I feel unsteady
Where's my love?
Setting: Kris's House, Calabasas, CA
Demi hit the 'recents' tab on her phone, glancing at the nibbled down nub that was the nail on her thumb before clicking on Cristo's contact, putting it on speaker as soon as the call went through then whimpering in disappointment when he sent her to voicemail...again. But this time his voicemail box was actually full so she couldn't leave a message pleading with him to at least return one of her calls. Demi let her phone drop to the ground before rolling over and burying her face into her silky purple pillows.
Filming had been put on hold. Anything that had to do with the wedding had been pushed back after Demi had dragged herself – and her dogs – to Kris's house after Cristo left her. Ever since then she had tried but failed at trying to reach him and he had made it clear that he didn't want to talk to her. Everyone was trying their best to make her feel better but Demi didn't deserve their comfort or their pity because she had done this to herself. She just couldn't stop crying. She really wanted to marry Cristo and now he was gone and Demi really wasn't sure how she was supposed to get him back. Was she supposed to give him space? What if she gave him space and that just made him realize that going through this with her really wasn't worth it, and that they were just better off going their separate ways?
Demi released another strangled cry at the thought of it. The worst part was that Demi had been so busy hiding out that she hadn't even gotten to tell Cristo about the whole marriage thing herself. He found out from someone else. If he hadn't heard Kris talking about the divorce papers and if he hadn't gotten those rings from Trey, then she would've been able to calmly sit down with him and explain that at one point in her relationship with Trey, they had loved each other enough to get married. She could explain how she had every intention of filing the papers but she got caught up in life and she never got the chance to. She could explain how she wasn't still married to Trey because she still had feelings for him; that she was still married to him because she had been stupid and not filed those stupid papers.
After wallowing in self-pity for about thirty more minutes, Demi rolled off of the bed, grabbing her phone off of the floor before snatching her wallet and car keys off of her night stand. She needed to get Cristo back and that started off with confronting Trey for giving Cristo those stupid rings in the first place. He hadn't given them back to her when they were sleeping together or when they found out that she was pregnant, so why did he decide to give them back all of the sudden, and to Cristo of all people? She was sure that it had something to do with him confessing that he was still in love with her. Demi's sadness slowly turned into anger as she jogged down the spiral staircase, walking out into the fresh air for the first time in days and getting into her car.
Setting: Trey's House, Hidden Hills, CA
Demi had been knocking on Trey's door for at least five minutes. His gate had been locked but he hadn't changed the passcode from her birthday so she was able to get in, but she had given him back the key to his house a long time ago. Maybe he wasn't even at home. But where else would he be? Trey loved being at home. It was one of the things they had bonded over. Demi rubbed at her sore knuckles before reaching for the doorknob. She rolled her eyes in annoyance once she realized that the door was actually unlocked. Nonetheless, she pushed the door open and walked inside.
None of the lights were on. The curtains were drawn. The house had a musty smell to it, like some bad combination of weed and alcohol. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as she noticed all of the empty bottles of alcohol that littered this place. If she didn't know Trey she would think that he was recovering from some wild house party, but Trey didn't trust having a lot of people over his house.
Demi went upstairs, immediately walking down the hall to his room. One of the doors was cracked open so Demi pushed it open. Trey was sprawled out in the middle of his bed with the covers hanging over the side. He looked like he was asleep so Demi was about to turn around to leave until he made a gurgling noise, and then he was throwing up all over his bed but he wasn't trying to move out of his vomit like a normal person.
"Trey," Demi said, moving to the side where he hadn't vomited and attempting to help him sit up. His body was cold but he was actually sweating. He kept trying to move his eyes to look at her but it was like he had no control of them. Demi was strong but she wasn't strong enough to handle his dead weight.
"Trey, come on," Demi pleaded, trying the best that she could to get him to sit up but he wasn't moving. He wasn't being responsive. Mix his current state with all of the alcohol and all Demi could think was that he needed to be at the hospital. She couldn't do anything for him here.
