Fallin'

<< Previous Episode: Lovefool, Pt. 2

Optional Soundtrack: Fallin' by Alicia Keys
Content Warning: strong language

---------------------------------------------------------

 "So...how was it?"Alex asked nervously. He and Michele both knew that this was his first time woohooing, but he didn't have the pride to admit it. It's not that he was completely incapable of "getting" girls, since some of them seem to like the "socially awkward" thing, but he didn't want any of them. And now that he finally got the woman of his dreams, he wasn't too sure if "waiting " was such a good idea.

Michele recognized the anxious expression on his face like the back of her hand and laughed politely. "It was fine, Alex. This was your first go at it. I didn't expect you to be a regular Don Lothario."

"Don Lothario himself wasn't really a 'Don Lothario', according to some of his past lovers." he grinned.

"See, that's the spirit!"

"Besides, practice makes perfect."

----------------------------------------------------------

Mark took a beer from the kitchen and sat down on the sofa next to Jordan, much to his dismay. He groaned quietly and sulked in his chair. It's not that he was jealous or anything, of course not. He just didn't like Mark, and he didn't like the way that Mark stared at Ella.

Plus, his manners were revolting.

"Hey dude, thanks for the beer." he belched appreciatively. "I'm just gonna apologize right off the bat if we woke you up last night. I tried to keep Ella quiet, but you know how that goes..."

"Quite frankly, I'm more offended by your choice of attire," he scowled. "And seriously, who drinks their beer out of a straw?"

Ignoring the question, Mark stared at Jordan and laughed while taking another sip of his beer. "You like Ella, don't you? Bonnie won't too happy about that."

Jordan was about to beat some manners into Mark, when he caught sight of his new tattoo. He simply laughed quietly and looked away while shaking his head in amusement.

"What's so funny, big guy?" Mark asked defensively.

"Oh nothing...except the tattoo on your shoulder says 'asshole'." he snickered.

"What?! No it doesn't! What are you, blind? This is Simanese for 'beautiful Ella'."

"Well, I studied Simanese in high school and college and I can tell you right now that it says 'asshole'. You shouldn't fret, though. I think it suits you well." he grinned.

Mark could do nothing but scowl at him, mumble a few insults, and go sulking back to his sleeping girlfriend. Jordan sighed happily as he sunk back into his sofa and watched his favorite sitcom.

"Asshole," he said to himself while chuckling. "I honestly couldn't have thought of a better word myself."

----------------------------------

 Alex furrowed his brows as he thought of the phone call he had with his mother few minutes ago. "Why don't you ever visit us?" she nagged. "We won't live forever, you know!"

He had always been close with his family, but he started "falling out" with them when he moved out. He simply didn't have time for them back then, he convinced himself, when really, he had plenty of time; whatever time he didn't spend writing, he spent sleeping, eating, or chasing after Michele. That had been his whole existence.

"Creator, I'm starving." she giggled sheepishly. They had been woohooing for three hours, with few breaks in-between.

"Yeah, we did work up a pretty good appetite," he smiled. "Did you want to go to the new bistro on Elm Street?"

"No, I don't think that one opens until 11. How about we go to the SimDonalds at the Laundromat? It's early, so we can avoid the lunch rush."

 "Well, you tore through those pancakes rather quickly." she smirked.

"What can I say? They're my favorite! By the way, there's been something I've been wanting to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Well...my parents are having a dinner this Thursday, and I was wondering if you wanted to come."

 "I was afraid you'd say that." he sighed as she gagged on her food.

"What?! We just started dating yesterday and already you want me to have dinner with your parents? Are you insane?" she shrieked.

"I don't get it, you've had dinner with us before..." he mumbled, discouraged by her response.

Michele took a deep breath and softened her expression. "But this is different, Alex. When I had dinner with you guys, it was very friendly and casual...because we were only friends. Now that we're dating, I'm going to be subjected to a completely different type of scrutiny!"

"My parents aren't like that and you know it. They've always liked you." Alex paused for a moment to study her anxious fidgeting. "What's this really about?"

"Why don't we just discuss this again in a few weeks, okay? I think that would be best."

---------------------------------------------------------

 "Hey, look! A blonde is actually reading a book!" he yelled.

"Bite me, Strawberry!" Mark pretended to be offended and finger-combed his strawberry-blonde hair. "I resent that, Platinum."

"I know," she grinned.

 "It's been too long since I've seen you."

"Sweetheart, it's only been six hours." she smiled. Ella didn't know what she did to deserve such a wonderful guy, but whatever it was, she'd do it again. Everything about him overwhelmed her and left her wanting more. He has so much power over her, and he doesn't even know.

Or at least, she didn't think he knew.

"Six hours? Like I said, it's been too long. Might as well be a month."

"Well, it's beautiful here. Thanks for taking me, Mark."

