Mr and Mrs Denver

Chapter 8

The Travis's club had a particular tranquil atmosphere tonight. The R&B songs that cooed from the in-ceiling speakers had been going on for hours, giving the club that blissful serenity. Bodies in motion turned into silhouettes under the blue club lightening stretching to every corner. Girls half naked dancing on poles and at random tables. Money flying in the air, landing on the dancers assess.

Xavier, Ricky and Griffin listened to Tommy whine about his fight with Grace the past few days, while drowning their stomachs in whiskey. Tommy is not the guy that talks about his relationship even when it's in peril, but you can blame tonight on the alcohol. He feared that his heart would explode any moment with all the unexpressed emotions boxed up in his heart if he doesn't let them out. So much that were unresolved, unsettled. For this reason, he let out his pain to his friends.

Letting out a deep breath, he embraced the need to talk to someone, to his friends. And they listened, yes they listened. One thing which his girlfriend failed to do, listen.

He talked to his friends because he needed to vent some things on his mind. He needed to let out all those emotions boxed up somewhere in his heart, where no one cared to reach.

"Tommy, I think you guys need a break!" Xavier said dismissively, placing his glass of whiskey on the bar counter.

Choking on the bourbon, Griffin pushes the glass away from his mouth, almost spitting out the drink. He sent Xavier a malicious glare. "What do you mean?"

"Don't look at me like that." Xavier protested. "Tommy and Grace are always fighting, Tommy said so himself. The relationship is obviously not working."

"It's not exactly that." Tommy blurted. "Its just, sometimes it feels like we take a step forward and then take two backwards"

”That's the same thing as not working.” Xavier rolled his eyes. “When things ain't working out, you take a break!”

"When things aren't working out, you sit and reflect on what you ain't doing right." Griffin gave Xavier a look. "Tommy, you and Grace need to sit down and talk things out. You need to communicate and understand each other's perspective, that way you can work it out. Grace is a nice girl, I know her well enough to know she really loves you."

"I love her too, man. I just don't know what to do to make us stop constantly fighting. I mean, what do I have to do? What do I have to say to her?" Tommy threw his hand up in question.

"Have you tried will you marry me?" Ricky chirped in.

"Seriously?" Xavier shot Ricky a look. "A man is whining about his relationship not working and you're bringing up marriage idea at this very time?"

"Look Tommy, I'm not saying you should get married like right away, but I think Ricky has got a point there" Griffin said.

"Yeah? How so?" Tommy inquired.

"All you need to know is that you love her and she loves you. It's only normal for people to fight, even lovebirds fight too. But when you get married to the one you love, you'd magically work things out because you both would see yourselves more like one than two individuals. You'd have common interests, and when kids eventually come along, that'll be the peak of it. Marriage has its own way of making people think differently and work things out between them, but some people wouldn't know about it because they've never been married or serious with a relationship" Griffin eyed Xavier.

"Marriage is the miracle worker yet we see people divorcing everyday" Xavier mumbled, but loud enough for Griffin to hear.

Tommy chuckled lowly, he couldn't help but laugh at the feud between Xavier and Griffin. They are like mortal enemies, ready to disagree on almost everything.

"Seriously?" Griffin scowled at Tommy. "We're giving you the advice of a lifetime and you're laughing?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't handle you two coming at each other" Tommy giggled.

"Seriously man, don't do anything in a hurry" Xavier warned. "You have to be sure that Grace is the one before..."

"Grace is the one!" Tommy and Griffin say at the same time.

"If you say so" Xavier said, throwing his hands up in resignation.

"I love Grace. I don't know what I'd do without her. I just really hate that she takes side with her parents all the time."

"Takes side with her parents?" Ricky raised a brow.

"I mean her parents are so religious and they wanna judge everyone's action based on the Christian beliefs. What pains me most is that Grace sees nothing wrong in that. And frankly, half of our fighting is because of this God nonsense" Tommy nagged.

"Hey you may not believe in God, but I do. So don't call it nonsense" Ricky stated.

"No offense man" Tommy say, throwing his hands in the air.

"Look Tommy, Grace being Christian and you atheist is not the problem. I think Grace still feel belonged to her family. If you guys were to be married, she'd understand that she belongs to you now. You just have to make her feel she belongs to you, and everything will be fine" Ricky assured.

"And how does he do that?" Xavier questioned.

"You gotta follow your heart, you gotta give her all of you. Maybe you should tell her again that you love her, then tell her you wanna spend the rest of your life with her. But you have to know that she's willing to give you all of her too, and put everyone else out if your relationship" Ricky advised.

"So, you're saying Tommy should ask Grace to choose between him and her parents?" Xavier's brow creased into a line as he question.

"Pretty much something like that. You have to hear it from her, she has to choose you over everything else. Then you can put a ring on it. It's that simple!" Ricky ricocheted.

"Tommy, if there's one thing I know for sure, it's the fact that Grace will never deny her love for you. And that's all that matters" Griffin added.

"I know" Tommy blurted out. "I'm gonna ask her to marry me."