Demi kept his head in her lap as she dialed 911, tears springing to her eyes as she alerted them that Trey probably had alcohol poisoning. Sensing how distressed she was, the operator stayed on the line with her until she heard sirens in the background. She heard the doors open downstairs and looked down at Trey who had clearly blacked out, saying a silent prayer that he would be okay before the EMTs came into his room and put him on a gurney. They asked if she wanted to ride along with him but Demi declined, opting to ride in her own car. In less than 20 minutes they were at Cedars Sinai and Demi was forced into the waiting room and rushed Trey into the emergency room.
Setting: Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
"Ma'am?" Demi felt someone shaking her but she shrugged them off. She was in the middle of the best nap ever and she didn't want to be bothered. Who knew when she would be able to sleep this well again?
"Ma'am?" She was shaken again, and a groan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes, sitting up once she noticed that it was a nurse who was trying to wake her up.
"You came in with Tremaine Neverson, right?" The older nurse questioned, causing Demi to nod as she tried to wake herself up a little bit more.
"Would you like to come and see him? I can tell you a little bit about his condition and then maybe you can alert his family?" The nurse suggested as Demi nodded again, standing up to follow her down the hall where they had taken Trey.
"It's a textbook case of alcohol poisoning. He was severely dehydrated when you brought him in so we have him hooked up to a few IVs. He'll have to stay overnight for observations and then tomorrow we can discuss treatment options. Oh, I'm Joy, by the way," Joy explained, brushing the wispy blonde hairs that had fallen out of her bun out of her face as Demi furrowed her eyebrows.
"Treatment?"
"The EMTS informed us of the bottles..." Joy said as Demi folded her arms over her chest.
"Trey isn't an alcoholic though. I promise that he doesn't need treatment," Demi reassured her. Sure, she wasn't exactly an active part of Trey's life anymore but she knew Trey, right? He wasn't an alcoholic. He got drunk for fun and even that was rare.
"Maybe so, but he needs something. Maybe you can talk to him about it?" Joy suggested, opening the door to Trey's room. Demi glanced at her before walking inside. The door was left open as Trey lazily looked over at her, but once he saw that he was her, he looked back out towards the window.
"Get out," he said in a hoarse voice as Demi made another move to walk towards his bed, but his voice stopped her again. "Get out."
"Trey, what's going on?" Demi questioned, but he still wouldn't look at her.
"I don't want to see you. Tell the nurse to call my mom and then you can go."
"But I'm the one who found you like this...they think you need to go to treatment, they think you're an alcoholic. Why have you been drinking so much?" Demi asked. A part of her was scared to hear the answer but she knew that she needed to.
"Demi, can you please get out? I don't want anything to do with you anymore. That's why I gave your fiancé back your rings. I should've cut you out of my life when you attempted to cut me out of yours. Get out. There's no reason for you to be here." His voice was so cold, so bitter. Demi's eyes watered again as she looked at him, but in the end, she decided to leave like he wanted her to.
"Did you speak to him?" Joy asked as Demi nodded, biting down on her lip so that her tears wouldn't spill over.
"I can leave his mom's number for you. She's in Virginia so it might take her a while to get here," Demi said as Joy nodded, placing her hand on Demi's back as she led her to the nurses' station. Demi jotted down his mom's number, Odell's number, and his brother's number before leaving. There was no point in staying where she wasn't wanted.
Setting: Kris's House, Calabasas, CA
Demi lazily peeled the skin off of an orange as she sat in the kitchen, wanting to call the hospital to check on Trey but also wanting to respect his wishes. If Trey didn't want her around, she wouldn't go and see him. He had sensed her reluctance to let him back into her life after treatment and had stayed away, so she was going to do the same. It was crazy how she had lost two men she cared about in less than a week but she was trying not to dwell on it. Dwelling meant crying and her Lamer eye cream could only do so much for her puffiness.
"Hey Dems," Kourtney greeted as she entered the kitchen with Penelope. Mason and Reign were with Scott.
"Hey," Demi greeted, tossing another peel into the skin before setting the half-peeled orange down.
"What have you been up to? I haven't heard anything about the wedding in a while," Kourtney asked as Demi shrugged.
"Yeah, we're kind of taking a break from planning just to make sure that this is really what we want," Demi breathed out as Kourtney nodded in understanding.
