Now I'm getting in too deep
Not fallin cause I want to...
Three months later...
Setting: Demi's Bedroom, Hidden Hills, CA
Two empty bottles of Cheval Blanc 1947 were perched atop one of the glass nightstands next to the California king size bed with the plush, black leather headboard and footboard. The curtains were drawn back, revealing the California sun that was just peaking over the horizon, illuminating the hazy smoke in the room from the candles that had burned out last night. Pillows from the bed had carelessly fallen to the floor, the silky black sheets were hanging halfway off of the bed, and Demi was straddling her boyfriend's lap, doing everything that she possibly could to get him to stay at home with her, and that included taking the Gucci button down shirt he was planning on wearing and throwing it over her lingerie set from Guia La Bruna.
"Would it kill you to just spend one day in bed with me? Your jolie petite amie?" Demi questioned, causing Cristo to groan not only at her use of French but also because she was currently trailing kisses down his neck.
"You know how I feel when you speak French, ma cherie," he said, causing her to nip at the skin near his Adam's apple before continuing her trail down to his bare chest.
"Well, stay home with me and je parlerai francais toute la journee," she teased, undoing the button on his pants before connecting their lips and grinning in satisfaction as he finally pushed his shirt off of her body and flipped them over so that she was underneath him.
"As much as I would love to, I can't stay home with you, baby. We have to finalize everything for this campaign since you didn't want to do it," Cristo said, causing Demi's plump pink lips to drop into a frown.
"I didn't want to do it because it would feel like I got the job because of you, and I already know that I do get a lot of jobs and opportunities because of who I am but I do try to remain willfully ignorant," Demi explained as she played with the sleeves of his undershirt.
"I understand...but I have to get to work. And judging by the fact that your phone has been vibrating since we woke up, so do you," Cristo chuckled, giving her one last kiss before grabbing his shirt and his phone and exiting the room.
Demi grabbed her phone off of her nightstand before plopping back down on her bed to see who kept calling her, though she had a pretty good idea of who it was. Although she had been working on her collab album and had gotten three songs done, Phil had hinted that she wasn't moving fast enough for the label, which meant that they had been spewing complete bullshit when they said that there wasn't a deadline. They had probably heard how she kept blowing Trey off and hadn't been in contact with him, and since the holidays were coming around and everyone was going on vacation, it was going to be harder to get into the studio with the people that she was supposed to be working with. With a reluctant sigh, Demi tossed her phone onto the bed before padding into her closet to find something to wear. It was clearly going to be a long day.
Setting: Westlake Recording Studios, West Hollywood, CA
Maybe Demi should let Kris manage her music career as well. At least that was all that she could think about once she entered the lobby of the recording studio and saw Phil casually leaning against the front desk. Thank God she had grabbed his favorite drink from Starbucks along with a cake pop or she would've had to hear him bitching about that too.
"What are you wearing?" Is the first thing he asked once she approached him, but Demi simply looked down at her outfit in confusion. After three months with a new wardrobe, she was used to always dressing to impress so she was wearing a striped two-piece outfit with ankle boots and her favorite mini leather backpack. Her hair was straight and flowing down her back and if she had to say so herself, she looked fucking good.
"Clothes...?"
"Demi, this song needs to be written today and I don't care how long it takes, you're not leaving this studio until it's finished so that we can start laying down the track next week. Ask Max to bring you something more comfortable to wear," Phil demanded, but Demi waved him off as she begin to walk towards the hall where all the studios were, searching for Studio B.
"I'm not finished yet. Why has it even taken you so long to do this song in the first place? Trey is the very first artist that we set you up with, this should've been the first song that you finished so that it could be released as a single and-"
"Phil, have you fucking considered the fact that Trey is my ex fucking boyfriend and maybe I don't want to fucking work with him?" Demi exclaimed, whipping around and stopping Phil – and all of his bitching – in his tracks. He looked embarrassed, to say the least, but Demi knew he wouldn't apologize for it either.
"I'm a human being and I was with Trey for six years of my life and now you want me to work on a song with him. Not only that, but you guys gave us some romantic duet as if we didn't breakup with each other. As if we haven't been through so much shit together. I will do the song with him but next time you force me to do some shit like this, how about you remember the fact that I'm a fucking human with feelings, and think about how you would feel if you were forced to work with someone when you just ended a six-year relationship with them, okay?"
Phil nodded his head so Demi shoved his drink and the Starbucks bag into his chest before she entered the studio and saw Trey sitting there, mindlessly doodling on a notepad.
