the not so romantic / simon minter

05

When she wakes up the next day, she doesn't notice the note left on one of the night stand addressed to her, until she's about to walk out. Dominic left her a little note, in scrawled blue writing:

Thanks for last night. Maybe we can do it again, in our shared bed? Please come home, baby. I'm sorry.

All my love.

For some reason it makes her stomach churn, and she puts it in her pocket to analyze it later when she's got some spare time at work. As soon as she has that thought, her phone goes off and she's quick to answer it.

"Sorry about last night, mum." Maggie breathes through the phone whilst opening the hotel room door, with her suitcase trailing close behind. She shuts it. "Dominic came over last night unexpectedly."

She stops, covering her eyes, knowing she had just said something wrong.

"Are you and Dom fighting again?"

Maggie's grip on the suitcase handle relaxes and flexes all at the same time. "I was just being stupid, mum. I over exaggerated. It was my fault, not his."

From the distance, she hears her dad call out. "When are you going to learn that your feelings are valid, Margery?!"

"Mum! Am I on speaker?!" Maggie groans, turning to look down the hallway, and smiles and waves when she sees Josh walking up to her. "Dad knows I hate being called Margery."

"I only ever call you by it to make a point, Magpie!" He yells, and it sounds like he's in a different room now. "That man child needs to get his shit straight!"

"Okay, okay. I have to go. I'll call you later, okay? Love you two." She tells them, making a kissing noise through the phone, and hanging up.

Maggie relaxes against her door, looking up at Josh who is looking at her. "Was that the boyfriend?"

"No," she laughs. "I don't think I can deal with a phone call from him, to be honest. It was just the parents."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been together with that guy?"

"Curiosity might kill the cat." She tells him, jokingly, scrunching her nose as they begin to walk to the elevator. "Since I was 19, I suppose. He was a year higher than me. So when he was already in University, I was just graduating college."

And even then, he was always hesitant to say ey were together.

"I've been with my girl for nearly the same amount of time. She's a handful at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way, to be honest." Josh looks at her, glances at her neck--and absentmindedly reaches for his own. He clears his voice. "So, you're going home then?"

She replies humorously sarcastic. "I've no idea what you're a talking about. I'm merely changing hotel rooms."

He smiles and a hum escapes his lips. "Simon never mentioned you were a comedian."

OOO

She doesn't see Dominic until four in the afternoon, and by then she's finished the majority of her work, and writing little notes in a notebook for her boyfriend to read later tonight, about a book he's thinking of publishing.

She's pulled out the note three times--four, including now--in the past twenty minutes; and still she was still confused. He had said sorry, which was important. He mentioned their home, their bed that they share and tangle themselves in during long winter nights. The same bed where they argued until his face was red, and her face was covered in tears.

It's where they makeup, and they talk about the future; about their future. And all this time--she's been asking herself, is there a future with this man?

She's never seen her life without him.

When the door opens, Maggie smiles when she sees him. Especially since his smile reaches all the way to his eyes, and he comes to her side of the desk, and places a kiss atop her head.

"Sorry I left before you woke up. There was a commotion with one of the talents earlier today. I've been trying to deal with that all day." He leans against her desk, folding his arms across his chest. She grins at him, and for a second, she feels like things are meant to get better.

He hasn't spoken to her about his work in ages. It's a nice change.

She reaches to touch his forearm, his white dress shirt sleeves rolled up above his elbows, and tucked into his dark denim blue jeans. "You look so nice today."

He chuckles, taking one hand and rubs his thumb across her palm. His expression changes. His voice softens to a whisper. "Have you thought about it? Are you coming home? Let's go out to dinner, so I can make it up to you. I want to ask you something."

"Even if we fight, Dom. I'm still yours." She replies, her smile faltering just the littlest bit. What did he want to talk to her about?

It hits her, like a freight train colliding and collapsing on asphalt. It's screeching, and loud, and echoes:

He's gonna pop the question.

And in that given moment, she feels her stomach flutter with some sort of nervous anxiety.

A/N: what books are you reading at the moment? any wattpad authors, or any real life authors?