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monaboyd Jul. 22nd, 2004 11:41 pm)
jettabug.livejournal.com posting in monaboyd Jul. 22nd, 2004 11:41 pm)Title: My Happy Ending
Author: Jenna //![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jettabug
Pairing: Monaboyd
Rating: PG
Feedback: It's my drug of choice!
Author's Notes: Muchos thanks to Kathy for the idea!
Summary: It's been awhile, and Billy realises a few things about Dom.
Dedications: To Kathy and Jac for making a cameo.
My Happy Ending
by Jenna
There’s nothing better in this world than enjoying lunch with your best mate in one of the quaintest little outdoor cafes Los Angeles has to offer. At least, that’s what it’s feeling like right now as I sit across from Dom in a beautiful ivy-strewn courtyard, sipping on a glass of white wine and waiting patiently for my Caesar salad.
Dom’s chatting animatedly about something Elijah did the weekend before that seemed hilariously funny, but I’m only half listening. It’s not that Dom’s tale of Elijah’s debauchery isn’t entertaining, because it is, it’s just that I’m so preoccupied with everything else around me: the semi-busy café, the other patrons laughing and talking amongst themselves, the perfect Los Angeles weather, the warm sun beating down on my exposed arms.
Every now and then, a words burst into my consciousness about the sordid details of Elijah’s messy life, and I pause to smile at Dom, who’s whole face is animated the way a child’s face lights up on Christmas morning.
It turns out the blue-eyed-boy had gotten himself into quite a pickle the week before when he’d picked up a woman in a bar. Who turned out to be a prostitute. Who turned out to be a transvestite. It was a funny story, really, and I tried my hardest to focus my entire attention on Dom, but there were too many other things distracting me.
I’d shown up on Dom’s doorstep four days ago, not really knowing how or why I ended up there. I guess it all began when my TV broke. I don’t remember the exact particulars of the events, but I remember packing and jumping a plane to LA. All I wanted to do was see Dom.
“Elijah called me at four in the morning to tell me about it, too,” Dom finished with a laugh, helping himself to the wine bottle on the table, filling his glass.
“That’s such an Elijah thing to do,” I mused, taking a sip from my own glass.
Dom smiled. “He made the mistake of telling Orli, and now he’ll never let him forget it!”
I grinned and cast a look around the courtyard. Waitresses zipped by with big black trays, and patrons filtered in and out. It was a beautiful day for a late lunch, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
“You never told me why you’re here,” Dom said, butting into my thoughts.
I looked over at him. “Do I need a reason to wanna see you now, Dommie?”
“No,” he responded, sticking his tongue out at me. “Was just surprised, is all.”
I smiled and took another sip, letting the tart wine roll over my tongue and down my throat. “I missed you, my boy,” I told him, setting down my glass.
Pink tinged the tops of his ears, the way they always do when he gets nervous. He fiddled with his fork, twirling it between his fingers before losing control of it as it clattered to the floor.
“Why so nervous, my Dom?”
He bent over and fetched up his fork then set his gaze on me. “Not nervous,” he explained. “Confused.”
I nodded, more to myself than anything, and watched Dom closely as he set his fork back on the table and started to look around wearily.
I was pretty sure he was thinking about the last time we were together. It had been very similar to the same situation we were in. Out for a meal (dinner, it was) in LA, maybe a year ago, just after Dom moved here from Manchester. Sure, we’d seen each other since then, but only sort of in passing.
But anyway, we’d gone out to dinner to a Chinese place that Dom loved, his treat, and he’d blown me away by telling me he loved me.
Filming had wrapped in New Zealand, and Dom was fairly settled in LA, enjoying the lifestyle, hanging out with celebrities, going to premieres, staying out till four in the morning. A complete three-sixty from how he was in Wellington.
But that didn’t really bother me. What bothered me was that when he told me how he felt, he was well on his way to being tanked, and it just cheapened the moment by about a thousand percent.
I’d gotten angry and told him that it sucked he had to be drunk to tell me how he felt. We had a bit of a fight and I told him to grow up (among other things). I guess I didn’t really realise how I felt about Dom’s childish behaviour until then.
