Chapter 26 The Advice You Don’t Want…
The Advice You Don’t Want…
Vivian - One Week Later
“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Paige asks the second I get in her car. She agreed to help me out with a bunch of pre-wedding errands. “I can tell by the way you sauntered to the car. You’re having sex. Lots of sex.”
“Pffft, whhhaaaatttt?!”
She raises her eyebrow and stares at me until I say, “Fine. I slept with him and no, I’m not calling off the wedding so I can start a life with him, and yes, I know it might be a mistake.
But to be fair, it’s a mistake I’m going to make over and over again because I’m totally addicted and I’ll die if I don’t. ”
“Oh, shit, Viv,” Paige says. “Really?”
I nod, lifting my chin. “You don’t have to say it. I already know it’s a terrible idea in theory. But in reality—very wise.”
She starts up her car and pulls away from the curb. “How so, exactly?”
“Because neither of us wants a real relationship, and we’re highly attracted to each other, so this is allowing us to …
get out all that pent-up sexual tension without any expectations for a future together, which is just perfect.
It’s exactly the way I want it. Safe. Fun.
An excellent stress-reliever, which is exactly what every bride needs. ”
“You make him sound like an over-the-counter med.”
I laugh, my face warming at the thought of him ‘relieving’ my stress. “Take one Ben twice daily to reduce pre-wedding jitters and improve your mood.”
“Twice a day? How? When you’re in a houseful of people?”
“It’s easy. We just don’t sleep,” I answer with a casual shrug.
“Oh Viv, this is so bad for you. Seriously.”
“No, it’s seriously good for me. Like so, so good. It’s very quiet, very intense, very orgasmic sex. And that’s all it is. No strings. In fact, our goal is to get sick of each other as quickly as possible so we can part ways with a polite handshake.”
“That’s not how it works and you know it.”
“Not for normal people maybe, but it’s how it’ll work for us. Honestly, we’re both so on board with it. It’s going to be seamless.”
“Yeah, you should do a video about it. Vivian’s top tip for every bride—shag your future brother-in-law until you’re sick of each other.”
“Okay, we’re not going to call him that, remember?”
“Could it be that you don’t want to call him that because you don’t want him to be your brother-in-law?”
Letting out a huffy sigh, I say, “It’s complicated, okay? Please don’t judge me. I’ve got enough to worry about with the thought of both my parents being on the same island!”
“Right, yes, of course. By all means, then, continue to live in denial as long as required.”
“Thank you,” I say with a firm nod. “I intend to.” I groan, then add, “Okay, fine. You’re right. I’ll put a stop to all the sexy sex.”
“Well, don’t put a stop to it because I said you should. Put a stop to it because if you don’t, you’re going to get hurt.”
I stare out the window, hating like hell that she’s right. It’s too late. I’m already madly in love with the guy. “I can’t just give everything up for him, Paige.”
“Do you want to?”
“No. Definitely not. And even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
I’ve got all kinds of people counting on me—Frank, Dominic, Zara and Zaylee, my super fans.
.. I can’t just say, ‘Peace out, I’m done.
’ Besides, someone with a phone would eventually see Ben and me together and take a video and someone else would figure out that Dominic and Ben are brothers, and then I’m going to look like some sort of tramp who broke Dom’s heart.
I’ll go down in history as some sort of … brother-loving trollop.”
We pull up at a red light and Paige purses her lips at me. “Okay, I think you’re over-complicating this. And even if that did happen, wouldn’t it be worth it to be with the love of your life?”
Shaking my head, I say, “Love of my life? I don’t… I have no idea… He’s made it clear that long-term isn’t in the cards. Which is fine for all the aforementioned reasons.”
The light turns green and we slowly get going again. “Look, I know it’s scary. I really do. I tried to run from Mac, but then he came and got me and I have never been happier in my life.”
“You never regret it? Living here instead of in the city that never sleeps?”
“Never. The only thing I miss is you. Which is probably why I’m trying so hard to convince you right now.
Because it means you’ll be here with me instead of thousands of miles away.
” She glances over at me, and the look on her face makes me want to say yes right now and start plans to live in side-by-side houses.
But then the thought of giving up everything comes back and slaps me in the face. “What kind of a feminist would I be if I gave up everything for a man?”
“Hey! I gave up everything for Mac,” she answers, sounding every bit as defensive as she must feel.
“It’s different with you two.”
“How, exactly?”
“First off, you hated your job. Your boss was an absolute tyrant.”
“But I was offered a job at a much better marketing firm right before Mac showed up, and I chose Mac instead.”
“And you started your own business in your field, so really you didn’t give up everything.
You just moved everything to paradise.” I glance at her from above my sunglasses.
“Whereas I would literally have to give up my entire career and start over with something completely unrelated. I’ve put eight long, hard years into this.
I’ve built a following. I’m making good money, Paige.
I can’t give it all up because the D is fire. ”
She turns on her signal light to turn left toward downtown where all the quaint seaside shops are. “But it’s not about the D, is it? It’s about the whole package. You’re falling for him, if you haven’t completely fallen already.”
“Feelings aren’t facts.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. I heard it on TikTok and thought it might fit,” I say, feeling defensive. “Wait, I got it. My career is a fact. Where I live is a fact. Him not wanting a long-term relationship? Also a fact.”
“But you do want a long-term relationship?”
“No, I don’t. Definitely not. That has never been a priority for me. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
She pulls into a spot in front of a coffee shop, which is our first errand—caffeinating. “As we get older, our priorities change. Especially when we open ourselves to new experiences.”