"Hey," Demi greeted as she sat down on the couch next to him.
"Hey...you ready to work?"
"More ready than I'll ever be," Demi shrugged, taking her bag off and leaving her phone inside before setting it on the table in front of them. "So, let's start with a concept.
Four hours later, five cartons of greasy Chinese take-out, and probably a hundred pieces of crumpled up paper, the only thing that they had accomplished was coming up with a chorus. It really wasn't their best work. They had spent most of the time listening to their favorite duets by their favorite artists and it didn't really help. It just got them even more distracted. At least Max had bought her more comfortable clothes to wear.
"The sun is starting to set, and all we have is a dumbass chorus."
"Damn, two for two. You don't like our chorus?" Trey asked as he propped his feet up on the table.
"It's not that, it's just...it's weird to sing about, you know? Also, this whole thing has felt a little too much like therapy," Demi admitted as she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.
"Maybe thinking of it as therapy will help us write the song, Demi. Just try it. Since our concept is wishing that we had waited to have sex, then tell me why," Trey suggested, passing her the notepad as Demi released a deep sigh.
"Because we didn't get to know each other, Trey. We had sex and we got so caught up in how good we made each other feel that that became the basis of our relationship. And yeah, sex is a huge part of a relationship but that shouldn't be the thing that holds it together. I'm just sure that things would've been a lot different if we had waited and really dated before making a commitment to each other," Demi explained as Trey nodded his head in understanding. He didn't think she was wrong but he didn't think it was that big of a deal either. But of course, Demi had a different perception of things and since she was in a new relationship, she had probably spent some time reevaluating why theirs had failed so terribly.
"What about you?"
"I agree. Sometimes I wish we could go back in time and just start over...do things right," Trey agreed as Demi nodded.
"Me too."
"Let me see the notepad. I think I've got something," Trey said, so Demi passed him the notepad and the pen before relaxing back on the couch. She sang the chorus under her breath as Trey jotted down whatever he had come up with then passed the notepad back to her.
"Sing it," Demi said, handing it back to him.
"I knew your body told me things, but shit, I should've picked your brain. When the truth is really we were so under the influence of all this money, sex, status, yeah, we had some tricks," Trey sang before Demi grabbed the notepad again and wrote down the verse that had come to her head.
"Your turn," Trey chuckled as Demi set the pen down.
"Didn't get to leave a first impression with my wild mind, and get you drunk and tell me secrets til we end up silent. And now, we seem a little less vibrant. Elephant up in the room and I'm not tryna hide it," Demi sang, causing Trey to high five her as she giggled.
"I think we've earned a break," Trey said as he connected his phone to the Bluetooth speaker.
"I'm pretty sure we were just on break for like three hours," Demi said as Trey shrugged.
"Nah, we just got like six lines, we've earned a break. Do you remember this song?"
"Too Close" by Next came on causing Demi to release a loud laugh as she recalled all the memories that came with this song. This is the first song that they had danced to together at his mom's birthday party, and this was also the song that she had sang for him during karaoke at his 30th birthday party. Trey claimed that this is the song he used to teach her how to let loose and just dance because she used to be so uptight, his words, not hers.
"How could I ever forget?" Demi said as she began to move to the music a little bit and mouth the words to the song.
"I'm pretty sure I still have the video of us dancing to this," Trey joked as Demi playfully rolled her eyes.
"Stop, you know we were probably drunk," Demi groaned as Trey paused the song and passed her his phone.
"Oh my god," Demi gasped as she saw the video playing. Sure enough it was a video of them in the club together dancing to that song. "Look at us, we look like babies!"
(skip to 1:00)
"No, we don't," Trey laughed as Demi lightly smacked his arm.
"Yes, we do. That was such a different time." Demi passed him his phone back and looked at the time on her own. It was nearing six and she knew that Cristo would be finished with his work soon and would be back at her house but Phil seemed pretty serious about them staying until the song was finished so she sent Cristo a quick text about getting caught up in the studio before putting her phone away.
"Speaking of a different time, Odell has a game on Sunday and he wanted to know if you were gonna come so that he could reserve your seats."
"Why didn't he ask me himself?"
"He said he's called you a few times but you haven't answered...don't shoot the messenger," Trey said as he held up his hands.
"Oh, yeah...I've just been busy. But sure, I'll be there. Are you going?" Demi asked as Trey nodded.
"You need two seats, right?"
"Yeah, but if I'm going and Odell is bringing his girlfriend with him, who will you be with? You'll be like a fifth wheel," Demi asked as Trey shrugged.