But I suppose times have changed. At least, it seems as though they have. Dom seems…I don’t know, relaxed? Settled? Mature?
I’m not sure, really. He’s not the same Dom, that’s for sure. But I stand by my decision from a year ago.
I love the hell out of him, but I won’t be with him if we don’t want the same things. Dom wanted to live life fast, party hard and have fun. I wanted to settle down, have kids, start a life. We were different sides of the same coin.
I frowned and picked up my wine glass. Where did all these Freudian thoughts come from? I hadn’t thought about my feelings for Dom in a long time. It had always been about the way he felt for me.
But now, watching him twisting the rings on his fingers, and brushing his hair out of his face, I can admit (at least to myself) that I love him.
My thoughts were interrupted as the waitress delivered our lunch. I was grateful to abandon my mind for a while and lose myself in my salad, making small meaningless talk with Dom.
“When are you heading back to Hawaii?” I asked him through a half-chewed mouth of lettuce.
Dom paused from his chicken pilaf to take a sip of wine. “A month or so,” he answered. “I’ve gotta take a first aid course after Ian passed out from dehydration a few months ago.” He rolled his eyes.
I smiled and watched him lift another forkful of food to his mouth.
“What?” he demanded around his food.
“Nothing,” I responded, looking away.
“Why’re you watching me eat?”
I felt a blush rise in my cheeks. “It looks good, is all,” I told him.
Dom chuckled. “Here.”
I looked up at the offered fork, a huge piece of his lunch on the end. Without hesitation, I leant over and took the food off the fork and savoured the taste as I chewed.
“Good, huh?” Dom asked me.
“Very,” I agreed, smiling at him.
All the tension (or whatever tension there had been) seemed to melt away as we ate and chatted about everything. In the past few months since I’d seen him, Dom had explored a lot of art, and was even getting together with Viggo once a week to paint.
“Vig doesn’t make you paint him nude, does he?” I teased.
Dom flicked a piece of ornamental parsley at me. “Very funny.”
I laughed and threw the herb back, and it landed on Dom’s clean plate.
“I haven’t quite reached my potential for nudes yet,” Dom commented. “I was hoping you’d let me practice on you.”
I coughed loudly as a piece of egg slid down the wrong pipe, and Dom handed me a glass of water. I swallowed it gratefully and wiped my mouth with my napkin.
“I take that as a no?”
I recovered from my coughing fit and pushed my hear empty dish to the side. “I didn’t say that.”
Dom smiled and opened his mouth to rebut when we were interrupted.
“Excuse me,” said a woman, coming to a stop at our table, a beautiful little boy holding onto her hand.
“Yes?” Dom answered with a charming smile.
“I hate to interrupt you in the middle of your lunch…”
“Not at all,” I said with a smile. “What can we do for you?”
The woman blushed and tucked her short blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m a big fan of the both of you…”
Dom chuckled. “A Ringer, huh?”
She smiled. “Sorta. I wasn’t cool enough to be an exclusive.”
I laughed. “We’ll make you an honorary member.”
“Thanks!” she said with a laugh. “Anyway, I was just wondering if I could get your autograph.”
I looked at Dom to answer but noticed he was watching the small boy intensely.
“Of course,” I told the woman instead, gesturing for her to sit at the empty chair by our table.
She sank down into it, still holding the child’s hand.
“What’s your name, little guy?” Dom asked the boy softly.
He looked up at Dom and smiled a toothy smile. “John Addison Cencerik,” he answered.
Dom grinned. “I’m Dom.”
Jac smiled. “My mommy loves you.”
Dom laughed and looked at the woman, who was blushing. “Does she really. What’s your mommy’s name?”
Jac frowned slightly. “Mommy.”
I laughed. “Well that’s interesting, that’s my mum’s name too!”
The woman smiled. “I’m Kathy.”
I held out my hand for her and she shook it nervously.
“How old are you?” Dom was asking Jac, who was hanging off the arm of his chair.
“I’ll be this many in August,” he said, holding up three fingers.
“He keeps me on my toes,” Kathy commented, ruffling her son’s hair.
