A city of light where a rose is a rose

“I can’t believe you did that,” Nick said, shaking his head. His face was red with shame.

“What do you mean?” Rose asked innocently, batting her eyelashes. “I simply put it in a place where everyone could enjoy.”

Nick had to admit, Rose could have been more disrespectful with the pilfered painting. She’d set the Mona Lisa down right in front of the entrance, propped up against the door. If these were real people, they certainly would have reacted with shock and outrage, and the two of them would have ended up in jail.

But nobody cared, because this was just a dream.

It was just a dream… so why was Nick still so wary about stepping onto the Batobus boat?

He swallowed his fear and got aboard, wincing as he felt the boat slightly shake with hid added weight. Internally, he wondered why Dakota had to be THAT thorough when it came to designing this fantasy. She could have held back a little.

“Is everything alright, Nick?” Rose asked worriedly. She could tell that something was off about him.

But Nick wouldn’t let that show on his face. He **** a smile.

“Yeah, of course!” He replied cheerfully. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

She frowned, not believing him, but not really able to say anything further. In her heart, she was feeling anxious. Was he not having fun on the date anymore? Was it because she’d stolen that painting? But he’d been smiling and laughing right along with her… was he just humoring her, then?

Oh, this was just the worst!

He even told me earlier, that I need to stop putting my foot in my mouth, Rose chastised herself. This is all my fault! That doesn’t just mean what I say, it means the stuff that I do, too! You’re an idiot, Rose, an idiot!

She wanted to cry. But she couldn’t. She had to make today as perfect as possible.

While Rose may have been an excellent actress, when her emotions were out of control she did a poor job of concealing them. Nick could see it plain on her face- she was starting to panic and get worried, and that made him feel even worse.

“Um!”

They both turned to each other at the same time, startling each other. Embarrassed, they both quickly looked away.

“Um, no, it’s okay, go on,” Rose urged him. “What did you want to say?”

Nick blushed. “W-well, it’s… no, you go first.”

Rose winced. Then she looked down at the water. “Are you… are you not having fun with me?” She asked quietly.

Nick couldn’t believe that was what she was worried about.

“Are you kidding?!” He exclaimed. “This is amazing! It’s barely lunch time, but you’ve shown me so many great sights, Rose! I never knew half of the stuff you’ve told me about Paris! The art galleries, the Eiffel Tower, this whole date has been wonderful!”

Every exuberant word from his lips lifted Rose’s heart higher.

“R-really?” She asked, her eyes wide. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do,” Nick replied. “I’m having a lot of fun, Rose, you don’t need to worry.”

Rose sighed with relief. That was a major weight off her chest.

But at the same time, it raised a new question for her.

“Then… why did you seem to be so upset earlier?” She asked, glancing warily at him. “I-I thought it was because of me… but if it’s not…”

“Oh, Rose, no, it’s not you! Don’t worry about that,” Nick said, shaking his head. He’d already gone back and decided to remain quiet about his fear of the water. It would just make the date awkward and more uncomfortable for no reason. Rose was happy now- there was no point to rocking the boat.

And yes, he understood the irony of that.

But Rose wasn’t convinced. She reached over and placed her hand over Nick’s.

“Nick… if there’s something you’re not happy with, I want to know,” she said softly. “I planned this today, to make you happy. So we could have fun and enjoy ourselves for a day, without the drama of the Harem Hotel. So if something isn’t going perfectly for you, I want to know what it is.”

Her crystal blue eyes looked purer than he’d ever seen. She really was pulling out all the stops, and trying her hardest to make him happy.

As always, Nick couldn’t lie to a woman with eyes that pure.

He sighed, and the smile slipped from his face. “Rose, it’s really nothing,” he assured her. “So… I might as well tell you. I don’t know if you know this, but… I’m afraid of water.”

Rose’s eyes widened in shock.

“You are? But… I’ve seen you swimming before. And we met in the hot tub! And didn’t you go on a romantic boat ride with Mary, that one time?”

“I did, yeah, and I was terrified the whole way through!” Nick exclaimed. “Running water, it brings to mind thoughts of drowning. After what happened to Dakota…”

Rose gasped. “Oh, I… I didn’t even think, I’m so sorry…”

“No, come on, Rose, it’s not your fault!” Nick quickly assured her. “Like I said, it’s something I tried to hide. I don’t even think Mary knows. The reason why I was able to spend that time on the boat with her, well… it was because of how awkward things were between the two of us. What, with the proposal and everything…”

“So… things aren’t awkward between the two of us, then?” Rose asked.

Nick shook his head. “Honestly? I expected today would be a lot more of you throwing yourself at me.”

Rose’s face fell. “Ah… so, you still see me like that…”

“Wait, not in that way,” Nick clarified. “I mean… like, it would be a lot more overtly romantic. Seductive, even. Dancing, fancy dinners, romantic movies, but this… I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experience before, to be honest.”

Actually, that wasn’t true. Rose’s date… it was like two close friends spending time together. After the hot moment on the Eiffel Tower, Rose hadn’t pushed the envelope once.

