🏍️ SIDE MUSE | Jerome "Rome" Dunn
Character Relation: Didi's ex-boyfriend and wanted criminal.
Didi first met Jerome (He was sometimes nicknamed Rome and suffered through many Roman Empire jokes) in Arizona during her annual travels throughout the States. In truth, she was on her way out, having quickly learned that she didn't quite care for Arizona; it was too dry and dusty and while the scenery in some parts of the state was lovely, the trade-off was her hair getting a little split from the dry heat. Terrible.
Unfortunately for her and her hair, before she could make her exit she met Rome. He was greasy and foul-mouthed, mumbling through some accent she had no ear for as he sat on his motorcycle, nursing a few black and blues he had recently sustained. And he was a redhead and if you've talked to Didi longer than a day you'll know she's a sucker for a redhead.
Rome ran with a motorcycle gang and initially, it didn't seem like anything too dangerous. They were all rather cordial to her whenever Rome brought her around, and some had partners as well and they'd all ride off together— It all felt very cinematic; just some beautiful, heated summer romance that wouldn't last long but be very, very fun in the meantime. And you know how Didi is— she wants people to love her more than she loves them, and whenever she's bored of the domesticity or the location, she'll just try to leave.
But she couldn't seem to leave Rome.
Surprisingly, Didi had met her match when it came to being convincing. To this day she isn't sure what Rome had that made her so pliable, but it was dangerous. Even too dangerous for Didi.
She could complain and he'd somehow persuade her to be satisfied with what he could give her, the promise of more always lingering in the back of his words. Even when at the start of their relationship it was established that Rome often went off for a few days to do something for the crew. Didi would pester him for information and he'd always manage to curve her questions.
She eventually stopped asking, especially when he'd come back with more cash in hand and a spring in his step, showering her with all that lost affection.
It was later revealed he was dealing drugs and making arms deals, the gang he was riding with was not as innocent as she initially thought— not that Didi cared about any of that, honestly. Rome could have convinced her to stay if he promised to keep her safe and sated. Rome could have convinced her of anything, actually.
And he almost did. Late-night talks about getting hitched were almost appealing. She'd be his little wife, always there when he needed her, wanted her, and she could— well, that's eventually what forced her to leave.
Those little trips turned into weeks. The higher the risk, the greater the reward, or so he always told her— whatever else he was doing meant more money but also more time away from her. The lack of attention was slowly fueling the fire, making rage bubble up inside her; it was finally that one day in his trailer home when she looked around and realized; this wasn't what I wanted at all.
Rome...Rome she wanted and everything the Roman Empire he was building had to offer. But not the rest of it. Not this stupid, flaming state. Not the weeks apart. Not the...sitting alone in a damn trailer park when she could be by the pool of a five-star resort, not feeling sorry for herself. Not feeling so discarded.
Didi bought a ticket out of town and ranted to anyone who would listen about how some fucking man had convinced her to stay in this Godforsaken desert and she actually fucking LISTENED to him.
Funnily enough, she and Rome are on okay terms today. She swears she would never willingly step into the state of Arizona again, but she still has his number. Sometimes he texts her to see how his girl's doing. Sometimes she calls him when she's in a bind in the States, and Rome always seems to come to her rescue, despite Didi usually yelling at him in the end. He always took her rage rather well.
Rome has even funded a few of her trips back to France when Jasper cut her off— even met her at the airport, reminding her she could come home anytime she wanted with that smug, shit-eating grin of his.
Didi told him he should be a politician with how much bullshit he spewed. Or a cult leader.