Dom looked up at her suddenly. “I’m sorry, I’m being rude!” He grinned and held out his hand to her. “I’m Dom.”
She shook it nervously. “Kathy.”
“Why’s your name funny?” Jac asked, tapping Dom on the arm.
“It’s short for Dominic.” Dom answered. “Just like your initials to your name.”
I was fascinated as Jac climbed up Dom’s chair onto his lap. The little boy ducked his head and grabbed Dom’s hand.
“Is he your only one?” Dom asked Kathy.
“Yeah, he’s my baby,” Kathy answered, and I snapped out of my thoughts.
I smiled at Kathy, who clutched a Sharpie in her hand. “Shall I sign on a napkin?” I asked and she nodded.
I looked around the table for a paper napkin, but only the expensive linen ones were present.
“Oh well,” I said to myself, and began to scrawl. I could always offer to pay for them.
I wrote in slanting handwriting: “To Kathy, You’ll always be cool enough to be in our club. Love Billy Boyd.”
“Thank you so much,” Kathy breathed, watching as I wrote.
I looked up at her and smiled. “You’re very welcome.”
She looked over at Dom and Jac, who were carrying on their own private conversation.
“You’re welcome to stay for a drink,” Dom suddenly offered, and Kathy accepted immediately.
They struck up a conversation about something as I watched Dom and Jac.
The two-year-old sat on his lap, holding Dom’s manly hands in his tiny ones. Jac was counting the buttons up and down Dom’s shirt, while Dom chatted to Kathy.
“My mommy says that you are pretty,” Jac suddenly intoned, and Kathy’s face flared red.
Dom laughed. “I think your mummy is pretty too!”
“Do you think I’m pretty?” Jac demanded, dropping Dom’s hand.
“Of course!” Dom responded.
Jac laughed and they launched into a game of seeing who could laugh the longest. Jac laughed until he was red in the face and Kathy made him stop.
Dom bounced him on his knees and Jac laughed.
“Do that again!” Jac demanded, and Dom jogged his knees, causing another peal of laughter to burst from the two-year-old.
I watched, completely addicted to the image of Dom with Jac in his lap. Dom’s whole demeanour seemed to change. He was positively enamoured with the child, as they began singing a song from their favourite movie, something Disney-related that I couldn’t quite place.
The two interacted like old friends, asking each other questions, and Jac begged Dom to sing him Smeagol’s song from The Two Towers.
“He makes me sing that to him every night before bed,” Kathy said with a roll of her eyes.
I watched as Dom sang the song, all the while Jac clapped his hands together happily.
A warm feeling spread through my entire body as Dom raised his hands, preparing to tickle him. Jac let out a peal of laughter and squirmed in his lap. Dom’s hands inched closer to the two year old and tickled him under the chin. Jac’s little body convulsed in laughter.
All of a sudden, Dom looked up at me and gave me a funny look. Then I realised that a tear had escaped my eye. I brushed it away before it came apparent to Kathy, and tried to decipher my sudden display of waterworks.
The pair launched into the game of “got your nose,” and every time Dom took Jac’s nose, the little boy would look crazily for it before bursting into laughter. He had to use both of his little hands to capture Dom’s nose, and took a lot of satisfaction by hiding it from him.
The two played for a bit longer before Kathy announced that she had to go.
“I wanna stay here wif Dom,” Jac protested, sticking his bottom lip out in an attempt to get sympathy.
“I gotta sign something for your mummy,” Dom announced suddenly, snatching up the Sharpie and grabbing another napkin.
He began a messy scrawl that I couldn’t read upside down and signed his name at the bottom.
“What that say?” Jac demanded, pointing to the napkin.
Dom held it up and read: “Dear Kathy, There’s nothing like meeting a fan who’s cool enough to hang out with us and play. You’ll always be a Ringer in our hearts. Lots of love, Dominic Monaghan.”
Jac frowned. “My name isn’t on there!”
Dom laughed and uncapped the pen to write something else on there.
“What that say?” Jac demanded again.
“It says, ‘To Jac, Thanks for playing with me and making me realise how much I want kids. Love Dom.’”
Kathy smiled as she stood up, folding the napkins carefully and sliding them into her pocket. “C’mon kiddo,” she said to Jac, who was still sprawled in Dom’s lap.
