When Mrs. Infamous Loved The Masochist... (BOOK 2)

Chapter 53

Carina's POV

I was so happy that Palaye had finished making their first record, maybe about as happy I was that Remington was finally back home with me and did not need to rush back to L.A. any time soon. I was able to truly enjoy my new home now that Remington was here to live in it with me. On days I had school and work, I could look forward to coming home to Remington who was either writing new lyrics or playing around in the house. And on days I had no responsibilities, Rem would stay in bed with me on lazy mornings and we'd just spend almost every second together. My God, I never believed a guy could make me feel this happy and appreciated just by being close to me. It felt like Remington came from a different breed of men with the way he cared so much and wouldn't let his past mistakes define who he is as a person. There's so much I want to give back to him, but I didn't want to lose him by accident, so I had to be careful and patient.

I was hanging out with Rem in our house one day and we were just talking as he showed me his collection of rare rock n' roll records scattered across the bedroom floor. His favorites included The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Doors, Black Sabbath, and quite surprisingly, The Sex Pistols. It was so nice to see him so passionate about the music that inspired him and his brothers to have this dream of being their own rock band and entertain their own fans of rock n' roll fans. "I remember when I was younger", he mentioned while shuffling through the vinyls, "I used to pretend my toys were my audience and I was singing to them. Pretty stupid, I know." He scratched his head in embarrassment and I giggled and told him, "No, I think it's cute. You already had your dream in your mind." He smiled at me and leaned over to kiss my cheek, making me smile and blush a little.

"What about you?", he asked me then, "Any childhood relics you miss?" My smile dropped and I looked down. "What? You didn't have any toys as a kid or something?" "No, I-I did", I explained, still looking away. I never thought I'd speak of this, but he was much too important to keep it from, "I, um, had this beautiful Raggedy Ann doll my mom gave me when I was five, and I really loved it because she was the only other girl who had red hair and looked just like me. I played with her everyday and took care of her like she was the most precious thing in my life." I felt my heart squeeze with sadness as I approached the hard part of the memory, "Then I started school, and all the girls were blessed with blonde or brown hair, and they played with Barbie dolls. They made fun of me because I didn't have a Barbie doll and told me I'd never look like one. To this day, I still hate Barbies because it made me feel...wrong."

I looked into Rem's eyes then, and he seemed to look sad for me, "One day, I was feeling so low from feeling inferior, I intentionally lost my doll at a stranger's house and I never recovered it. I missed it so much after, and I regret letting my insecurities take over my only source of happiness at the time." I was silently crying then, and Rem wasted no time of pulling me into his arms and holding me tight, letting me cry into his chest. "I'm really sorry, Carina. That doll must have meant everything to you." I sniffled as I nodded and told him through a few more tears, "She was. She was the first thing to make me feel accepted." I looked up at him and he tucked some hair behind my ear, "But now I have you and my friends to make me happy, and I love you all so much." He grinned so beautifully and kissed me so softly, I kissed back and felt better now that he was in my life, loving me for who I am and loving every part of me that I do and don't like.

A few days after that evening, Rem invited me to meet him after work one day beside the building for him to tell me something. I wasn't sure what was so important, but I obliged. When my shift was over and I clocked out before exiting the building, I walked around to find Remington leaning on his back against the wall and he had his hands behind his back, making me believe he was hiding something. "Well, Rem", I started, "What was it you wanted to tell me? Should I be concerned?" His smile grew bigger as he walked toward me, making me slightly nervous, and then he stated, "Actually, you should be happy." Then he removed his hands from his back and I gasped and covered my mouth in shock as he revealed what was a brand-new and beautiful Raggedy Ann doll. I reached out to hold it, and it felt so soft and sweet. Her red yarn hair was just as beautiful, and her dress was the same like my old one, except this one was cleaner, obviously. I held it close to my chest and felt the memories flood back as I cried tears of joy and smiled so brightly at Rem.

I beamed as I expressed my happiness towards what he did for me, "Rem...this is the sweetest thing you've ever done for me. You have no idea how much this means to me." He smiled and kissed my forehead as he told me, "I hope you like it, ma chérie. I know it's a bit childish, but I just couldn't stand the fact that you lost the most precious thing you'd ever had. You were right, she looks so much like you in the way you're both so beautiful and lovable. And who knows...maybe one day, you can pass it down to your own daughter." I felt myself blush at his words and I threw my arms around him with the doll still in my hands. He hugged me back and petted my red hair so softly, it made me feel so content and safe. "I love you so much, Rem", I whispered as I looked back up in his eyes and he kissed me so sweetly and leaned his forehead against mine as he responded with, "I love you too, Carina."