"Well-"
"Demi, why are you not getting ready to leave?" Kris interrupted as she walked into the kitchen.
"Because you said I could stay here...?" Demi responded as Kris scoffed.
"Did you forget that the interview and photoshoot for Vogue Paris is today?"
"Well, I haven't talked to Cristo and I was assuming that he had cancelled it..." Demi trailed off as Kris shook her head.
"No, sweetie, I just got off of the phone with his people. It's still on. Come on, I'll go with you," Kris said, rushing Demi towards the door as Demi said her goodbyes to Kourtney and P. They both climbed into the back of the Escalade and in less than 20 minutes they were pulling up outside of the Ghesquiere mansion.
"Seriously?" Demi questioned as Kris shrugged.
"Cristo chose the location. Come on, you're already late."
They both walked inside, instantly being greeted by all of the hustle and bustle of a photoshoot. Her glam team was already set up and Anna was rushing around giving people orders, but once she saw that Demi had arrived, she rushed up to her with a nervous smile.
"Demi! We're so glad you made it. Cristo is getting ready but he said you could choose whether you guys wanted to do the separate interview first or the photoshoot?"
"Um...the interview. We'll probably be tired after the photoshoot," Demi answered, pushing any harsh feelings she had towards Anna aside. If she got into a fight with her for flirting with her fiancé, Kris would kill her.
"Great! You can go ahead and get ready for the photoshoot while we set up for the interview! See you in a few!" And then she was off again. Kris followed her to where her team was set up.
"The filming crew are on their way," Kris said, causing Demi to roll her eyes, but she was the one who agreed to it so she really had no choice but to commit to it. Getting out of contracts really could be a bitch.
It took an hour for them to get her ready but once she was, she was led outside where the interview was taking place. Cristo hadn't made it out yet. Demi posted a quick picture to Instagram and sipped at the latte that Kris had gotten for her as she waited for Cristo to arrive. They hadn't put her in the outfit she was wearing for the photoshoot yet so she was just wearing a simple white robe.
ddlovato: super special shoot today! can't wait for you guys to see it! ✨
As she crossed one leg over the other, she saw Cristo coming out of the back doors of the house, wearing a pair of dark washed jeans with a simple white shirt. He sat down next to her but he didn't acknowledge her at all.
"Hey guys. So, I'm going to interview Cristo, let him take some solo shots, and then I'll do the same with you, Demi. Is that okay?" Anna asked as she sat in front of them.
"Actually, we want to do the interview together," Demi boldly stated, daring Cristo to protest. He didn't like public squabbles so he just nodded in agreement.
"Oh, okay then. Let's start with the intros. You can just say your names and then 'we're on the set with Vogue Paris.' Demi, you've done this a million times so I'm sure you know what to do," Anna said, notifying the man behind the camera to start filming.
"Hey I'm Demi Lovato!"
"And I'm Cristo Ghesquiere."
"And you're on set with us for our cover shoot with Vogue Paris," Demi said, smiling into the camera as Anna nodded.
"That's great. I just need you two to sit a little bit closer, just so it'll look better on camera," Anna said.
Demi scooted towards Cristo at the same time he scooted towards her. They both relaxed on the couch a little bit, their knees knocking together as Demi messed with the ends of her hair.
"Great. I'll start with something easy. How did the two of you meet?"
Demi looked at Cristo to see if he wanted to answer but he let her take the first question.
"We met on September 2nd of last year. Kris took me to an event that Cristo's father Nicolas was hosting to introduce his protégé. It was at the Louis Vuitton store in Beverly Hills. Kris had invited me to it that morning because she thought I needed to get out since I just got out of treatment. Once it was time for me to actually get ready, I didn't really want to go but I'm glad I did. I had gone to use the bathroom at the event and when I was coming out-"
"She hit me with the door. Hard," Cristo cut in, causing Demi to giggle as she remembered that moment.
"I was freaking out. I thought I had given him a concussion and he was like, you didn't hit me that hard. But we talked a little bit and I found out that he was the protégé and he was also Nicolas's son. Then he invited me out to Paris after calling me his muse and yeah, everything went from there," Demi finished off, looking at Cristo who smiled at her answer.