Jac frowned, but put his arms up to his mother. She picked him up and swung him onto her hip.
“It was so nice meeting you,” I told her, standing to hand her bag to her. I held my hand out for her to shake.
“Oh no, thank you,” Kathy said, shaking Dom’s hand. “It was really great of you to take the time.”
Dom waved his fingers as Jac, who tried to grab them. “See you later, little buddy,” he said.
“Smell you later,” Jac responded with a cheeky grin.
Dom laughed. “Indeed you will!”
Dom and I gave Kathy a kiss and she was off, manoeuvring out of the courtyard.
“Now, what were the tears for?” Dom demanded, turning back to me.
I took a sip of my mine nonchalantly. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed. “Sure, sure. Tell me.”
“I had something in my eye,” I lied.
“Tell me Billy.”
I looked at Dom, whose eyes held such earnest, such raw emotion. “You’re really amazing.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“And I want to apologise.”
Dom frowned. “What for?”
I sighed. “For all those things I said to you last year, when you told me…”
“Oh,” Dom responded softly. “You were right, about most of it, anyway.”
“It was wrong of me to say,” I told him. “You can live your life anyway you want.”
He looked up at me. “I wanna live my life with you.”
I could see the truth in his eyes. And I knew it was for real. “I wanna live mine with you.”
“I had a lot of growing up to do when I moved here,” Dom explained. “There was a lot I had to realise, and it just wasn’t happening. At least, until you told me.” He sighed. “Then I realised that I had to get my act together if I wanted to be with you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but a high-pitched yell broke through the café.
I looked around to see Jac, running at us in high gear.
“Hey little fella!” Dom cautioned as he came to a stop, climbing up Dom’s chair.
“I don’t wanna go,” Jac said miserably, throwing his arms around Dom’s neck.
I watched as Dom hugged him back, his strong arms wrapping around his tiny body. “But you gotta,” he responded. “Because I think you’re mummy would miss you if you stayed here.”
As if on cue, Kathy rushed up, flustered, full of apologies. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “He just got away from me and…”
“It’s totally fine,” Dom said with the wave of his hand. “I was just talking to Bill here about my feelings for him.”
My face flushed so hot, it felt like it was on fire. “Uh, yeah, it’s uh, really, uh, fine,” I stuttered.
“We were talking about how different we were a year ago, to now. And the reason I’m different is because of Billy.”
Kathy nodded, as if she understood.
“Yeah, I was just saying that I got my act together, because I want to be with him.” He kept talking as if I wasn’t there. “You see, I was really stupid a while ago. I didn’t realise what I wanted until Billy told me some home truths about myself. And now…now, I know what I want. What I want is sitting right across the table from me.”
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t look anywhere but at Dom’s face as he spoke, with Jac sitting in his lap, staring up at his face intently, and Kathy standing by the table, nodding her head he recounted the story.
“But then this little bloke showed up,” Dom continued, mussing up Jac’s hair. “And I didn’t get to tell Billy one very important thing.”
“What?” Jac demanded.
Dom smiled. “That I’m very much in love with him.”
Kathy shifted nervously. “I should really go and let you two talk.”
Dom smiled up at her. “That would be great.”
She detached Jac from Dom and gave us both a smile. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Dom responded, giving Jac a little kiss on the hand.
The toddler waved as his mum carried him out of the café, and Dom turned back to me.
“What just happened?” I asked, my throat dry.
Dom reached across the table and took my hand. “Be with me, Billy.”
I didn’t have to hesitate. I didn’t have to worry about Dom not being ready, about us not wanting the same things, because after watching him with Jac, with the beautiful blonde boy, I realised that we do want the same things. We want kids, and a family, a life together.
We want each other. And that’s all that matters.
Author: Jenna //
jettabugPairing: Monaboyd
Rating: PG
Feedback: It's my drug of choice!
Author's Notes: Muchos thanks to Kathy for the idea!
Summary: It's been awhile, and Billy realises a few things about Dom.