"Mila is in town so I'll probably hang with her. Don't worry about me, I won't be lonely," Trey teased as Demi shook her head.
"Whatever. Let's get back to writing this song."
Setting: Demi's Kitchen, Hidden Hills, CA
"Morning," Demi greeted with a pleasant smile on her face as she entered her kitchen and saw Cristo making them omelets. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed behind his ear before going to give Batman and Robin their morning kisses.
"Morning," he greeted, watching her let her dogs loose in the backyard before going to the refrigerator to pull out a pitcher of orange juice.
"So, do I have you to myself for the weekend so that we can finally discuss what we're doing for Christmas or do you have meetings and stuff?" Demi questioned as she hopped on top of her counter, watching Cristo flip one of the omelets in the pan before looking back at her.
"You have my undivided attention for the entire weekend," Cristo promised, causing Demi to grin as she clapped her hands.
"Great, so we can finally discuss Christmas. I told you about Kris's Krismas Eve party, right? And it's Krismas Eve, not Christmas because you know it's...Kris," Demi explained with a giggle as Cristo turned off the stove and moved both omelets to two white plates.
"Okay, and what about Christmas Day?"
"Well, I don't know what you usually do for the holidays but I usually spend it over there as well. I just wanted to make sure we'd at least have one day together, even if that means spending Christmas apart to be with our families," Demi said as he grabbed two croissants out of her glass jar and passed one to her.
"How about after you meet my parents on Sunday, we'll decide where we're spending Christmas?" Cristo suggested as Demi tilted her head in confusion.
"Meet your parents? Really? You want me to meet your parents?"
"Why wouldn't I want you to meet my parents?"
"I don't know, I guess it really hadn't crossed my mind. Oh, is it Sunday night? Because I already told Odell we'd go to his football game and I haven't seen him in a while," Demi questioned, watching as Cristo's face dropped.
"No, it's not Sunday night. My stepmother is in town with my father so she wanted us all to go to church and then out to brunch," Cristo planned as Demi pursed her lips.
"Church? I haven't been to church since I was like ten," Demi admitted as Cristo shrugged, but Demi could see that he really wanted her to go and meet his parents. "But, Odell plays football every Sunday. I guess we could fly to New York and catch one of his games. Make a weekend out of it? Meeting your parents is much more important," Demi decided before Cristo lightly kissed her then handed her a fork so that they could eat their breakfast.
While he was grabbing a bowl of fruit out of her refrigerator, Demi grabbed her phone and quickly texted Odell, Trey, Mila, and Odell's girlfriend Ashley. They had all made a group text because they were trying to decide what to do after the game.
Demi: not gonna be able to make it this Sunday. Maybe next week?
Since no one responded, Demi set her phone down and put her focus back on having breakfast with her boyfriend.
Setting: St. Augustine Catholic Church, Culver City, CA
Would yawning in church earn her a one-way ticket to hell? Cristo had set an alarm for eight in the morning – on a Sunday – and then they had been escorted to the elaborate church just in time for eleven o'clock mass, and although she was honored that he wanted her to meet his parents, all she wanted was to be snuggled in her bed with her dogs while watching the ID channel like she normally did on Sundays. Couldn't you believe in a higher power without all the thrills and frills of attending church? And wasn't it kind of rude of Cristo's parents to just assume that she wanted to attend church with them? What if she was an atheist? She wasn't...but still.
After what seemed like forever, they were finally dismissed and Demi muttered a "thank God" underneath her breath as Cristo placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the sanctuary. But apparently being dismissed didn't mean that they actually got to leave. Instead, they gathered in the garden out back where there were refreshments and a few tables set up. Cristo and his parents were mingling with guests while Demi just smiled and nodded along because she didn't know these people and she really didn't want to either. Plus, Cristo didn't seem that concerned with introducing her, thank God.
"Why don't we all head off to brunch?" Cristo's stepmother Clara suggested with a flick of her bleach blonde hair. Clara had striking blue eyes and a hint of a fleeting Italian accent. She looked like she used to model in her former days, standing at somewhere around 5'8 with a pearly white smile and cheeks that had been slightly enhanced by botox. She was still beautiful.
"That sounds great. We'll meet you there, son," Nicolas said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand so Cristo wrapped his arm around her waist and led her away from his parents and back towards the entrance so that they could leave. His driver Frank was waiting for them with the door open so Demi slid in first with Cristo right behind her before the door was closed, and they took off a few seconds later.
"How was it?" He asked, unbuttoning the jacket of his tan suit as Demi shrugged.