"What's your favorite thing to do together?"
"I just like spending time with Demi, you know, just spending time with her and talking to her and everything. Obviously with the careers that we have, there are a lot of events that we can attend and everything, and we did go to a lot of those events, especially when we first started dating. But I think what I really have grown to love is just lying in bed with her and talking to her about anything and everything. Our first date was actually us watching silent movies and making up plots to the movies while eating macaroons. It sounds cheesy but I've learned that when you're with someone you love, it doesn't matter what you do with them. Anytime spent together is time well spent," Cristo answered, and even though he was obviously still mad at her, Demi could tell that he was being sincere. And being the cry baby that she was, it made her tear up a little bit.
"That's so sweet. Demi, what's your favorite thing about Cristo?"
"His willingness to accept me for who I am," Demi answered, looking into Cristo's eyes. "He was actually the first one to say I love you and when he said it, he said that he hoped that I would let him love all of me, and that was a little scary because I was coming out of a six-year relationship and when you're with someone for that long, you're kind of past the stage of having to learn all about them and everything. So, being in a new relationship and having to let the other person see the good, the bad, and the ugly is really hard, but he's always assured me that he loves me no matter what, and that's been really nice."
"Cristo, what's your favorite thing about Demi?"
"I guess our answers are kind of the same because I love Demi for who she is. She's a very loving person and she's sweet and kind and there's so many other things that I could say but we still have to do the photoshoot. Demi is just, she's honestly the sweetest person that I've ever met. She's everything that's good about the world wrapped up in one and she has a good heart, and I think that's why I fell in love with her so hard and so fast," Cristo answered, causing Demi to reach over and grab his hand, but Cristo surprised her by kissing her while she was facing him.
The interview continued with Anna asking them similar questions. After she felt like she had enough material, she let them go to get dressed for the photoshoot. The theme of the photoshoot was supposed to be intimate and sexy, and her outfits just happened to be outfits that she had worn while with Cristo. The first was a silky, black and white striped pajama set. Then she was wearing the navy-blue lingerie set that she wore when Cristo first took her to his house in Paris.
"Okay, Demi, I want you to straddle him and just look like you're about to kiss him," the photographer instructed as Demi did what she was told.
They were on Cristo's bed and she had her hands on his face and she was looking into his eyes like they were about to kiss. The intensity of the moment was making her heart beat erratically, which was making her breathe more rapidly, which she was sure Cristo could notice. His hand was on the small of her back and they stayed like that until the photographer was satisfied.
"Great, now Demi lay on the bed and I want it to be the same way, okay? Just do what feels natural. Pretend we're not even here."
That was kind of hard when they were making so much noise but Demi got what he was saying. Cristo was hovering over her as Demi cupped his face because she hadn't been able to touch him in so long and that's all she wanted to do. Well, she needed to talk to him as well but she silently thanked God that he hadn't cancelled this shoot because this was the closest that they had been in days. She was sure that Cristo hadn't even considered forgiving her but in this moment, she didn't even care.
Just as Cristo was about to kiss her for the second time that day, the photographer yelled out for a quick change, causing Demi to shut her eyes and sigh. All she wanted was for this one moment when Cristo didn't seem to hate her to last forever.
After they changed into their second outfits, the photographer called for a break because there was something wrong with his camera, which resulted in everyone else going on break as well. Since she was already dressed, Demi perched herself on the bench at the end of Cristo's bed and played with her phone a little bit. She was waiting for Odell to come into town so that she could get an update on Trey but he was stuck in a training camp and wouldn't make it until the end of the week.
"Hey," Cristo greeted as he walked into his bedroom and sat down next to her. He was shirtless. He was only wearing pajama pants that kind of matched her lingerie.
"Hey," Demi greeted, glancing at him then looking back at her phone.
"I think we need to talk," Cristo started off as Demi nodded in agreement. "Why didn't you tell me about you getting married to Trey? You told me everything else and I was fine with it. Why did you feel like you couldn't tell me this?"
"Because if I'm being completely honest, I had forgotten about it until you started talking about proposing. And then when you proposed, I was scared of your reaction. I thought I could take care of it quickly and quietly."