“I didn’t so much as open myself to it as it just sort of happened.”
“Okay, tell yourself that if it makes you feel better. But I think it would be smart for you to also consider the possibility that you might want something different out of life.”
“Oh my God, Paige. Please do not try to sell me some garbage about needing a man to be happy.”
“I’m not trying to sell you anything. And I’m certainly not saying you need some random man to be happy. Being part of a couple isn’t better than being single—”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not done. If you’re in love with the guy, and you’re going to be miserable without him, you owe it to yourself to at least consider the possibility of a life with a man that you yourself said you are totally addicted to and that you’ll die without him,” she says firmly.
“Because believe me, I’ve been exactly where you are, and I tried like hell to deny what my heart wanted, and it was no use. ”
She gets out of the car before I can argue with her. I open my door, then wait for her to join me on the sidewalk. “You and I are not the same people, Paige.”
“I’m not saying we are. What I’m saying is that if you ask anyone their best advice for living life to the fullest, it’s always some version of the same thing. Follow. Your. Heart.”
It’s early in the morning and I’ve just showered, dressed, and am answering some emails while I wait for Dominic to wake up so we can zip to the resort to meet with the wedding coordinator again.
I’ve never been this happy, but I’ve also never been this confused, upset, and unsure of myself.
Paige’s words about following my heart have been following me around everywhere I go for the last couple of days, and honestly, I’d like them to back off already because I really can’t handle the pressure.
My phone rings and I see an incoming video call from the Mighty Twins. Swiping it, I pick up and they both appear, looking sweaty. Behind them, I can see a weight bench so I know they’re at the gym. “Hello?”
Zara says, “Told you’d she’d answer, Zay.”
Zaylee rolls her eyes. “As if that matters right now. We’ve got a crisis on our hands!” She turns to me. “Thank God you picked up! Listen. Huge problemo. LornaLuvsLuxury just posted a DM from one of her followers who says he used to date Dominic.”
Zara cuts in with, “He being the keyword. Then another fan posted a pic of Dom with Seth from Tiffany’s???! I guess they were seen together at Wicked? What the actual hell is going on?”
Friggin’ Lorna. My shoulders drop and I close my eyes for a second, then tell myself it’ll be okay. Dominic and I had a plan for this. It’s not ideal, but it’ll be fine. “Yeah, so? Dom is pansexual. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?!” Zara says. “How can it be no big deal. Now people are starting to question the whole story!”
I let out a sigh, then say, “He and I will post a video explaining it, and making it clear that it really is no one’s business.”
Zaylee tilts her head. “It kind of is their business when you post about your private life all the time.”
“Zaylee! That’s rude. Viv is right. It’s none of anyone’s business.” Zara looks at me. “But it would’ve been nice to know, for sure.”
“It’s fine. We’ll get on it right away.”
They both nod in unison. “Okay, let us know as soon as you’ve got it live so we can get the team to start commenting on it and show support.
“Will do.” I say goodbye, then hang up, feeling sick to my stomach that this whole thing might be about to fall apart.
Vivian’s Blissful Living - Episode #772 - It’s What’s Inside That Counts
Vivian and Dominic appear on the screen, sitting side-by-side on the sofa.
Waving, Vivian says, “Hello, my friends, we’re coming to you from beautiful Santa Valentina Island, where we’re in the final days of preparing for the big event.
But before we can get on with our day, Dominic and I need to address some pretty nasty rumors a certain lifestyle influencer is spreading about him—and about our relationship—before things get out of hand.
The influencer in question shall remain nameless, but I think you can guess who is up to her old tricks.
” Vivian purses her lips, then says, “I’m going to turn it over to Dom because this is really about him, but I’d like to say a couple of things first. Dominic and I are getting married in a few weeks, and we’re doing it because we’re going to be wonderfully happy together.
We’re doing it because we’re partners and friends, and we have a bond that has grown so strong in a short period of time.
We love each other, and we’re so excited to start our life together.
I’d also like to add that this should be a safe space for everyone.
We’re here to build community and share tips and hacks and amazing products.
There are already enough people out in the real world tearing each other down. Let’s not do it to each other too.”
Dominic nods, and takes Vivian’s hand. “My beautiful bride is right. We should lift each other up. So I’m not going to say anything bad about anyone, even though it is tempting.
What I will say is that the DM that DataGuy101 sent is true.
I dated him—briefly—when he was working in the IT department at the Paradise Bay Resort.
In fact, he’s not the only man I’ve gone out with.
I’ve also gone out with other women as well.
This might be confusing for some people, so I’m going to try to explain.
For those of you who haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek, there’s a scene where David talks about all the types of ‘wine’ he likes.
He likes red, white, merlot, rose … and I’m the same way.
To paraphrase: ‘I like the wine. Not the label.’ For me, it’s about what’s inside a person, how I feel when I’m with them, and the way we connect. ”
He looks over at Vivian and lifts her hand to his lips, then turns back to the camera. “And I love the way I connect with this woman right here. I love our friendship, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And love is love.”
Vivian smiles at him. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Love is love, people. And I hope that everyone out there has or will find their special someone to love.
So, we hope that clears it up for anyone out there who was starting to doubt what we’ve got.
Because we’re the real deal. It’s Dom and Viv forever.
Now, we’re off to Paradise Bay Resort to meet with our wedding coordinator again.
We’ll be posting again later today, so pound that subscribe button.
And make the rest of your life the best of your life. Kind of like Dominic and I are doing.”
“So? What do you think?” Dominic asks. “Will that do the trick?”
“Let’s hope so.”