âWeâd like to start with two glasses of your most expensive champagne,â Cheryl purred at their waitress, adding a sultry wink. Josie rolled her eyes.
âBabe, do you have to flirt with every pretty woman we encounter?â
Cheryl startled in her seat, clearly annoyed, but with a tone as sweet as ever when she spoke.
âKitty cat, not every friendly interaction is flirting. You should know that better than anyone, what with all the claims the paparazzi have made about you and--â
âCheryl, weâve talked about this! That...thing with Veronica Lodge was just a stunt! We are just friends! We didnât do anything together that was anything more than friendly! We were just trying to curate an image--â
âRight, your image, of course. I understand.â But the playful heat in Cherylâs gaze had left her eyes, leaving just that bitter chill that Josie worked so hard to keep away.
âSeriously, Josie, I get it. Youâre a star. Youâre rich and famous and beautiful and talented, and you deserve it all. Itâs just-- it can be hard sometimes. It gets lonely, you know?â
Josie sighed.
âOf course I get it! I miss you too when Iâm gone!â
âJosie, itâs not just when youâre gone, itâs when youâre here! Itâs every time we go out in the world and your manager calls a few photographers to tag along. Itâs every date that turns into a double date that turns into a full-on A-list party.â Cheryl took a deep breath.
âItâs-- itâs even when weâre alone, at night, and I can tell thereâs something on your mind, and I know itâs not me, and not even anything I can help with! Sometimes it feels like the only time you really see me is when I do something that doesnât fit in with your good girl image!â
At this point, their champagne arrived, and many of the guests around them began to exit the restaurant, leaving just Cheryl, Josie, and her guilt. She definitely saw where Cheryl was coming from. Josie was black, and bisexual, and in the world of pop music, that didnât give her much room to be âbadâ. She loved Cheryl, and the fire within her, with her entire being. She hated that she was the reason that flame sometimes had to be dimmed. Josie worried that she was holding Cheryl back, but she was too selfish to let her go.
âI-- Cheryl, I love you so much. I know you know that. You wouldnât be here if you didnât know that. And I know itâs hard-- everything moves so fast, and there are so many people counting on me. Itâs-- it can be difficult for me to-- to prioritize.â Josie was quickly breaking down into tears.
âAnd I see you, I swear I do, but sometimes I think-- would you be better off without me? Casual romances with pretty strangers, no strings attached, free to roam and be everything Cheryl Blossom deserves to be? If, instead of coming home to an empty apartment most nights, you could run off with whoever you please, for as short or as long as you like. But everytime time I think that-- God, Cheryl, Iâm such a coward-- every time I think that, I yell, I snap, I do anything I can think of to get you to just, stay-- even if itâs just for a little while.â
Josie felt like a complete fool, sobbing into her napkin while Cheryl looked around the room, probably trying to find the quickest escape. When the redhead finally did speak, it was in a voice so soft Josie nearly missed it.
âJosie,â she whispered, âweâre the last people here.â
âAt least my shame wonât be captured on camera,â Josie sniffled.
Cheryl sighed, and gave a little smile, and Josie had never been so confused in her life.
âJosie, you arenât selfish. I do understand, really, I just-- I wish we had more time to be together. More private time. I love you so much--â
âI love you too!â Josie interjected, and she could tell Cheryl had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
âAnyway, I did something.â At this point Cheryl got up from the table, and--
âI told the paparazzi I was going to put the ring in the champagne glass. When they saw it wasnât there, they left. I wanted this moment to be private, just for us, no matter how you answer. You are my everything. Every day apart from you physically hurts, but the rare, special moments between us make it all worth it. I want-- I want to be with you, and only you. No matter what happens, whether you become the next BeyoncĂŠ or completely flop--â
âHey!â
â--I want to always be there for you, and the thought of having you with me makes my heart sing in ways I never thought it could. Josie McCoy, I want to marry you, and all that you are.â
Cheryl took one last deep breath.
âSo will you take me, or leave me?
-
They were married in the fall, in a secret little place where the leaves matched Cherylâs hair and no cameras would ever reach.
i did it yâall. shouts out to @fuckyeahjosiemccoy and @jarchie-love for being on the same wavelength as me tonight
okay last reblog: I *can* understand if people ship junkâ ď¸mei but that is an entirely separate matter from some of the more... questionable content Iâve seen.
Is Fi (like fee) an acceptable nickname for Fiona? Or would you rather the whole thing. What a pretty name!
Thanks for asking! My datemate *immediately* started calling me Fifi so I don't mind Fi. I'm glad people like it!! I put a lot more thought into it than I did my last name.
