the stars in your eyes | t.s. one shots

these things will change

As spring gives way to summer, Gracie Abrams is on top of the world when she thinks about the next few months of her life. The summer is going to be hers, she's absolutely sure of it. She's headlining festivals, finishing off the last two shows of her European arena tour which had to be postponed a few months back, and then heading home to North America, where she has even more sold out arena shows lined up. There's new music on the horizon too- songs that she wasn't expecting to write but came out of the blue and she absolutely fell in love with. The inspiration has been flowing the last few months.

Part of that is because the music she wrote isn't the only thing she's fallen in love with lately.

Her boyfriend, Paul, is just so great. She loves him a whole lot and it's a really healthy relationship, which she hasn't had in a long time. He promised her that he'd make his schedule dependent on her own this summer, whenever he could. He told her a few weeks ago, cuddled between soft linen sheets, that he wants to spend as much time together as possible, that he's all in.

She's sure that it's a test run of the next big step: living together.

It would be a natural step for the two of them. After all, she's spending her summer as a bit of a nomad, hopping from city to city, but after that, she's set to settle in New York. Her lease at her apartment in Los Angeles was up in the early spring and she wanted to be closer to work. It really hurt to leave her best friend and roommate, Audrey, behind. They both cried on their last night in that apartment, knowing there might never come another time where they get to see each other every day, waking up and eating cereal together at the counter, catching up on the latest episodes of their favorite sitcoms in their pajamas before bedtime. Still, Gracie had to make the call that was going to be best for her, and Audrey understood that, so she's bound for New York City. Until then, her things are in a storage unit and she's floating between hotel rooms, playing shows and writing and living her life.

The thought of potentially moving in with her boyfriend excites her, but it's also a little bit scary. It feels very grown up and mature and makes everything feel a little too real. She's getting older and that freaks her out.

Yeah, Gracie's been thinking a lot about the future lately. She's been thinking about what that looks like for her and how everyone in her life is going to fit into it. Luckily, Paul and Gracie's friends get along great, which means that it's easy to picture building a new phase of her life with him by her side over a giddy glass of wine on the sofa with Audrey. When the somber seriousness of it actually sets in, though, she suddenly still feels like a little girl.

She knows that nothing too serious is imminent. She's had that discussion with Paul already- they both want to wait a few more years before they're ready for anything with a ring- engagement or marriage. They want to really be sure that they're doing the right thing, that they're going to be able to do life together for the long haul. Still, the truth is, she's going to be 26 in September. She's not a kid and is never going to be a kid again. People who she grew up with really are getting married. Some are having babies- on purpose. She shudders at that thought, unable to picture herself being responsible for a baby. Gracie's not even sure that she fully knows how to be responsible for herself just yet.

In early June, work brings Gracie to New York before her official move to the city and of course, she stays in Paul's apartment. In the afternoon, he's out at a meeting with some producers about a film he's going to be shooting in a few months. She's at home on his sofa, envisioning it being her place too, in a few short months. Then, Gracie wonders if she's just getting all ahead of herself. After all, he hasn't even asked her.

It's during this quiet afternoon that Gracie gets a text which brings a smile to her face.

Taylor: hey! i heard you were in new york for the songwriter's hall of fame ceremony. i'm so proud of you for that award!! if you're still in the city, i just got in and i'm by myself- travis is in france right now then back to kc for training- and i miss my gracie girl! do you want to come over for cocktails this evening?