"Demi, you have to know how you hiding that, after you told me time and time again that I had nothing to worry about when it came to you and Trey, made me feel," Cristo said as Demi looked up at him.
"I do. Because I know how it would make me feel. But I promise you it had nothing to do with me still having feelings for Trey. It had everything to do with me not wanting to lose you, and look how that turned out," Demi explained, pulling her leg to her chest and resting her head on her knee as Cristo rested his elbow on the bench and leaned over so that he was looking up at her.
"Maybe we're not ready for this..." Cristo trailed off, but Demi grabbed his hand, making him look at her.
"We're ready. I've never been more ready," Demi stated, because she was. She wanted her future with Cristo and she was going to prove it to him.
"I just want you to be able to come to me with these things. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"I'll be divorced by October. I went to see Trey and I had to take him to the hospital, but he doesn't want to see me anymore so I left. I don't think he'll be in my life anymore," Demi honestly said, looking away from Cristo's smothering glare.
"Why not?"
"He still loves me and I told him that I couldn't be with him because I love you. And I'm happy with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Demi admitted, looking at him again so he could realize how serious she was about them.
"So, I'm supposed to take your bullshit for better or worse?" Cristo asked, cupping her cheek in his hand as she giggled and bit down on her lip.
"Yeah," she said through her laughter with a nod of her head.
"Okay, ma cherie. But only because I love you," Cristo said, causing Demi to smile as she moved a little closer to him.
"I love you too. Je t'aime beaucoup," she said through a sigh before leaning down to kiss him.
"Je t'aime beaucoup," he whispered against her lips. Demi was about to deepen the kiss before they heard a cheer in the room, which made them realize that their little private moment hadn't been private at all.
"We got it! We got the cover!" the photographer exclaimed, causing Demi to furrow her eyebrows as she shot Cristo an unsure smile. He simply shrugged before pecking her lips and sitting up a little bit.
"This is going to be our best cover yet!" Anna squealed. "Come downstairs so you guys can see the pictures."
Demi threw her robe on before grabbing Cristo's hand, letting him lead them downstairs where the photographer was putting the SD card into his Macbook. All of the pictures that they had taken today came up on the screen and Demi happily sighed as she leaned into Cristo.
"Those are gorgeous," Kris beamed, looking over at the seemingly reunited couple as Demi grinned. They really were picture perfect.
Setting: Demi's House, Hidden Hills, CA
Demi tried not to let the peppermint tea that she had made for her and Cristo spill over the rims of the mugs as she made her way back into the movie room. She passed Cristo his mug before plopping down next to him on the couch and snuggling up to him. Since they hadn't done it in a while and the interview made them nostalgic, they had decided to watch silent movies, but they exchanged their expensive champagne for tea.
"This is so nice," Demi said as the movie started and he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"I know, ma cherie. I've missed you," Cristo said, rubbing her side as Demi nodded in agreement.
"I didn't think you'd still do the interview today. I thought you would've cancelled...and asked for your ring back when you eventually answered my calls," Demi admitted as Cristo shook his head.
"Why did you think I would ask for your ring back?"
"Because of what happened..."
"Ma cherie, I would never break things off with you like that. Like you said, we just have to talk. You have to trust me and I have to trust you. I love you, ma cherie. I want this to last," Cristo said as Demi released a deep sigh.
"I want this to last too. Being away from you made me miserable. I don't ever want that to happen again."
"Agreed. I have never loved a woman the way I love you, Demi. I hope you understand that."
"The same goes for me, Cristo. I love you. Like I said earlier, I have never been more prepared to spend the rest of my life with someone," Demi said as Cristo's face broke into a smirk.
"Not even with Trey?" Cristo questioned in a teasing tone as Demi giggled.
"Not even with him, I promise. You and me forever, right?"
"Toi et moi pour toujours, ma cherie," Cristo cooed before kissing her on her lips, causing Demi to happiy sigh as she moved so that she was straddling his lap. She could not wait to get married.
I know y'all really want to know what the endgame is going to be, but quite frankly it really does depend on my mood. So, we're all on this roller coaster together. Enjoy the ride!