She’d given him space to process his emotions, and he appreciated that.

Rose leaned back and batted her eyes seductively. “You know, if something more alluring would help you calm down…”

“Please don’t.” That would just make things more complicated.

“You’re right,” Rose nodded. “It probably wouldn’t help much.”

She hung her head and sighed. “Well… we should probably get off on the next stop, then. Like I said before, taking the metro is faster… although we’ll miss some of the sights. But if you’re not comfortable with it, then-”

“No, wait.” Nick took her by the wrist, nearly pulling her back into her seat. She turned to him and gave him an incredulous look. He glanced away, embarrassed.

“It’s… I’m being dumb,” he said, shaking his head.

“If this bothers you, then it’s not dumb,” Rose said. “It’s just a plan, Nick. It can change. It’s not the end of the world.”

She was giving him an out. He could see it in her eyes, she wasn’t going to pressure his decision one way or the other.

Nick took a deep breath and then exhaled.

“Let’s stay on the boat,” he finally said. “I need to move past this fear. This is a dream! Even if the boat flipped upside-down, it’s not like anything would happen to me! And I already went on a scarier boat in real life! If I could make it through that for Mary, then I can do this for you.”

Rose’s eyes watered. “You mean it?” She asked. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Well… I am saying it to make you feel better,” Nick clarified. “But only because that’s the way I really feel.”

Rose nodded. “Okay. I’m okay with that.”

They shared a smile and settled back into their seats. The boat was still going across the Seine River, and Nick tried to **** himself to relax enough to enjoy the sights.

“So Nick, you were talking about Mary earlier…” Rose’s voice trailed off, reminding him of what he’d promised before.

“Wait! That’s not-!” Nick turned red. “You… you were the one who brought her up first!”

“I know, I know,” Rose tittered. “But you were comparing the two of us… can I take that to mean you like me as much as her?”

“I’m not answering that,” Nick replied, covering his ring finger with his hand.

“Well… I suppose she’s fine with me taking her husband out for a nice night on the town,” Rose mused, resting her head on Nick’s shoulder and confirming what he suspected. Rose had absolutely not asked Mary’s permission in the slightest.

Well, it’s not like she has to. Mary doesn’t own me, after all, and she gave tacit consent to the girls spending time with me. Nick really needed to stop thinking about her. He had a gorgeous blonde movie star on his arm right now, and that’s what he should be focusing on.

“Look!” Rose gasped, pointing up at a large building they were approaching. “It’s the Notre-Dame Cathedral!”

“Oh!” Nick’s eyes widened in surprise. “…Wait, didn’t that burn down in a fire, though?”

Rose smacked him on the arm. “You watch too many of your stupid American Disney Movies.”

“No, I mean, really burned down. I thought I saw some news about that,” he said, wracking his brain.

“…Yes, there was just a tiny little fire on the roof,” Rose said, clearing her throat, “but look! Restorations are going splendidly!”

It sure looked restored alright. Like the fire hadn’t even touched it.

Probably because in this little fantasy Rose had concocted, it hadn’t.

“A shame we can’t go in,” Rose said, shaking her head. “It would have been nice.”

“Well, why we can’t we?” Nick asked. “It’s not like you’ll burst into flames because you crossed the threshold of a church, right?”

Rose shot him a dirty look that he ignored.

“Well… you have a point,” she admitted. “I suppose we could squeeze some time into the schedule. Of course, it’s kind of like cheating. We couldn’t really get off here.”

Nick grinned. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

The two glanced at each other and smiled, and in a flash the world spun around them and they were standing in front of the gothic cathedral.

Taking a deep breath, Rose entered the beautiful cathedral, and the majestic sight took her breath away.

“Magnifique…” She gasped, scanning the high arches towering meters over her head. The building burned golden in the noon sun, casting light through the stained-glass windows that fell over her body and bathed the chamber in color.

“Oh, thank God,” Nick sighed in relief. “No flames.”

“You were serious?!” Rose smacked him in the arm while laughing. “Come on, that’s not funny!”

“It’s kind of funny,” Nick replied. She rolled her eyes and grinned in response.

“So, what now?” She asked, putting a spin in her step as she approached the dais, turning back to face him. “Just you and me… alone… there’s a church…”

The insinuation hung in the air. But Nick could tell when he was being baited, and he wasn’t that gullible.

“Come on, Rose, you know I’m not going to fall for that.”

“What? Just saying, we can change our clothes at will, so…”

Then with a snap of her fingers, she completely transformed. Her purple dress turned as white as snow, and the style shifted to become strapless. At the same time, the shawl wrapped around her shoulders turned into a white veil that hung down past her golden hair, framing her face in a halo of light. She lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand while the other clutched a bouquet, and she curtsied for him.

“Well? What do you think?” She asked in a breathy voice. “Beautiful, no?”

She struggled to keep the hesitation at bay. This was the same dress she’d worn before, right down to the stitching. She’d only worn it once, for a movie. And she’d always wanted to wear one just like it again, on the day she got married. Sadly, that day wouldn’t be today- but she was certain that she looked just as breathtaking now as she would when that day finally came.

