Unlucky in Love

“God, a year and a half later and it still looks the same.” I said as we got to the room. We walked to the bedroom and I opened the curtains to look outside.

Same beautiful view, same beautiful tower that lit up this side of Paris.

I lay down on the bed and Dominic lay down next to me and held my hand. I tilted my head to look at him. “Can I ask you something?” I whispered. He nodded. “Do you wish we could go back…not go through with the wedding?”

“Sometimes…but then I think about what I would’ve had instead. I would’ve gone to Europe by myself, or gone to Sac State and live at home, and I’d still be with Leah and being naïve to the fact that she’s a lying bitch.”

“And I’d be at FIDM and living in a cheap-ass apartment in the ghetto, and have to take the Metro everywhere, and I’d probably be with some loser who’s convinced he’s going to be an actor.” I laughed. “Or I’d be with Chase, and I’d have lost my virginity to a total douche, I probably would’ve gotten pregnant with an unwanted baby who would look way too much like a little blonde prep who would grow up to be a cheerleader.”

Dominic chuckled. “So what’s better? Our occasional fights, your future career, or would you rather have a stupid blonde baby with a douche who wanted to be an actor?”

“Emma’s better. She’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” I smiled happily. “And, you know, I couldn’t have had her without you, so I have to have you in my life.”

“Don’t sound so sad about that,” he commented, and I rolled my eyes.

“And you are pretty sexy, so that’s a bonus.”

He kissed my neck. “Yeah, I am, huh?”

I kissed his lips. “Yeah,”

“You’re not so bad either.”

I pulled back. “Really? I’m not that bad? Aw, shucks, that’s so sweet!” I gushed sarcastically.

“I love you,” he said sincerely.

I smiled deviously. “Prove it.”

* * *

“How long do you want to stay?” Dominic asked. We were sitting outside Notre Dame, and I was eating a baguette. They were so good—almost as good as the chocolate croissants I had for breakfast this morning.

“At least till June. Maybe even the whole summer—Daveigh can bring Emma over, and we could just spend the summer here.”

Dominic tore off a piece of the bread. “Or we could just stay till June. We have school now, Em.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know.” I put the rest of the bread into my purse and looked up at the rapidly changing sky. It had been pretty and blue, and now storm clouds were raging in. I heard a faint thundering sound, and I looked at Dominic. “Should we…?”

He nodded and took my hand as we bolted to the street to hail a cab. It just started to pour, and already I was soaked through. No cabs were pulling over, and I just started to laugh.

* * *

“I told you to bring a jacket,” Dominic taunted me as we got back to the room. Hell, it was supposed to be a beautiful day, no jacket or umbrella needed.

And that now lead me to looking like a drowned rat.

My hair was stringy and all over the place, my dress was sticking uncomfortably to my skin, and I’m pretty sure my make-up was running down my face.

I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower and then stripped out of my sopping clothes.

I sighed contently when the warm water touched my skin. It was so much better than the feel of a muggy rainstorm on my body. About twenty minutes later I was done, and I got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around me. I brushed out my hair and removed the make-up, and then went back into the room.

Oh, and the sun was out again.

Fantastic.

“Want to go back outside?” he asked me with a smirk.

“Oh, my God, you’re so funny!”

…Dominic’s POV…

“So aside from the downpour, and the long waiting list for the restaurant, and the fact that there are tons of tourists here, today turned out pretty good.” Ember said when we got back to the hotel.

We went to the elevator, and Ember sighed wistfully and leaned her head against my shoulder as we rode to the top floor.

When we got inside the room, she automatically dropped dramatically onto the couch and got the remote for the TV. I sat down next to her, and she got up and put a DVD into the DVD player.

“What’re you subjecting me to tonight?” I asked dryly, and she turned and gave me a look.

“Beauty and the Beast,” she replied snippily, and I chuckled.

She went to the menu, pressed play, and then went into the bedroom. She came out a few minutes later in a camisole and pink underwear. I hardly ever saw her wearing pants anymore.

Not saying that’s a bad thing…just saying.

Ember sat down again and curled up next to me. “Is that the bad guy?” I asked. I’d never seen this movie before.

“Gaston?” she asked, and I shrugged. “Well, technically the Beast is the villain, but he’s really the prince in the story. Belle’s not actually a princess, so I don’t know why she’s called that. But no, he’s not the bad guy, he’s just a douche.”

“’Kay.”

She paused the movie. “Why ask me if you don’t really care?”

“I never said I didn’t care.” I countered.

She sighed. “It’s just your tone.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have a tone, Em.” I tried a different tactic. “I’ve seen the Christmas one, and he was still a beast. I thought he got changed at the end of the first movie.”

She nodded. “I know, I couldn’t figure that out either.” She said. “But, I love that one. I didn’t have to see douchey Gaston.”

“Why don’t you like Gaston?”

Ember shook her head. “Because! He’s an egotistical douche!” she said exasperatedly. “And he’s a drinker, and he thinks he’s all hot and shit. You know, maybe it’s a thing with guys who have dark hair and blue eyes—they’re just natural douches.”

“Then you must really love douche bags to still be married to me.”

“We have a kid together,” Ember said, shrugging. “I didn’t want a bastard.”

“So, are you with me because I got you pregnant?” I asked.

Ember laughed. “No, to be honest it’s because you popped my cherry. That’s kind of a big deal to me.”

I laughed and kissed her temple. “And it was in the other room, too.”

“I know. It’s weird.” She murmured. “This one hotel suite has some of my most important memories. It was where we slept for the first night we were married, it’s where we slept together for the first time, it’s where we had our first child…”

“Mrs. Claus?” I asked, and she nodded. “What happened to her anyway?”

Ember sighed. “Poppy got a hold of her when she was still in the puppy-destructive phase.”

“That sucks,”

“Yep.”

We were quiet for a while, watching the Disney movie in comfortable silence. It actually wasn’t that bad.

Out of nowhere, Ember leaned up and kissed me softly. She broke away and had this little smile on her face.

And I said the first thing that popped into my head. “Not bad, Devereux.”