You're Just Too Good To Be True

"Do you want to take a drive?"

As 9:00pm rolled around, Tracey decide to sip on whiskey, her go-to which always calmed her nerves. Her best friend, Yvette, stopped by, and was there for emotional support as much as for her career. She worked for Variety, and she wanted to meet Mike and Micky after Tracey made the excited phone call that afternoon.

"I can't believe this, Tracey! It's like fate! Mike Nesmith is going to be here the night after your break-up, and he's probably going to fall in love with you, like all the guys do, and you'll be like "Joe, who?" Yvette said.

She was always there to pick Tracey up when she fell down. And, she knew of her crush on Mike, and when she started performing with Pete, she knew it was a matter of time before they met.

"I feel sick," Tracey said to Yvette as she glanced at the door.

"What are you worried about? You look amazing, and you sound great, I heard you at rehearsal," Yvette said.

"Yeah, but, I don't think I'm mentally prepared to meet another man right now. I'm just not feeling like myself."

"You worried about Mike Nesmith?!"

Tracey looked around the bar, "Shhh!!!"

Yvette, laughing, looked around and said "Tracey, everyone knows the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody. Don't think about a relationship. Just think about a one-nighter."

"I've never been that type. And who knows, he probably won't even think I'm cute."

Yvette, rolling her eyes, said, "Tracey, of course he will!"

It was time to go on stage, and the butterflies in Tracey's stomach were multiplying by 100 every minute before they were to perform. She kept glancing at the door, and the anticipation made her feel jumpy. "Don't screw this up," she told herself.

Backstage, she heard Pete go on, and the scattered cheers start. It wasn't what you call a packed house, but as the night went on, it would always become standing room only. Especially since it was a Thursday, when a lot of people in the neighborhood would go out.

She heard the music start, and Tracey walked onstage, getting cheers from a few of the regulars and friends. She looked over at Pete, and he gave her a nod, as he started the piano. She started singing, her voice making everyone in the bar silent. As she went on to the second chorus, she closed her eyes, the pain of her break-up at the forefront of her mind, and she could feel the tears welling-up in her eyes. 

She opened her eyes and glanced at the crowd and saw Mike, casually leaning on the bar, his dreamy brown eyes staring at her. He had a black leather jacket on, sunglasses resting on top of his head, tight blue jeans, black motorcycle boots. And an intense look on his face, his deep, brown eyes looking at her adoringly.

She almost gasped, but she instead smiled at him, thinking 'I'm up here singing, he came to see me, and this is amazing.' After her song was done, the bar erupted in hoots and hollars and applause. Tracey glanced over at Mike, and he was talking to Micky now, pointing over at the stage, and they both started nodding and smiling and clapping. 'Oh my God,' Tracey thought. 'They actually like me.'

Song after song, Tracey felt Mike's gaze, and at one point, it felt as if they were the only two people in the room, as if she were singing only to him.

After the set was over, she ran to her tiny dressing room to freshen up, as she was sweating so much from the heat of the lights onstage, and the heat of Mike's stares, she had to check if her mascara had run, and her hair was still in place. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, Tracey! It's Pete! Come out by the bar when you get a chance, ok?"

'Oh god, this is it. I'm going to meet Mike, I need to hold it together,' she thought.

"I'll be out in a minute!"

As she walked from the backstage, through the narrow hallway, she saw Mike, Micky, and Pete exchange laughs, patting each other on the shoulders. 'They look just like how they were on the show,' she thought.

She walked up to Pete and put her arm around his waist and gave him a little side hug.

"Hey Tracey! So guys, this is the girl I've been bragging about. Tracey, this is Mike and Micky," Pete said.

"Well, hello, my dear," Micky said, jokingly, as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Mike nervously smiled and shook Tracey's hand "Nice to meet you. That was a really groovy set."

"Thanks, it's great meeting you two, glad you came to the show," Tracey said, feeling shy and star-struck.

As Peter and Micky started a conversation, Tracey stood near Mike, and he looked in her eyes, looked down at his feet, and then said "So, you write all your own songs?"

"Yes, I do. I heard we have that in common," Tracey said, as she started blushing.

"Yeah, Pete told me that you remind him of me, just with the songwriting. Not looks wise, obviously," Mike said as he gave a cute chuckle.

Tracey blushed again.

"Would you like a drink?" Mike asked.

"Sure." Tracey said, batting her eyelashes.

"What's your poison?" Mike said, giving her his sexy side-gaze.

"Whiskey. Straight."

"Really? You aren't from Texas, are you?" Mike said, jokingly, giving her that sexy-crooked smile that made her melt.

"No, just an Irish girl from Chicago," Tracey said, as she leaned in towards Mike, making it known to everyone at the bar that they had that portion of it to themselves.

Mike smiled, looked down at the bar and laughed, bought Tracey her whiskey, and they talked music, mostly writing music, and what seemed to be three hours went by in a flash. Pete and Micky were long gone, and her friend Yvette, who was watching them from across the room, walked up to them before she left for the night.

"So, what's going on over here guys?" Yvette said.

"Oh hey!" Tracey said, with a few whiskeys in her, feeling pretty good. "This is Mike," she said a she put her hand on his shoulder. "Mike, this is my best friend, Yvette."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Mike said.

"Really nice to meet you! So, what are you guys doing after this?"

Mike and Tracey looked at each other coyly, "I'm not sure, I guess we'll have to figure that out," Tracey said as her and Mike locked eyes.

"Well, I'm exhausted, it's almost 1! I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, night!" Tracey said as her and Mike couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

Mike looked down at his drink and asked "Do you have any plans after this?"

Tracey looked down at her drink, sipped the rest of the whiskey from the glass, and said "No," as she shook her head and smiled at Mike.

Mike grabbed her hand that was on the bar and said "It's really nice to meet a woman I can actually have an intelligent conversation with," and he looked in her eyes, with a gentleness she hadn't seen from him before.

"I agree, especially in this town," Tracey said, putting her other hand on top of his hand.

Mike then looked around, "Wow, we are the last two here. I didn't even know it was that late."

"Yeah, I haven't closed this bar down in a long time," Tracey said as she laughed.

"Do you want to take a drive? Then I can take you home?" Mike asked, while brushing the hair away from Tracey's face. She loved the feeling of his hands touching her.

Tracey looked in Mike's eyes and knew he wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. But, having been just a day fresh from her break-up, she wasn't ready to jump into another romance. Or was she?

"Ok, where should we go?" Tracey asked.