"It's no problem." Mark stared contemplatively at the infamous Pinochle Pond, where the waters were teeming with life such as fish and frogs. "You know, I used to go here all the time with my dad when I was a boy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We used to fish here all the time. And man, we caught some huge fish! Some of them were as long as my arm." he beamed. "Then one day, he died of the mummy's curse, and I stopped visiting...until yesterday, that is. Yesterday I went fishing one last time to honor his memory, and...the fish seemed a lot smaller. I'm probably just being silly, huh."

At the mention of the mummy's curse, the same affliction that killed her mother, Ella's eyes began to tear up. "No, not at all," she replied solemnly. "I'm so sorry about your dad."

 Mark brushed the tears away from her face and ran his fingers through her hair. "Hey now, I didn't mean to make you cry..."

"No, it's-it's fine. My mom died of the same thing, is all. I'm fine, really." she tried to smile, but her lips trembled and more tears came falling down.

"Shhh," he cooed as he held her close to him. After a few minutes, her heavy sobs subdued and the tears finally stopped. "Thanks," she muttered weakly. "I'm a little embarrassed. I don't usually cry in front of people. I'm just so-"

"-Afraid of exposing your weakness?" he asked, finishing her sentence.

"Yeah, that."

 "I honestly didn't mean to make you cry, darling. I just wanted to let you know why I brought you here."

"Well, continue explaining." she croaked, grinning weakly.

"This is a really painful place for me, as you now know. I thought that maybe, if I brought you here and asked you this question, it would become a place of new beginnings instead of faded memories."

"W-what question are you about to ask?"

"Ella, will you go to Shang Simla with me? My plane leaves tonight. I know this is really sudden, but I don't want to leave without you. I love you, baby."

"I-I love you too, I guess." she stammered, unsure of how to reply. She bit her lip and managed to let out a series of answers while grounding her voice. "Okay. Sure. Let's go. Why not?" He smiled widely, and all of her worries turned into dust. The butterflies in her stomach rose and fluttered up a storm as he leaned in for a kiss.

"The grass is always greener on the other side", they say. But to Ella, her grass couldn't possibly be any greener.

------------------------------------------

"Finally, we're here! I thought the plane would never land." she whined. The flight had taken 12 hours, so they didn't arrive until morning. At some point, neck pillows just don't cut it anymore; even if you're flying first class. Mark simply closed his eyes and counted to ten.

"What the hell is in these pillowcases? Bricks?! I thought you said you got a honeymoon suite," Ella pouted.

"I did, dear. This is the fanciest room they have available at the moment.

"Oh yeah, because Shang Simla is in such high demand. This surely isn't Champs Les Sims, I'm just saying-"

"Hey, do you wanna take a hike?" Mark chirped, interrupting Ella. He couldn't take any more of her whining. "I'd rather starve to death," he thought to himself.

"Now? But we just got he-"

"I promise, it's somewhere really special. Now come on, unpack your workout gear! Let's go!"

"Maaarrk? Are we there yet?" she whined.

"No, not yet dear, but we're getting close. Did you want to stop for water and snacks?"

"Ugh, no. Let's just get there as soon as possible. I'm so sick of walking." she huffed. "You're gonna have to carry me home after this." Mark smiled and continued trekking along, showing her landmarks along the way.

 "This plot of land right here is what I wanted to show you."

"What, is there a story behind this one too?" she smirked.

"Not much of a story, no, it just has a really good view of the city."

"Aw, well, that's disappointing."

"But, if you'd like," he winked, "We could make a story of our own."

They sat down and took a moment to enjoy the sunset, and the view of the colorful town. Mark felt Ella's hand sneak over to his and grinned widely. The sunset trick worked. "The sunset trick always works," he assured himself.

Mark had been going over the plan over and over again in his head. He had drawn it out on paper a million times, and double checked it two million times. But now, it was time for the true test. And it's not like someone as far up her own ass as Ella could see what was going on.

 "Hey, isn't that the Dwarf Simfarcius constellation? I can just barely make it out, but it looks familiar."

"I thought you hired a nerd to do your astronomy homework," he joked.

"Yeah, and I thought you didn't believe me when I told you I did. So, I guess now we're even."

Mark looked down at his watched and sighed heavily. "Ah shit, it's seven o'clock! I've gotta get going, okay doll?"

"But we just got here!"

 "I know babe, and I swear I'll make it up to you later. I just- I need to go buy some gems for my boss."

"Boss? You have a job now?" she asked, clearly confused. He quickly gave her a peck on the lips and mumbled "I'll explain later" before running off into the sunset.

"Be back in an hour! Don't move until I get back, okay?" he yelled.

"Okay!"

 "Bye, Mark!" she chirped. She sat down on the grass and continued watching the sun set over the mountains. Then, she counted stars and identified constellations. After a few hours, she started pulling at the grass.

Five hours later, she was no longer amused and was starting to freak out. Mark would never stand her up...right?

"S-Strawberry?" she whispered, as if the cruel night sky would humor her with a response. The wind was as cold as the frost that began to stake its claim on her heart again.

Quietly sobbing, she walked back to the hotel to re-pack her bags.

-----------------------------------------
                                                                                           Next Chapter: How Deep Is Your Love? >>