Keep Rehearsing and Keep Performing

She sultrily announced now that her hangover was cleared that when she woke up that morning, she had desperately missed him between her thighs. She was rather needing the sex that they had skipped for two nights. Grant was not going to complain. Having spent most of two days watching two attractive girls smoke in their flimsy to nonexistent pajamas had meant he had been extremely hard.

Grant could tell by the look on her face that Rachel knew...but she did not complain as she threw her head back with a tiny yelp as he passionately and excitedly entered her.

Act 1 Scene 7

A normal routine quickly fell back into step with Monday morning. Rachel back to both work and the academy and Grant back at work. Grant found that again had to work later some nights, so as not be alone Rachel took the opportunity and went to theater to watch performances or the cinema with her acting friends.

But they got on with each other. The other thing that noticeable. As Rachel was flitting around the house. Her cough. After several months of regularly pummeling her poor lungs with high levels of filtered and unfiltered nicotine and tar. Rachel now had a small, quiet, and highly sporadic cough. It was not every day, and certainly was not a hacking cough. It was just noticeable that was only very occasionally in the mornings after a big night out, normally where she may have smoked two packs in one day. However mostly her regular cough was to clear her throat.

She would often not notice it. It was so small. Grant could at the weekends. However, when she did acknowledge she had just coughed. In the evenings Rachel would often blame it on the singing classes over working her vocal cords. But when she did properly cough, the first thing she did to try to solve it was sitting down and lighting another cigarette.

Rachel explained to Grant, several times that Amanda and Imogen had both confirmed to her that after a big cough. The next cigarette helps settle the agitated lungs down, as they actually want more nicotine. The quicker you have it, the better you will feel. She was adamant that there is nothing wrong with her or the cough. She just currently very much enjoying her bog-standard, very normal smoking addiction. It and she was just totally typical behavior.

***

Things all changed on the following Thursday. Rachel was like an excited puppy bouncing on the soles of her feet when Grant got home.

"You will never guess what?" she giggled excitedly.

"What?"

"I've got the part for the whole of summer!" She squealed with excitement.

Grant enthusiastically hugged her "Well done babe, I knew you could do it!" He grinned and passionately kissed her on the lips.

"It's going to be so much fun for me!" She giggled with enthusiasm.

"I can imagine." He smiled back. Looking deep into her eyes trying to work out what it meant for them.

She bounced into the kitchen, flipped open her pack to retrieve another cigarette, and quickly lit up. "I now need to go and talk to mom!" she announced as she exhaled and then hurriedly ran up the stairs carrying her lit cigarette and pulling her mobile phone out her back pocket.

***

As the days went on the details of the plans were revealed bit by bit. The kicker was that for some of June, but the whole of July, and August. Rachel was going to be away. She had to be back for September and the new term in college. She successfully got a part in a touring group. They were taking their Jane Austen play around dozens of the hundreds of various large Country Houses up and down the land performing outside in the grounds to small crowds. Come rain or shine.

They were not performing every night. But most nights of most weeks, they were crisscrossing the country. They even had two performances a day on the weekends.

It quickly dawned on Grant that he was not going to see much or any of Rachel for the summer. Rachel was still convinced when looking at the schedule that she would be able to come back for a couple of days here or there.

For the next few weeks, it was a combination of work, then lessons and rehearsals for college during the day and more rehearsals for the tour in the evenings. Rachel and Grant started not see much of each other. Other than for her to occasionally eat with him late at night, collect more cigarettes and then sleep together.

The sex, smoking or not, became a lot less frequent. She was so tired from being on her feet all day. She would lie in bed, smoke several cigarettes back-to-back, and then attempt to fall asleep. She found that difficult as she was so tired, but still wired from the events of the day. Grant would still hold her tight and tell her that he loved her.

However, the seeds had been sown. The doubt for the long term had been inserted. However, many reassuring kisses and hugs they had.

The amazing Adam was also on the tour. Grant was told that He believed that the job and experience would catapult them all on to better things next year. Grant could tell from listening to Rachel that he was enthusiastic for his craft and for Rachel.