Dedications: To Kathy and Jac for making a cameo.
by Jenna
There’s nothing better in this world than enjoying lunch with your best mate in one of the quaintest little outdoor cafes Los Angeles has to offer. At least, that’s what it’s feeling like right now as I sit across from Dom in a beautiful ivy-strewn courtyard, sipping on a glass of white wine and waiting patiently for my Caesar salad.
Dom’s chatting animatedly about something Elijah did the weekend before that seemed hilariously funny, but I’m only half listening. It’s not that Dom’s tale of Elijah’s debauchery isn’t entertaining, because it is, it’s just that I’m so preoccupied with everything else around me: the semi-busy café, the other patrons laughing and talking amongst themselves, the perfect Los Angeles weather, the warm sun beating down on my exposed arms.
Every now and then, a words burst into my consciousness about the sordid details of Elijah’s messy life, and I pause to smile at Dom, who’s whole face is animated the way a child’s face lights up on Christmas morning.
It turns out the blue-eyed-boy had gotten himself into quite a pickle the week before when he’d picked up a woman in a bar. Who turned out to be a prostitute. Who turned out to be a transvestite. It was a funny story, really, and I tried my hardest to focus my entire attention on Dom, but there were too many other things distracting me.
I’d shown up on Dom’s doorstep four days ago, not really knowing how or why I ended up there. I guess it all began when my TV broke. I don’t remember the exact particulars of the events, but I remember packing and jumping a plane to LA. All I wanted to do was see Dom.
“Elijah called me at four in the morning to tell me about it, too,” Dom finished with a laugh, helping himself to the wine bottle on the table, filling his glass.
“That’s such an Elijah thing to do,” I mused, taking a sip from my own glass.
Dom smiled. “He made the mistake of telling Orli, and now he’ll never let him forget it!”
I grinned and cast a look around the courtyard. Waitresses zipped by with big black trays, and patrons filtered in and out. It was a beautiful day for a late lunch, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
“You never told me why you’re here,” Dom said, butting into my thoughts.
I looked over at him. “Do I need a reason to wanna see you now, Dommie?”
“No,” he responded, sticking his tongue out at me. “Was just surprised, is all.”
I smiled and took another sip, letting the tart wine roll over my tongue and down my throat. “I missed you, my boy,” I told him, setting down my glass.
Pink tinged the tops of his ears, the way they always do when he gets nervous. He fiddled with his fork, twirling it between his fingers before losing control of it as it clattered to the floor.
“Why so nervous, my Dom?”
He bent over and fetched up his fork then set his gaze on me. “Not nervous,” he explained. “Confused.”
I nodded, more to myself than anything, and watched Dom closely as he set his fork back on the table and started to look around wearily.
I was pretty sure he was thinking about the last time we were together. It had been very similar to the same situation we were in. Out for a meal (dinner, it was) in LA, maybe a year ago, just after Dom moved here from Manchester. Sure, we’d seen each other since then, but only sort of in passing.
But anyway, we’d gone out to dinner to a Chinese place that Dom loved, his treat, and he’d blown me away by telling me he loved me.
Filming had wrapped in New Zealand, and Dom was fairly settled in LA, enjoying the lifestyle, hanging out with celebrities, going to premieres, staying out till four in the morning. A complete three-sixty from how he was in Wellington.
But that didn’t really bother me. What bothered me was that when he told me how he felt, he was well on his way to being tanked, and it just cheapened the moment by about a thousand percent.
I’d gotten angry and told him that it sucked he had to be drunk to tell me how he felt. We had a bit of a fight and I told him to grow up (among other things). I guess I didn’t really realise how I felt about Dom’s childish behaviour until then.
But I suppose times have changed. At least, it seems as though they have. Dom seems…I don’t know, relaxed? Settled? Mature?
I’m not sure, really. He’s not the same Dom, that’s for sure. But I stand by my decision from a year ago.
I love the hell out of him, but I won’t be with him if we don’t want the same things. Dom wanted to live life fast, party hard and have fun. I wanted to settle down, have kids, start a life. We were different sides of the same coin.
I frowned and picked up my wine glass. Where did all these Freudian thoughts come from? I hadn’t thought about my feelings for Dom in a long time. It had always been about the way he felt for me.
