Grace steps into her flat with a heavy sigh. She closes the door, leaning her head against it like she always does when she's overwhelmed. She takes a second to gather herself before turning around.

"What, in the ever-loving-fuck do you think you're doing?" Elina says sharply as soon as her friend locks eyes with her.

Grace startles, jumping and rolling her eyes, and takes a deep breath.

"What needed to be done." She says, walking into the kitchen without giving Elina a second glance.

"Well then, you're an idiot." The taller woman hisses, following Grace and coming to a stop in front of her.

"Hm." Grace laugh's humourlessly, "I thought I was the 'smartest person you know'?"

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Deflect!" Elina yells, "You've self-destructed in a big way, then you saunter in here like it's no big deal! After everything you've been through!"

"That's why I did what I did!" Grace shouts back, frustratedly.

"You just couldn't allow yourself to be happy! All you do is self-sabotage!"

"You really think I would have been happy?!"

"I.." Elina pauses, studying her friend, "No."

"Exactly. Now do you-"

Elina holds a hand up, interrupting Grace..

"No, because you don't know how to be happy. All you do is complain and wallow in self-pity."

"No I-"

"Yes you do. 'Oh woah is me. I love a man who I think is out of my league. He showers me with compliments. But no I'm not gonna accept this love he gives me because I don't like myself'!"

Grace looks at her with a plain look, waiting for her to finish, "Are you done?"

"No!" Elina exclaims, "You used to cry on my shoulder, begging to be loved like a girl in a movie. Saying that you didn't feel like you deserve the love that everyone else gets. But now you're literally living in a rom-com and you decide to burn the script?!"

"Don't you dare make out like that was easy for me!"

"Wasn't it?! Because the way I see it, you've done the typical Grace thing."

"What?!"

"You're using your insecurities as an excuse to take the easy way out. You're scared that things won't work out so you're backing away before you have a chance to get hurt."

The shorter girl stays silent and just stares at her friend petulantly.

"Well newsflash Grace! Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something!"

There's a pause, and Grace furrows her brows,

"Don't quote my favourite movie to strengthen your point!"

"Did it work?" Elina asks with a side-eye.

"Yes... but I'm still mad!"

"Well so am I!." Elina sighs, then grabs Graces hand and sits beside her, "I'm so angry at you for giving up."

~~~~

"So... I just got a call from Rich." Will says as he steps into Grace's flat. She and Elina are sat curled up on the sofa, watching trashy reality TV and eating mountains of chocolate.

"Oh?" Grace says, not sparing Will a glance, and lifts a nearly empty box of chocolates in his general direction, "What did he say?"

"Not much." Will responds, grabbing the box and flopping onto the floor in front of them,

"He was mostly complaining."

Elina shifts and places her hand onto the man's head, carding her fingers through his hair in the soothing way she does when they all hang out like this. Will lets his head loll back until he's staring up at the ceiling.

"About?" Grace asks, eyebrow raised.

"You." Is the reply from a closed eyed Will, "Apparently you did something to Arthur and now he's been sulking ever since he left Cardiff."

"Oh." Grace says awkwardly.

"Oh?" Will jolts up, swivelling towards the dark-skinned girl and narrowing his shockingly blue eyes to slits, "Grace Roberts, what have you done?"

"Nothing!" She squawks, earning a bitter scoff from Elina, "I-I may have...brokenupwithhim." She ends the sentence quietly, trailing off quickly.

"I'm sorry what was that?"

"Her dumb ass broke up with him." Elina supplies flatly.

"Excuse me?" Will says after a second of malfunctioning, "Were you dropped on your head as a child? Are you absolutely mental?"

"If I was crazy, I would be in a car with Arthur on my way to London right now." Grace rolls her eyes, "Instead, I'm here refusing to get myself hurt."

"That is the most backwards-" Will tries to start.

"Don't." He's interrupted by Grace's hand in front of his face, "Just don't. This is hard enough as it is. But I've made my decision and I don't need my two best friends making me feel more shit than I already do."

Her friends go silent, looking at each other over her head, having a silent conversation.

Will takes a deep breath and relaxes into the sofa, "I met a boy today."

"Oh really?" Elina says, mischievously, "I meet boys all the time, they make up half the world's population."

Will's eyes roll upwards and a rye smile adorns his pale face, "I mean I met a boy."

"Was he cute?" Grace pipes up.

"Yeah... I guess." Will shrugs frowning.

"What's that look for curly-head?" Elina asks, stretching a hand over and massaging her friends scalp.

Will sighs, "I just... I wish I was normal."

"Normal how?"

"All normal men think about is... doing bits. And I always feel so strange, for just wanting a kiss and a cwtch."

"So you don't like sex. Big whoop, it's overrated." Elina rolls her eyes, "You're not weird."

"Yeah! Plenty of people need a connection to enjoy sex, and even then they might never enjoy it." Grace pipes up with a supportive smile, "It's not strange. You're not strange."

"Thank you guys." Will smiles softly, leaning his head back and pressing into Elina's caressing hand.

After a few moments of blissful silence, he jolts, sitting up and widening his eyes in a comical fashion.

"Uh... William?" Grace asks cautiously, "Are you alright?"

"Rich said something about Bex being with them." Will says thoughtfully. His face scrunches up looking adorably confused, then he looks up toward Grace.

"Excuse me?" Elina blurts, slightly agitated, "Why would Bex be with them? They don't live together? Do they?"

"No... they don't." Will confirms, "She wasn't even supposed to be going home until next week."

"So why would she be going home with them?" Elina ponders, relaxing onto the sofa.

Grace frowns, her silence concerning but not surprising her two friends. Her eyes survey the room, looking, not seeing, the way they do when she's in deep thought. Then her far out expression clears, and she straightens, closing her eyes for a few seconds and letting out a heavy sigh.

"They're getting married."

"Come again?" Will asks her dumbly, head switching between her and Elina.

"No... no way." Elina scoffs, "He's not that stupid."

"Can you call him stupid for this?" Grace quizzes, an eyebrow raised, "I mean, I broke up with him, said I wasn't suited for this life, and told him to find someone who was. We can't be mad when he follows both mine and his mother's wishes and actually finds someone."

"I guess..." Elina concedes, before piping up again, "But our friend? Really?"

Will looks down awkwardly, "She was his mother's choice."

Grace nods in agreement then huffs out an exhausted breath, flopping against the backrest of the sofa.

"I let him go, told him to move on. I sowed the seeds, so I can't be mad at what I reap."

🥳