It came to mid-June as Rachel packed her suitcase. With most of her summer clothes, two cartons of Virginia Slims and Pall Malls each that Grant had kindly bought. She headed off blowing kisses and waving frantically from the back of plain white minibus for summer.

The late-night phone calls after each performance started off regular. But as time went on, they could not quite find the spot in which they were not too busy. Then one days off it was more convenient for Adam to drop her at home to see her parents, rather than for Rachel to get the train to come back to Grant.

The amazing Adam was mentioned more and more in dispatches. What he did how good his performance of a certain lord was. Apparently, he had the crowds in raptures.

Grant knew their relationship was over. Deep down they both did. But neither of them could really say anything about it on their now very infrequent chats. The discussion of where she was going to live in September was skirted around at every opportunity. Grant was still hopeful that she would come back to him.

Without the distraction of a young attractive smoker in the house Grant through himself back into work. It meant that he was busy there and so was she. They both had different lives now, compared the fun spring they had together.

Rachel was now happy in her new life. She was performing regularly. She also had Adam, he also smoked. They would spend their days off together, seeing the sights and museums of the local towns. Grant was not jealous; he was just appreciating that the young Rachel was out having fun and growing up with her own peer group. The WhatsApp photos had completely dried up weeks ago.

Apparently, all the houses started to blur into one, but it was certainly an impressive history lesson.

Talking of history Grant realized that she no longer needed someone her dad's age hanging around, too old to party. Rachel was in a happy place.

In July Paul and Maggie returned home. They gave Grant a crate of wine for looking after the house, and their house guest. They had never had such a clean house, they were impressed. They had 3 short months of fixing the boat which after their long journey needed quite a bit of maintenance, and then were thinking of going again.

***

It was a sunny evening in late Friday evening in July. Grant had again finished work late but took the opportunity of the still warm daylight and headed out to the office to the nearby bar. He ordered a beer and sat down on one the wooden benches outside to enjoy the last couple of hours of the hot sun, his cold drink, and his own winding down for the week cigarette. He had his infrequent, but usual spot on the veranda. It was tucked away in the corner where he could sit, drink, and quietly smoke whilst watching the world go by. All while keeping one eye on any pretty smoking women that would occasionally escape their social group and pop out sit down and have a smoke.

It was at this point a slim brunette woman, with delicate makeup and large sunglasses covering her eyes. Grant guessed she was maybe thirty-five as she walked out bar carrying a large freshly glistening cold glass of white wine. His eyes followed her until taking in her pert backside fighting her formal suit skirt, her stocking covered thighs quietly swishing as she strode confidently across the veranda, until she sat down. Grant watched intently; he knew in his waters what would happen soon. She opened her black handbag and instantly brought out her mobile phone, placing it on the wooden table. Her hands then dived back in. Grant smiled as an opened pack of Marlboro Red's appeared. She placed them on the wooden table next to her phone, with a deft move she slid the cigarette out and put the filter between her lips. She then loudly grunted in disappointment as she rummaged around in her handbag, with frustration she pushed her sunglasses up her on top of her head. Revealing her age of the slightly crow feet around her brown eyes as she was squinting hard as she peered into the darkness of the blackhole that was her disorganized handbag. The white cigarette between her red lips was bouncing in frustration as she snorted and grunted. She was in obvious desperate hunt to try and find her missing lighter.

It was at that moment the now more confident Grant saw his moment. He was now rehearsed and ready for his best performance. He took a deep breath and made his move. He stepped over the bench, picked up his drink, moved across to the table opposite, and having already got a lighter in his hand her smiled at her.

"Hi, I am Grant. Can I help you smoke?" he asked, as he put his drink down as her eyes widened with confusion and surprise. Then focused with happiness as she instantly leaned into his now brightly lit lighter.

The End

*All quotes are taken from various websites devoted to the 'god' of "Method acting" Konstantin Stanislavski*