But now, watching him twisting the rings on his fingers, and brushing his hair out of his face, I can admit (at least to myself) that I love him.
My thoughts were interrupted as the waitress delivered our lunch. I was grateful to abandon my mind for a while and lose myself in my salad, making small meaningless talk with Dom.
“When are you heading back to Hawaii?” I asked him through a half-chewed mouth of lettuce.
Dom paused from his chicken pilaf to take a sip of wine. “A month or so,” he answered. “I’ve gotta take a first aid course after Ian passed out from dehydration a few months ago.” He rolled his eyes.
I smiled and watched him lift another forkful of food to his mouth.
“What?” he demanded around his food.
“Nothing,” I responded, looking away.
“Why’re you watching me eat?”
I felt a blush rise in my cheeks. “It looks good, is all,” I told him.
Dom chuckled. “Here.”
I looked up at the offered fork, a huge piece of his lunch on the end. Without hesitation, I leant over and took the food off the fork and savoured the taste as I chewed.
“Good, huh?” Dom asked me.
“Very,” I agreed, smiling at him.
All the tension (or whatever tension there had been) seemed to melt away as we ate and chatted about everything. In the past few months since I’d seen him, Dom had explored a lot of art, and was even getting together with Viggo once a week to paint.
“Vig doesn’t make you paint him nude, does he?” I teased.
Dom flicked a piece of ornamental parsley at me. “Very funny.”
I laughed and threw the herb back, and it landed on Dom’s clean plate.
“I haven’t quite reached my potential for nudes yet,” Dom commented. “I was hoping you’d let me practice on you.”
I coughed loudly as a piece of egg slid down the wrong pipe, and Dom handed me a glass of water. I swallowed it gratefully and wiped my mouth with my napkin.
“I take that as a no?”
I recovered from my coughing fit and pushed my hear empty dish to the side. “I didn’t say that.”
Dom smiled and opened his mouth to rebut when we were interrupted.
“Excuse me,” said a woman, coming to a stop at our table, a beautiful little boy holding onto her hand.
“Yes?” Dom answered with a charming smile.
“I hate to interrupt you in the middle of your lunch…”
“Not at all,” I said with a smile. “What can we do for you?”
The woman blushed and tucked her short blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m a big fan of the both of you…”
Dom chuckled. “A Ringer, huh?”
She smiled. “Sorta. I wasn’t cool enough to be an exclusive.”
I laughed. “We’ll make you an honorary member.”
“Thanks!” she said with a laugh. “Anyway, I was just wondering if I could get your autograph.”
I looked at Dom to answer but noticed he was watching the small boy intensely.
“Of course,” I told the woman instead, gesturing for her to sit at the empty chair by our table.
She sank down into it, still holding the child’s hand.
“What’s your name, little guy?” Dom asked the boy softly.
He looked up at Dom and smiled a toothy smile. “John Addison Cencerik,” he answered.
Dom grinned. “I’m Dom.”
Jac smiled. “My mommy loves you.”
Dom laughed and looked at the woman, who was blushing. “Does she really. What’s your mommy’s name?”
Jac frowned slightly. “Mommy.”
I laughed. “Well that’s interesting, that’s my mum’s name too!”
The woman smiled. “I’m Kathy.”
I held out my hand for her and she shook it nervously.
“How old are you?” Dom was asking Jac, who was hanging off the arm of his chair.
“I’ll be this many in August,” he said, holding up three fingers.
“He keeps me on my toes,” Kathy commented, ruffling her son’s hair.
Dom looked up at her suddenly. “I’m sorry, I’m being rude!” He grinned and held out his hand to her. “I’m Dom.”
She shook it nervously. “Kathy.”
“Why’s your name funny?” Jac asked, tapping Dom on the arm.
“It’s short for Dominic.” Dom answered. “Just like your initials to your name.”
I was fascinated as Jac climbed up Dom’s chair onto his lap. The little boy ducked his head and grabbed Dom’s hand.
“Is he your only one?” Dom asked Kathy.
“Yeah, he’s my baby,” Kathy answered, and I snapped out of my thoughts.
