Once In A Lifetime.

Damie - Once In A Lifetime: Chapter Four

We look like any other couple; doing things in synchronization like getting dressed as we move around the bathroom. On occasion our eyes lock and we smile at one another. I hear a knock on the door as I pull on my sweater, looking questionable at Jamie. He shrugs as he turns to open the door and I follow him out.
"Roomservice." I hear an unfamiliar voice say as Jamie leads the waiter into the room.
"Just leave it in the room, we'll manage. Thank you." He tips the waiter and sees the man out. When he returns, he's looking at me with a smile I've grown so fond of. "I thought you'd like to enjoy some breakfast indoors." He says as he pushes the tray towards the corner of the room where a small table and two chairs are seated. "I do, thank you." As he sets up the table, I see he's gone all out. There are croissants, baked bread, pancakes, eggs, jelly, maple syrup and fresh orange juice. "You know I can't eat all that, right?"
I hear rather than see his grin as his back is turned to me. "How about we share?" I walk towards him and wrap my arms around his waist. "I'm so happy, Jamie." I place a kiss between his shoulder blades before sitting down on one of the chairs.
"I know because I feel the same." He winks. We eat our breakfast in silence. It is then that I realize Jamie and I will spend a few days apart from each other. I dread the thought of it. Pushing it aside for the moment, I enjoy the company of him. "I think if it was late in the morning, you would've opted for burgers, wouldn't you?" I joke.
"They're delicious. I could eat them any time of the day." He shoots back at me. I can't help but laugh as I finish my orange juice. I'm completely full. "Is it ok if I bring you home today? I mean, you only live 20 minutes away from me and I like being with you."
"Of course. I'd like that." I give him a smile as I clear our plates back onto the tray. I look at the time and it's already past 11. Jeez, time goes fast. I head back into the bathroom to put on some make up and get my bag. "Are your ready, baby?" I hear Jamie shout.
"Almost." I finish up a bit faster and as I walk over to Jamie, I take another look around the room to see if I have everything. He leads me out of the door and we go to the first floor with the elevator. I give the receptionist my room key and Jamie does the same. He is only carrying a small bag, he must've gotten it when I was still asleep. Being the gentleman that he is, he leads me into the car, closes the door and comes to sit next to me. As soon as we're seated, the driver speeds off into traffic. I shuffle closer to Jamie and lay my head on his shoulder. "Can we talk about what you said yesterday?" I ask cautiously, not wanting to ruin our moods.
"Of course." He doesn't like the idea of it but he agrees anyways. He and I both know well have to acknowledge the situation sooner rather than later. "You filed for a divorce, does this mean we can go public or do we have to keep it on low for a little while?"
I hear his sigh and I know I'm not going to like this. "Well, I've given them to my lawyer and he would get them to her, but because of the whole movie franchise we'll have to keep it on a low for a while. This also means I'll have to show up at premieres and events with her for the time being." I look at him and anger boils up inside me. "You can't expect me to watch you play happy family with someone you're divorced to while we've had sex yesterday!" I look at the driver as I realize my voice is a bit too loud but the man is focused on the traffic. Thank God. "Keep your voice down." He's not happy I raised my voice but right now, I couldn't care less. "I refuse to be second choice, Jamie." I shift back to my side, wanting the space from him. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it a few time before talking. "You were never second choice, Dakota. I've fallen in love with you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. It took us a long time to admit our feelings for each other, but now that we're past that, I filed up for a divorce. I don't want to be without you by my side. Don't you get that?"
His voice is soft, but my emotions are too overwhelming at this moment. "Jamie, what you don't seem to realize is that I'll have to witness you two together," using quote marks with my fingers on the word together, "and the end result will be me seeing you all over the papers and reading how happy the two of you are! How do you think that will me make me feel? Imagine if this was the other way around " I hiss at him. I think I've shocked him because he says nothing besides a silent sorry. "You should be." The rest of the ride is in silence. As soon as I see my apartment and the driver stops, I grab my bag and head out of the car, not bothering to say bye to Jamie. I know full well that he is behind me, but I ignore him.
"Look Dakota, I'm sorry. I wish I could change it but I can't. It's the PR who gave me this choice." I know I've been hard on him, but right now, I don't care, this hurts. "I'm glad to know you'd put the PR before me." I spat back at him and walk into my house, slamming the door shut. How could he do this to me? I know this wasn't any of his decision but it still hurts. And the fact that I'll have to stand near him and watch the fiasco up close, sickens me. He knows how I feel about him, how could he do this to me? I try to calm myself down as I progress everything that has happened since yesterday.
I feel that my phone is going off in my purse, but I ignore it.