And judging by the look on her date’s face, she was right on the money.

“…Very,” was all Nick could say when the air finally returned to his lungs. Just when he thought he’d figured her out, she went and surprised him with something like this.

Batting her eyelashes, Rose approached him, and held out her hand.

“I know I’m just playing around,” she acknowledged. “And I know that your heart isn’t there yet. But still… I would like at least one dance. I think that’s fair, don’t you?” She asked hopefully, batting her eyelashes at him.

Nick swallowed. “I, uh… look, when I talked about that dancing stuff, I mean… you should know, I’m not very good at that sort of thing.”

Rose tittered. “What? You mean moving your body in rhythm with a woman’s? Because I have quite a few testimonials that say otherwise.”

Nick turned red. “No, I mean-!”

“I know what you meant,” Rose assured him with a smile. “Dawn told me all about how your date went. I believe something involving a contest about who could step on the other person’s toes more?”

Nick seethed with shame. “That… I can’t believe she told you that,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

Rose was having a ball seeing him get all flustered, and her dress certainly wasn’t hurting things either. “I can see why you chose to skip the dancing at your first wedding,” she continued. “But as for you and I, well, I’ve got some higher standards… the dance is mandatory, I’m afraid.”

“Assuming we get that far,” Nick pointed out. The minute the words left his mouth he regretted them. He’d meant it to come out as a tease, but given that he’d left Rose’s feelings very much not acknowledged, he should have been able to tell how sensitive the subject was.

And indeed, for a moment, Rose looked shaken, and that made his heart hurt.

But Rose wouldn’t let herself be shaken so easily. Instead, she gingerly took his hand into hers and looked up into his eyes.

“It’s alright that you don’t know how to dance, Nick,” she assured him. “I can teach you.”

“Wh-what?” Nick blushed.

“I’m an actress, as you keep forgetting,” she reminded him, tossing her bouquet over her shoulder so she could take his other hand, and guide it to her hip. “I’ve learned a great many types of dance just in case they were needed for a role. Frankly, Nick? It’s a travesty that with all the women in your life, you never learned how to properly dance with a lady.”

Nick’s cheeks flushed. “I, uh… well, that’s a bit of a new development,” he admitted. “I think you know I wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man back in the day.”

“Didn’t your step-mother ever teach you?” Rose asked curiously. If Morgana was right and Nick’s step-mother was British nobility, then she should know how to dance.”

Nick was too embarrassed to meet Rose’s eyes. “Um, she tried, once, back when I was in high school,” he said, trying to forget that awkward memory. “It didn’t go well.”

Rose nodded, choosing not to press the issue. “Well, I practiced with my brother, and you’re quite a welcome substitute. It’s never too late to learn, you know. Now, just follow my lead.”

Music played in the air by unseen instruments as the bells of Notre-Dame rang overhead. It was an odd mix of melody, but one that Rose could dance to nevertheless.

“Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to lead, though?” Nick asked.

“I’m leading from the woman’s part,” Rose explained. “It’s a little trickier, but it should help you get the motions down. Just do what I tell you. Yes, there you go…”

Nick tried to focus on his footwork, making sure not to step on Rose’s toes. Unlike with Dawn, who had just laughed it off since she had made as many mistakes as he did, something about messing up in front of Rose felt extra shameful.

Maybe it was because his mental image of her was as such a clumsy person that the times when she was good at something didn’t feel as real, and put him on the defensive. He didn’t really know. What he did know, though, was that she was a surprisingly good teacher.

As long as he could focus on her lessons, and not the feeling of her supple breasts pressed up against him, of course. And boy, did she have an ass on her, too. It was firm and meaty and soft to the touch, he could just imagine giving it a good squeeze or a smack like with Gina.

“Your hand is getting rather low,” Rose warned him in a hot whisper. They’d just reached the part of the dance where she pulled away from him, only to spin back into his arms. She crooked her head up to look into his eyes, and smiled coyly. “It’s not that kind of dance.”

“S-sorry,” Nick stammered as their bodies repositioned themselves in time with the music that played ethereally over their heads.

“Don’t be, I liked feeling you feeling me up,” she tittered, which completely broke his concentration. He tripped over his own feet and took her down with him, completely messing up her dress as he pinned her to the tile.

Their lips were centimeters from one another, and their eyes were wide in surprise and anticipation. The music had died, and the only sound they could hear now were the pounding of each other’s hearts.

Nick felt his face heat up as he watched Rose’s cheeks do the same. In that moment, his desires flooded out and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her and take her right now on the floor of the cathedral.

Crap… was he starting to develop a “banging in church” fetish? He sure hoped not.

But he couldn’t stop himself from lowering his lips, intent on stealing a kiss from the woman beneath him. He could feel the desire rolling off her, and without either of them having to say a word he knew she wanted this too.

She still stopped him, though, raising her fingers to his lips to hold him back.

“Not yet…” She mumbled, averting her eyes. Her face was red with shame and desire. “Not… not here. I want it to be perfect.”

And that caused Nick to realize maybe he knew how he felt about Rose after all.