I smiled at Kathy, who clutched a Sharpie in her hand. “Shall I sign on a napkin?” I asked and she nodded.
I looked around the table for a paper napkin, but only the expensive linen ones were present.
“Oh well,” I said to myself, and began to scrawl. I could always offer to pay for them.
I wrote in slanting handwriting: “To Kathy, You’ll always be cool enough to be in our club. Love Billy Boyd.”
“Thank you so much,” Kathy breathed, watching as I wrote.
I looked up at her and smiled. “You’re very welcome.”
She looked over at Dom and Jac, who were carrying on their own private conversation.
“You’re welcome to stay for a drink,” Dom suddenly offered, and Kathy accepted immediately.
They struck up a conversation about something as I watched Dom and Jac.
The two-year-old sat on his lap, holding Dom’s manly hands in his tiny ones. Jac was counting the buttons up and down Dom’s shirt, while Dom chatted to Kathy.
“My mommy says that you are pretty,” Jac suddenly intoned, and Kathy’s face flared red.
Dom laughed. “I think your mummy is pretty too!”
“Do you think I’m pretty?” Jac demanded, dropping Dom’s hand.
“Of course!” Dom responded.
Jac laughed and they launched into a game of seeing who could laugh the longest. Jac laughed until he was red in the face and Kathy made him stop.
Dom bounced him on his knees and Jac laughed.
“Do that again!” Jac demanded, and Dom jogged his knees, causing another peal of laughter to burst from the two-year-old.
I watched, completely addicted to the image of Dom with Jac in his lap. Dom’s whole demeanour seemed to change. He was positively enamoured with the child, as they began singing a song from their favourite movie, something Disney-related that I couldn’t quite place.
The two interacted like old friends, asking each other questions, and Jac begged Dom to sing him Smeagol’s song from The Two Towers.
“He makes me sing that to him every night before bed,” Kathy said with a roll of her eyes.
I watched as Dom sang the song, all the while Jac clapped his hands together happily.
A warm feeling spread through my entire body as Dom raised his hands, preparing to tickle him. Jac let out a peal of laughter and squirmed in his lap. Dom’s hands inched closer to the two year old and tickled him under the chin. Jac’s little body convulsed in laughter.
All of a sudden, Dom looked up at me and gave me a funny look. Then I realised that a tear had escaped my eye. I brushed it away before it came apparent to Kathy, and tried to decipher my sudden display of waterworks.
The pair launched into the game of “got your nose,” and every time Dom took Jac’s nose, the little boy would look crazily for it before bursting into laughter. He had to use both of his little hands to capture Dom’s nose, and took a lot of satisfaction by hiding it from him.
The two played for a bit longer before Kathy announced that she had to go.
“I wanna stay here wif Dom,” Jac protested, sticking his bottom lip out in an attempt to get sympathy.
“I gotta sign something for your mummy,” Dom announced suddenly, snatching up the Sharpie and grabbing another napkin.
He began a messy scrawl that I couldn’t read upside down and signed his name at the bottom.
“What that say?” Jac demanded, pointing to the napkin.
Dom held it up and read: “Dear Kathy, There’s nothing like meeting a fan who’s cool enough to hang out with us and play. You’ll always be a Ringer in our hearts. Lots of love, Dominic Monaghan.”
Jac frowned. “My name isn’t on there!”
Dom laughed and uncapped the pen to write something else on there.
“What that say?” Jac demanded again.
“It says, ‘To Jac, Thanks for playing with me and making me realise how much I want kids. Love Dom.’”
Kathy smiled as she stood up, folding the napkins carefully and sliding them into her pocket. “C’mon kiddo,” she said to Jac, who was still sprawled in Dom’s lap.
Jac frowned, but put his arms up to his mother. She picked him up and swung him onto her hip.
“It was so nice meeting you,” I told her, standing to hand her bag to her. I held my hand out for her to shake.
“Oh no, thank you,” Kathy said, shaking Dom’s hand. “It was really great of you to take the time.”
Dom waved his fingers as Jac, who tried to grab them. “See you later, little buddy,” he said.
“Smell you later,” Jac responded with a cheeky grin.
Dom laughed. “Indeed you will!”
