very first time.

But Gracie didn’t like to talk about the day we met.

“Hey, girls!” I called out. “Why don’t you join us for a little bit?”

I did make sure to look at Grace, though. “If you ever feel uncomfortable, you tell me and I’ll end it immediately, okay?”

“Jasper, you don’t have to do that,” she fretted. “I know this is supposed to be our date.”

“And I know you love spending time with your fans,” I said. “It’s about time I give it a try, too.”

For the first time in weeks, nothing went wrong. The anxious feeling faded away as my Graceful Dancer reminded me how freeing it could feel to be outside. Together with Anna, Macy, and Vicky, we played a shit ton of beach ball. Gracie’s competitive side—which is more terrifying than you might think—showed up with a vendetta after her team was smoked that first round. We then got some ice cream, which was enjoyed until I said the wrong thing and Grace’s treat met my chest. After returning the favor, we all ended up back in the water to wash it off, laughing at the absurdity.

I was surprised to have had such a great time with Grace’s fans, and I learned a good bit, as well. Turns out, her fans were just as pissed off by the whole exposure thing as we were. While I had been avoiding the news like the plague—no point when I knew it was nothing but bullshit—groups of them had risen up to protest what happened to me. Apparently, ‘any fan worth their salt’ was avoiding TT’s Tea.

It gave me hope to know that not all people followed the ‘everyone’s doing it, so it’s okay’ shit that the paparazzi had been living off of. I’d found it very easy to assume that each of Gracie’s fans thought what I had to deal with was okay. As we left the beach, my thoughts kept turning back to the offer I’d gotten. Maybe the exceptions weren’t just in normal folks. If that were the case, we stood a lot to gain from the interview. So, after talking it over with my Sky—because to hell with not including her in something this important—I kept my message short and sweet:

I’ll do it.