Instead, I call my friend to pick up Zeppelin. I've missed my dog. I look out of my window to see if Jamie is still there but I see nothing except for a few parked cars. I'm sure he's the one who called me, but right now, I need space. I grab my purse and my car keys and I'm out of the door. Traffic is light today and after 20 minutes I arrive at my friend's house. As soon as I'm out of the car, I can hear him barking. This puts a smile onto my face. I thank my friend who watched him for a few days and take the leash from her. "Any time, Dak." She smiles. We say our good byes and I let Zeppelin sit in the front with the window opened for about an inch. Not wanting to go home yet, I stop at the dog park to let him run for a little while. I'm grateful when I see there are little to no people there. It'll mean a silent afternoon and I could use that right now.

On occasion, I throw a tree stick that Zeppelin runs for and catches as my mind sets yesterday's events in place. Mentally, I tick off everything that has happened one by one until my mind has set itself into a calmer mood. It's not Jamie's fault, I should probably call him. I regret leaving him like that this afternoon but I was hurt about the fact that I won't be the one attending him to his events while we're practically together. I'll call him tonight. When I arrive back home at around 5PM, I start on my dinner. I'm not very hungry so I'll just make something that'll be light on my stomach. Zeppelin is with me the whole time, probably since I'm baking chicken. I give him his dog food but even after that, he stays with me. It's nice to have some sort of sound around the house. I finish up my dinner with some vegetables, cream cheese and pasta and eat it at my kitchen island. I open a bottle of white wine and pour myself a glass. After dinner, I take a walk with Zeppelin. It's after 7 but it's still light outside. I decide to call my mom. After three rings she picks up.
"Hi baby girl." She says and I can tell from the tone of her voice she's happy. "Hi mom, can I talk to you for a moment?" "Of course, I'll always have time for you, what is it?" The gates open and I tell my mother everything that has happened. She gives me the occasional "hmm," but lets me finish what's on my mind. "Dakota, you two are very much in love with each other. I could see that when I went to visit you on set. It's a joy to see you happy and that he made a decision to file for a divorce but you have to realize this is the world of famous people. Other people will get a perspective from you when something happens, whether it's about marriage or a divorce. Jamie made the decision to divorce his wife because he is in
"Dakota, you two are very much in love with each other. I could see that when I went to visit you on set. It's a joy to see you happy and that he made a decision to file for a divorce but you have to realize this is the world of famous people. Other people will get a perspective from you when something happens, whether it's about marriage or a divorce. Jamie made the decision to divorce his wife because he is in love with you, but you can't forget that the public relations will do anything to prevent a scandal all over the papers. If you really love him..."
"I love him a lot, but this is hard to see, mom." I interrupt her.
"I know, baby, but if you really love him, you'll be willing to sacrifice this for him. And when everything has eased down, you two will be able to be together."
"Thank you, mom." I say as I listen to her advice. She always has the right words ready for me. I open my apartment door and unleash Zeppelin to let him go through.
"I have to go now honey, I'll message you later. Do come visit me soon, ok?" She asks me.
"I will, mom. Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too, baby girl. And remember, don't be too hard on yourself. Bye."
"Bye, mom." I hang up and sigh.

After I changed into my nightwear, I switch on the TV to look for a movie to watch. Just as I'm about to hit play, the doorbell rings. I look at the time, it's 8.12PM and as I make my way to the door, I wonder who it is at this time. The doorbell rings again and when I open it, I'm in shock.
It's Jamie. He's standing in front of me.
"Hello, baby. I missed you." He slurs as he tries to steady himself before walking in. Closing the door behind him, I realize what's going on.
Oh dear... He's drunk.