Dom and I gave Kathy a kiss and she was off, manoeuvring out of the courtyard.
“Now, what were the tears for?” Dom demanded, turning back to me.
I took a sip of my mine nonchalantly. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed. “Sure, sure. Tell me.”
“I had something in my eye,” I lied.
“Tell me Billy.”
I looked at Dom, whose eyes held such earnest, such raw emotion. “You’re really amazing.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“And I want to apologise.”
Dom frowned. “What for?”
I sighed. “For all those things I said to you last year, when you told me…”
“Oh,” Dom responded softly. “You were right, about most of it, anyway.”
“It was wrong of me to say,” I told him. “You can live your life anyway you want.”
He looked up at me. “I wanna live my life with you.”
I could see the truth in his eyes. And I knew it was for real. “I wanna live mine with you.”
“I had a lot of growing up to do when I moved here,” Dom explained. “There was a lot I had to realise, and it just wasn’t happening. At least, until you told me.” He sighed. “Then I realised that I had to get my act together if I wanted to be with you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but a high-pitched yell broke through the café.
I looked around to see Jac, running at us in high gear.
“Hey little fella!” Dom cautioned as he came to a stop, climbing up Dom’s chair.
“I don’t wanna go,” Jac said miserably, throwing his arms around Dom’s neck.
I watched as Dom hugged him back, his strong arms wrapping around his tiny body. “But you gotta,” he responded. “Because I think you’re mummy would miss you if you stayed here.”
As if on cue, Kathy rushed up, flustered, full of apologies. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “He just got away from me and…”
“It’s totally fine,” Dom said with the wave of his hand. “I was just talking to Bill here about my feelings for him.”
My face flushed so hot, it felt like it was on fire. “Uh, yeah, it’s uh, really, uh, fine,” I stuttered.
“We were talking about how different we were a year ago, to now. And the reason I’m different is because of Billy.”
Kathy nodded, as if she understood.
“Yeah, I was just saying that I got my act together, because I want to be with him.” He kept talking as if I wasn’t there. “You see, I was really stupid a while ago. I didn’t realise what I wanted until Billy told me some home truths about myself. And now…now, I know what I want. What I want is sitting right across the table from me.”
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t look anywhere but at Dom’s face as he spoke, with Jac sitting in his lap, staring up at his face intently, and Kathy standing by the table, nodding her head he recounted the story.
“But then this little bloke showed up,” Dom continued, mussing up Jac’s hair. “And I didn’t get to tell Billy one very important thing.”
“What?” Jac demanded.
Dom smiled. “That I’m very much in love with him.”
Kathy shifted nervously. “I should really go and let you two talk.”
Dom smiled up at her. “That would be great.”
She detached Jac from Dom and gave us both a smile. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Dom responded, giving Jac a little kiss on the hand.
The toddler waved as his mum carried him out of the café, and Dom turned back to me.
“What just happened?” I asked, my throat dry.
Dom reached across the table and took my hand. “Be with me, Billy.”
I didn’t have to hesitate. I didn’t have to worry about Dom not being ready, about us not wanting the same things, because after watching him with Jac, with the beautiful blonde boy, I realised that we do want the same things. We want kids, and a family, a life together.
We want each other. And that’s all that matters.
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Now Dom, just go ahead and give Billy a nice big SNOG!
:)
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This was so beautiful...I just...words have escaped me. May I friend you? Oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please!
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OMG..that was too cute and sweet and ::squees::
::explodes again::
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But now, watching him twisting the rings on his fingers, and brushing his hair out of his face, I can admit (at least to myself) that I love him.
That is amazing. There's something in that line that makes me ache (in the good way, of course); maybe it's the way I can see Dom brushing his hair out of his face in my mind.
“Why’re you watching me eat?”
I felt a blush rise in my cheeks. “It looks good, is all,” I told him.
That's so adorable.
And then there's Dom's whole stint with telling Kathy about his feelings for Billy, and how she was all like, "Maybe I should let you talk," and Dom was so open, and it was so funny. ::gigglyglee::
::kisskiss:: I love you!
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I love the interaction between Dom and Jac. It was just perfect.
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