Chapter Fourteen
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He looked at his pack of cigarettes, the last feeble fag laying there, motionless. Simon could almost feel himself cringe at the thought of smoking it and being stuck surrounded by mounts of lace and white fabric, as if someone had vomited wedding cake all around him, without another smoke for later. She had tried on about a hundred, no thousand dresses and still be unable to pick just the right one. Fuck this women would be the death of him, he thought, as she came out in another one. This one was god awful, shaped like a bell, swishing as she walked, back and forth. His eyes followed her as she walked from the dressing room to the mirror, her reflection following, coping her every move.
“What do you think, Si?”
“It’s wonderful, shall we go then?” He questioned hopefully. He didn’t care what she wore when they walked down the aisle together, he just wanted her to be there, promising herself to him and only him forever.
“Simon.” The tone in her voice told him he wasn’t getting out of this anytime soon.
“Paula, I just can’t stand not one more bloody moment of this!”
She walked over to him, sitting her tiny frame on his lap, and kissed his cheek.
“I know this is boring, but think, it’s just one step closer to us being together, forever.”
He had to admit he liked the thought of that. He liked the thought of that a lot. More than he was probably willing to admit, even to her, for he was the unobtainable bachelor, who was world renowned for his allergy to commitment.
He could remember the first day Paula had show off her ring. The press were gushing at how she had “tamed the beast”.
“I didn’t. I love him just the way he is.” She had said. Simon couldn’t help but smile every time he remembered that moment. That’s why he fell in love with her. She had never once tried to change him, but loved him the very way he was, in spite of all his faults.
“Okay… well if I’m going to have to sit here, you have to change out of the ghastly dress.”
The twinkle that was in his eye melted her inner core. With a hop, skip, and even a jump she was back in the dressing room trying on a different dress.
Simon lit the cigarette, the smoke rising into the air with ease.
It had been exactly five months and twenty – seven days since he had stolen Paula away on her wedding day. He took her to her house and they proceeded to stay in bed for the next three days. They talked about nothing really for the first two days, making love, enjoying each other in ways they hadn’t for a very long time. It wasn’t until the third day, when her entourage arrived, and she was whisked away from him, that they took time to chat about what was to come and how they would handle it. It was simple enough of a plan, Paula making it known that she didn’t want to just come out and say it, but rather to just act as business as usual. It had all gone well, a few public outings here or there, up until Ryan got involved. Though everyone at Idol knew that the couple had finally decided they truly couldn’t live without each other, it was like an unwritten rule that nobody was to tell the press or public anything. Apparently Ryan didn’t get the memo.
After a huge fight between Simon and Ryan at an audition city three months after Paula’s third failed attempt at marital bliss, Ryan took matters into his own hands.
“E! News, Ryan Seacrest live here at the American Idol Season 8 auditions” Paula could hear him saying down the hall. “We’ve got the scoop on everything Idol including an onset romance.”
He wouldn’t, she thought to herself. Paula turned the corner and stood there in complete silence and watched Ryan continue his report.
“That’s right! Let me be the first to congratulate the new happy couple, my friends Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.”
Paula’s mouth opened as she let a gasp of pure surprise out.
Ryan catching her eye, knowing there was nothing anyone could do now, gave her a smile that said sorry, but tell Simon paybacks a bitch.
Simon put Max Clifford on the media tailspin right away, but there was nothing he could truly do. Everyone had found out, everyone knew there little secret. After Simon had threatened Ryan’s face which was the same as his livelihood these days, Ryan kept his mouth shut, and Paula realized it wasn’t so bad letting everyone know she was finally with someone she really loved, even if it was Simon. She’d had to take back all the things she had told all the talk shows and fans about the two of them but she didn’t care about that.
As she walked out of the dressing room for what would be the last time she saw his eyes, they seemed to almost tear up as he quietly spoke. “Paula, that’s the one.”
She felt the same.
As she left the shop Paula couldn’t help but think she had the dress, the ring, and the man… and this time her shot gun wedding might actually work.
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