This Must be Fiction

Ville called us a cab once we got changed back into our regular clothes. Once we were in the cab I rested my head on his rock-like shoulder. He stroked my hair and hummed softly. I was at the point of sleep, until something in my mind caught my attention.

"Ville?" I groaned, lifting my head.

"Hm?" He hummed. His head was rested on the back of the seat with his eyes closed.

"What have you told your friends about me? I mean, they wouldn't think I was such a bitch unless..."

"No! I haven't told them... barely anything about you." He sounded shameful. "And I don't want that to sound the way it does, but let me explain. After you left I could barely speak to well... anyone. Except Bam basically knew what happened so I just told him what had occurred the night before you left. He eventually forced me back to Finland so I could live my life again. I was immensely depressed, and my band mates knew so, but they could never tell why. I just ignored all of their constant questioning and let them think whatever they wanted to. Eventually, Bam filled them in on what had happened at his house and they just let the subject drop. They sometimes would bring you up, or bring up what happened, but when they did I would just walk away. Not talking about you was really the only way to make the pain go away." Ville's head was shaking back and forth while his fingers drummed on his legs.

"Ville.... I didn't know you had so much pain. I'm sorry I thought that..."

"No, I understand." He opened his eyes and looked down at me.

"I guess... I guess I really didn't understand what me leaving would do to the both of us. It really destroyed me... if it did the same to you, I apologize, because I know what that feeling is like."

"You don't have anything to apologize for, love. We both fucked up." He smiled at the last part. I inched my face closer to his for a quick kiss before the cab pulled into the hotel parking lot.

Ville tossed me gently on the bed and crawled on top of me once we got into our room. He kissed my neck softly, hesitantly.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear. I ran my hands up his back and let my finger nails glide down his skin. He shivered. I laughed, knowing I had never made him shiver before.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked, pulling back to look at me.

"You." I kissed his nose. He kissed me softly with his lips in a smile.

"You said you hand plans for us today?" I said after Ville pulled away from my lips and started kissing my neck again. He moaned, making my skin shake with his baritone voice. "Is this the plan?" I asked while wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"No, but plans can always be changed." He said, winking while stripping his shirt.
He leaned back down once his shirt was removed and started kissing up my neck again.

"You're terrible." I said, rolling my eyes and returning my arms to their wrapped position on his shoulders.

"I am."

XXXXXX

"So really, what are our plans for today?" I asked as I hopped from the bed to grab my cigarettes from my purse. Ville sat up and held out his hand for a cigarette. I handed him one, and we lit ours while we sat cuddled together. His free hand rested on my hip and covered the top of my heartagram tattoo.

"It's a surprise." he said after taking a deep drag.

"Well it won't be much of a surprise when I find out, so just tell me now."
He inhaled and shook his head as he formulated a response to my pestering.

"You were allowed to surprise me with your trip to Paris, so I'm allowed to surprise you." He blew the smoke in my face.

"Should I get ready?" I asked, knowing he was going to be difficult about it.

"Shower? Get dressed, wear something casual. And then... Well then I'll take over from there."

"Shower with me?" I rose from the bed and rested on Ville legs to look him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow and blew another puff of smoke.

"I've got phone calls to make. Think about me while you're in there though." He winked and lean forward to kiss me gently. I smiled into his lips and jumped from the bed.

"I think about you all the time."

"Ditto."

A buzzing sound interrupted my jog to the bathroom. My phone was about to fall off of the table and I grabbed it before going to the bathroom to run a bath.

"Hello?" I said, not checking the caller ID.

"You're a bitch! You run off to Paris with Bam Margera and not tell me? This is some serious shit!" Lizzie's angered voice shouted. I held the phone a few inches from my ear. I heard Ville's chuckling from outside the door.

"I'm sorry, but I was really stressed before I left. Bam kind of just... whisked me away."

"Why? I thought you hated Bam? What's going on?"

"Uh," I sighed, not knowing if I wanted to explain everything to Lizzie, but knowing I needed to. "I had a photo shoot with him, and told me that he wanted to do some work with me in Paris. So we got here, and Bam had me reunited with Ville." I paused, letting the information sink in to her. She was silent. "And now we're sharing a hotel room."

"You and Bam, or Ville?"

"Ville."

"Wow." She said. I couldn't tell what kind of emotion she was expressing.

"Good wow or bad wow?"

"I'm not sure. Are you guys... back together?" she asked. I heard a knock on the bathroom door as Ville shouted "Tell her yes!" I laughed silently at him but then returned my attention to Lizzie.

"Yes."

"Wow Molly... I'm just shocked. You're just going to let him back into your life like this? I was there for you when everything happened, I know what it did to you... and you're just forgetting all of it?"

For some reason I just snapped. I was sick of all of this emotional talk, I just wanted people to be happy for Ville and I. It just seemed as though none of our friends could support us.

"What is with everyone freaking out about the two of us being together? Of course you know what us being apart has done to me, so can't you see what us being together is going to mean? I'm happy for the first time in years, and you don't seem to realize that this is what I want and what I need."

"I'm sorry, I want to be happy for you, but I just... I guess I need some time for this to sink in. Robert knows about you meeting with Ville?"

"Robert knows some vague details. Listen I'm just about to take a bath. I'll call you later."

"I love you, you know." she said, trying to make up for her judgments.

"I know, I love you too."

She hung up. In a few minutes she would probably forget all about the pain that our separation had caused me and would be happy. I sat in the tub and thought about what our relationship meant to other people, but then figured out that I didn't much care. It was our relationship, so it was our happiness that I really cared about.

I quickly cleaned myself and got out of the tub with just enough time to catch the end of Ville's phone conversation.

"Yeah, sounds perfect. Alright man. Thanks."

I ran up to him and jumped, knowing he would automatically catch me in his arms. "Who was that?" I screamed. He set me down.

"None of your business." He kissed my nose.

"It was about me, wasn't it?" I said when I raced over to my suitcase to get clothes out. He managed a look of fake shock.

"No! Why would I be talking about you?"

"Perhaps because of this surprise you've decided to surprise me with." I got into a pair of tight jeans and a dressy tee-shirt.

"Just trust me when I say that you'll like it. Hurry and get ready." Ville said as he gazed out of the window. The sun was just starting to set.

"Should I look nice?"

"You always look nice."

"You know what I mean."

"You're fine." He turned from the window and looked at me.
I did my hair and make up as quickly as possible and was whisked out the door as soon as I was ready.

"Why can't you just tell me where we're going?" I asked as Ville's fingers gently rested over mine.

"Why would it matter? You don't know your way around Paris."

"Because I'm endlessly curious."

"Hush, and just take faith in the fact that you'll like where we're going."

I shut up and let Ville lead me through the streets. Eventually the silence made me squirm and I felt the need to pester him.

"How do you know where we're going?"

"I lived in Paris for a few years. When I was younger."

"How long ago was that?"

"I'd say about thirty years ago."
I got quiet again and thought about the fact that he was even alive that long ago. "Does that bother you?" he asked. I felt like we were in California again and I reverted to the old days of our blossoming relationship.

"It most definitely does not. I'm just intrigued. I can't even fathom living that long."

"Neither can I. The time passes slowly when there's no one to spend it with." Ville's eyes trailed down my body and then back to my face where he gave me a look of pure content.

"Where are we going?" I asked, changing the subject. His cold hand clenched around mind as he dug through his pocket for something. He pulled out a black bandanna. "What's that for?"

He closed my eyes with two fingers and tied the blindfold around my face.

"Are you kidnapping me?" I joked. He blew a soft stream of air into my ear before whispering.

"Yes."