"Not my cup of tea, but if it's a big part of your life I understand," Demi stated as Cristo chuckled a little bit.
"It's not, trust me. My parents just like to go but it really isn't my thing. Don't worry, we won't have to go again. They're going to Venice for the holiday break and won't be back until after the New Year," Cristo explained as Demi nodded her head, playing with the ends of her curled hair.
"What's wrong?" Cristo asked, lightly nudging her as she shook her head. "Are you nervous?"
"They're your parents. Why wouldn't I be nervous?"
"Demi, I am 34 years old. I'm a grown man. Yes, I want my parents to like you but if they don't, it won't change the way that I feel about you," Cristo promised, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him as she released a deep sigh.
"Promise?"
"I promise, ma cherie." He kissed her forehead as she played with her fingers and tried to calm her thoughts for the rest of the ride. She knew that he said it didn't matter if his parents liked her or not, but Demi wanted them to like her. It would all make their lives much easier in the long run.
Setting: The Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA
Demi took yet another sip of her lemon water, praying that her bladder was nearly full so that she would have a legitimate excuse to escape this awkward brunch and go to the bathroom for a few minutes. It wasn't like they weren't talking to each other. They were talking. They just weren't talking to her. And she didn't bother to jump into the conversation because they were talking about things that really didn't pertain to her, like charity galas and fashion shows and investments. Cristo's hand kept rubbing at her side but it wasn't really helping. In fact, it was making her squirm in the signature pink cushioned seats that circled the tables of The Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel, the one with the pretty pink background where all the Instagram models loved to snap pictures.
"Demi, what are your plans for this upcoming season?" The question caught her off guard but nonetheless, she made eye contact with Clara and offered her a tight smile.
"I'm actually working on a new album that's probably getting released in the summer. Maybe touring. A few magazine shoots here and there but nothing too crazy," Demi stated as Clara nodded and Nicolas hummed in approval.
"You've certainly been keeping Cristo busy. He barely comes to Paris anymore. I caught him looking for real estate in the suburbs," Nicolas chuckled but there was no humor in his tone. Demi tried to smile but she took another sip of water to cover her grimace.
"I think your relationship is so sweet. Cristo told us about how you guys met. I haven't seen him act like this over a woman in so long. I know you two haven't known each other for that long but from what I've heard, you guys have got a good thing going, especially with the whole celibacy thing. Saving yourselves for marriage is so rare nowadays," Clara gushed as Demi crinkled her nose.
"Saving ourselves for marriage?" She questioned as she looked over at Cristo, but he didn't say anything. He just looked away.
"May I be excused? I need to um, powder my nose before my food comes out."
Demi didn't even know what that really meant but she had heard it on TV a bunch of times, and her excuse seemed to work because Clara nodded in understanding, causing Demi to stand up, dropping her napkin that had been on her lap on the table before walking towards where they had come in. She didn't even care if she found a bathroom or not because she was seething. Saving themselves for marriage when they had literally had sex instead of eating breakfast this morning? That was so fucking rich.
"Demi," she heard behind her, but that only fueled her to keep walking until she found the hallway where the actual bathrooms were at, but Cristo didn't let her go in.
"Saving ourselves for marriage?" Demi repeated through clenched teeth as Cristo nervously scratched the back of his head.
"Demi, listen, my parents are very serious Catholics and-"
"Cristo, I don't care! And you literally just spewed some bullshit in the car about not caring either, but clearly you do because you lied to your parents about us having sex! What, if they find out that we've been fucking they're going to think that I'm some kind of whore who isn't good enough for you?" Demi spat, going to walk around him until he tugged her back.
"I didn't want to embarrass you."
"Embarrass me? I'm a grown ass fucking woman, Cristo! Are you fucking kidding me!"
"Demi, please, stop causing a scene," Cristo begged, holding onto both of her arms as she shook her head.
"Fine. I'll just go home then. And you can find a nice little Catholic girl who is still a virgin since that's clearly who your parents want you to date. I'm not fucking stupid, Cristo. You didn't ask me to wear this dumb ass long dress that I would never wear because you thought it looked perfect on me. Just go back out to your parents and tell them I left since you obviously believe that who I really am isn't good enough for your parents or for you." Demi pushed against his chest, successfully causing him to release his grip on her arms before breezing past him and walking out of the restaurant.
It was Max's day off so thank God there were a ton of cabs waiting outside to pick people up. Demi climbed inside of one, rattled off her address, and then leaned back against the leather seat as the weight of their argument hit her.
🌚 thoughts?