SAVING GRACE II - HEAD AND HEART

SECOND CHANCES

Gregory reclined on the couch in his living room, his ears attuned to the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer. His mind raced, consumed by thoughts of Grace abruptly ending what he believed they shared. The cause of her sudden change eluded him, leaving him devastated and desperate for answers. This wasn't the first time he had experienced such heartbreak. Julia had also ended things abruptly, leaving Los Angeles without a farewell. Was it something he did? Or was there another reason behind these repeated disappointments? As the clock chimed 8, the house fell into silence once more. He remained on the couch for a few more minutes until the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. Furrowing his brow, he rose to answer the door, expecting someone else. To his surprise, Julia stood outside, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved cardigan. "Gregory..."

"Julia? Where were you?"

"I was in Denver. I..."

He noticed her Volkswagen Jetta that was parked in the driveway behind his BMW. "You drove all the way from Denver?"

"Yes..."

"Come inside." He stepped aside and let Julia inside before he closed the door behind them.

"I..."

"I've missed you," Gregory interrupted Julia and pulled her closer in a comforting embrace.

"I missed you too. I had to come back and fixed what I did wrong."

"I know." Gregory cupped his hand over her head and kissed her on top of her head. "I bloody missed you so much, Julia." He retreated a bit and looked at her. "Did you have anything to eat?"

"No."

"You're probably starving, and I didn't make anything for dinner."

"A little."

"I know it's a little late, but would you like to go and grab pizza somewhere?" Gregory offered.

"That would be nice."

*****

Gregory positioned Julia's car so that the hood faced the Hollywood sign, providing a picturesque view of Los Angeles. They stepped out of the car, carrying a box of pizza and sodas. Gregory placed the box on the hood before opening it and leaning against the front of the car. Each of them grabbed a slice of pizza, and Gregory took a bite. "This view is absolutely stunning," Julia commented.

"Have you never been up here before?"

"No, Luke never bothered to bring me here."

"What a jerk. Why did you go to Denver?"

"I needed time to rediscover myself and..."

"You didn't even say goodbye, Julia. I spent all this time wondering where you were and how you were doing."

"What about Grace?"

"Yeah, Grace..." Gregory lowered his head. "We stopped seeing each other."

"Why? You two were so fond of each other."

"I don't want to talk about it. So, what made you drive all the way back to L.A.?"

"Denver gave me a chance to think about us. I started seeing someone else a few months ago. He's an incredible guy, Gregory, but I can't stop thinking about you. I realized I made a mistake when I ended things between us and..."

"Julia..."

"I love you, Gregory. I'm still in love with you, just like before I ended things."

"You really hurt me, you know. I thought there was hope for us, and then suddenly you didn't want to be with me anymore."