The One That Got Away.

A Surprise

"I know what you are dying to ask but you're too polite to ask it." Grace pours them each a glass of champagne in the back of the limo sent to pick up Kelly and Desmond.

Kelly is awkwardly confused.

"You want to know if Jared and I dated. We did. Just for a short time. He's a fun guy. It didn't work out because I was always gone, or he was. It never would have worked, but we're still very fond of each other. As friends. We'll always be friends." She speaks with affection and smiles warmly.

"Oh, sure, yeah, I didn't think, erm," Kelly blubbers stiffly.

Grace laughs, but not in an unkind way. "I just figured you were probably curious."

Kelly relaxes. "I guess I was a little curious."

"And, to be entirely transparent, yes, we've fucked." Kelly and Desmond almost expel champagne through their noses. They look at each other with shock, then laugh. Grace gave the distinct impression of eloquence, and articulation, and was certainly not the type to regularly express herself with crude language. 

Spending the day with Grace is as lovely and fun as Jared said it would be. They dine at Mena, shop around SoHo, and Grace shows Kelly many of Jared's favorite spots and former haunts. For once, Kelly didn't mind that the conversation kept coming back around to him. She carefully resists the urge to gush over him too much, however, she still felt reservations around Desmond. He said he didn't care but it still felt wrong, it felt like she was flaunting her affair. 

"He's easy to fall in love with," Grace quietly tells Kelly just before returning her and Desmond to the hotel to meet up with Jared and Josh. It wasn't a warning, just a statement.

Kelly thanks Grace, and then insecurely wonders what high society dictates as a proper thank you. Should she send a gift or something to her now?  But what? She'd have to ask someone who would know. Maybe she should ask Desmond? Not Shayla. Not Patrick, either. He would laugh his ass off and tell her she is the gift and anyone who thought any different was no friend. She definitely has to send some sort of thank you, after all, she must have drank $400 in champagne alone in the back of that limo. And she only had two glasses!

"We'll do this again!" Grace calls after her, and she waves as the limo pulls away. 

Jared and Josh meet Kelly and Desmond in the lobby. Luckily, hotel security is tight as a large, intimidating crowd loiters outside the hotel hoping to catch a glimpse, a photo, or an autograph, of Jared and Josh. Luckily, Kelly was still a nobody to them and no one seemed to have linked Desmond to Thirty Seconds To Mars - yet.

"There's been a slight change of plans. Well, a major change of plans," Jared says as they board the elevator. "The band has to go into the studio. Like, tonight. I don't want you there with us."

"Why?"

"That fucking producer is going to be there, Craig Kane."

"Ok. Sooo...Why can't I be there?"

"I don't want you around him. It's not you," he quickly adds. "It's him. He's a real scum bag. Even knowing you're married to Josh, it wouldn't stop him from being a scumbag. I can't babysit, and neither can Josh."

Kelly ignores the babysitting comment to get to the point, "Why do you work with people like that? People that you obviously can't trust and despise so much."

"Unfortunately, we don't have a choice- not this time anyway. It was one of the compromises I had to make with the record company to get Josh in the band. The good news is, that all we have to do is record the last two songs, pick a running order, and then the album will be finished and we'll have an official release date very soon. Meanwhile, I've got a surprise for you and I know you're going to love it."