𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

5

all was quiet in the lavigne mansion.

outside, underneath a blackened sky, a gentle breeze swayed the trees, bare and skeletal now that their leaves were gone. the late evening air carried a refreshing chill, the kind that tingled the tips of your ears and your nose as it whisked by. on the ground, old snow slowly melted away into the drain beside the fountain in the driveway, ice sprouting in the cracks. frost crystallised the windows and a dim, golden glow from the porch light ominously illuminated the front door.

in the living room, jesse and tracy were sat opposite each other, cross-legged in front of the grand marble fireplace, the flames licking at their faces and hands. with cups of hot tea, the duo gossiped quietly — they had just returned from having dinner in the city. they were the only ones home, except for sal, who was in eddie's office down the hall, sorting some paperwork for his boss at the royale, making sure all was going smoothly in the club.

"so..." tracy began, delicately sipping her tea. jesse had brought out the china, since (in his eyes, at least) tracy coming to the house was a special occasion nowadays. "i liked that place you took me to for dinner. all the times i've been down madison avenue and i've never thought to have a look — what was it called? huso's?"

jesse nodded. "yes, huso's. i took giovanni there after he got promoted."

tracy raised her brows. "giovanni got promoted?"

"yes, to captain."

"that was quick," she said, looking into the fire beside her. she relished the warmth on her skin. "well, we should go again, maybe bring chantelle along. i haven't seen her in a while. i miss her."

"neither have i," jesse said. "she pops in every now and again, but i haven't been out out with her since the summer."

"must be the married life," tracy said, laughing slightly. "lord, i hope she don't get knocked up soon. there's still so much i wanna do with her."

jesse chuckled. "me too," he said. "gotta admit, though, we'd be the best babysitters for the kid if it ever did happen."

"very true!" tracy giggled, pointing at him. "let's just hope johnny—" she winked, "wears his johnny."

he threw his head back, laughing. "oh, you are crude." he smiled at her. "well, what about you? you talkin' to anyone at the moment or are you still solo?"

tracy rolled her eyes. "oh, close your mouth."

jesse frowned humorously. "...is that a yes or a no?"

"i have better things to do with my time," tracy said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "i'll think about it. for now... it's about finishing college and getting my money up."

jesse dipped his head. "fair enough, trace. sounds like a good plan."

they laughed together and took another sip of their tea.

tracy nudged him. "hey. you never told me about your little adventure along the east coast."

jesse smiled shyly. "oh yeah, with tommy's band. it was really fun, i can't lie. i really enjoyed myself," he said. "the whole thing was just amazing— nerve-wracking, but really, really fun. never a dull moment."

tracy cooed. "i'm glad, jess," she said. "d'you think you'll stay in it, then? the fever?"

jesse laughed at her comedic emphasis on the band's name. "yeah, definitely. they want me to write some songs for them, too, as well as the drumming," he replied. "the lead singer's a bit of an asshole but that's nothing i can't handle."

tracy dipped her head as she listened. "uh-huh. well, they mentioned you on the radio."

"wow. they did?"