Envie de Toi

Selfish

Warning: Not a happy chapter.

It was a crisp Sunday morning and Yannick was lounging on the sofa in the living room with his laptop. The TV was turned on but was muted by Marina earlier as she was on a video call with her sister and Eva. She was sitting on the other end of the sofa. He doesn't understand a thing they're saying but Marina was laughing and smiling all the time so he was content to just let her be. He had been teaching Marina some French phrases but just like her English accent, it came off butchered and Yannick loved teasing her for it. Marina would then tease him back by speaking to him in Filipino Tagalog.

He stopped his musings when he realized that Marina had turned quiet and so did Eva. Her sister was talking to her in a sort of pleading tone. He turned to look at Marina and caught her eye. She smiled at him sheepishly before quickly turning to look back at the screen. They talked some more before Marina ended the call.

She tossed her phone on the couch before clambering on her lover's lap. Yannick quickly placed his laptop on the coffee table to accommodate his petite goddess holding her close to him.

"Did you have a good call?" he inquired rubbing Marina's back.

Marina mumbled something on his chest.

"What was that Mon Cherie?" he lifted her chin so she could look up at him.

Marina smiled sheepishly up at him. "My sister was asking when I'm coming home to the Philippines."

He frowned at that. "You mean a vacation? We can plan one for next year in time for the renewal of your visa."

"No. She meant coming home as in home to them. To my home country."

He cocked his head at her.

"What did you tell her?" he asked raising an eyebrow his hand coming to a still. He wanted to remind her that he was her home. Thank you very much.

Marina inwardly grimaced. She carefully minced her words so as not to offend Dada.

"I love working here, I really do and the past few months that I have spent here in Paris with you are some of the best months in my life but I just can't help but think of all the opportunities that I have missed back in my country. I miss them all as well. Here in France, I have you and your friends who have accepted me into your fold but I can't help but feel like something is missing. I feel different somehow. I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss the sunny weather..." she trailed off.

Yannick was frowning. He had never thought of how Marina was doing. All that mattered to him was that she was here and that was that. He can't help but feel bad but at the same time, he wants Marina to stay with him, her family and friends be damned. Call him selfish but that's what it is.

"We can go on vacations once in a while if that's what you want mon amour." He chastised.

"Have you considered relocating to the Philippines with me?" Marina asked him with hope in her eyes.

"You know I can't do that with the modeling gigs, fashion shoots, and with my music career just taking off?" he reminded her cupping her face.

They stared at each other for a bit before Marina relented with a sigh.

She wasn't expecting him to pack up his bags for her and relocate to a different country. Not now that he's got a lot going on in his life but she was just a bit disappointed to hear it again since they've discussed it before.

"I love you." Yannick pecked her on the lips.

"I love you more Mon Cherie," Marina replied before snuggling back against his chest while Yannick turned up the volume on the TV to listen to the news.