"okay, darling, are you ready?" i asked mia, pressing my lips onto her chubby cheek. she was sitting on my lap while we were in a limo to go to the red carpet premiere of 'revolutionary road'. this was my first time bringing mia to an event like this. usually i would leave her home and have sam take care of her, but sam wasn't here anymore. leo was.
"the fans are going to love us even more now." leo laughed. he was sitting so close to me. he knew i wanted him to. if thought otherwise, he wouldn't have done it.
he continued. "you know how many times people have asked me if we were going to work on another film together?"
i chuckled. "only if you can imagine how many people have asked me the same question. i don't know why they're so obsessed with our lives. titanic was like.." i looked up and murmured a few numbers. "that was eleven years ago, leo!"
he nodded his head. "yup. and thirteen years ago when we started filming."
"goodness." i looked down to mia. "and somewhere between now and then we've decided to have lives of our own, haven't we?" i looked up at him, and i saw him staring at me directly in the eyes. he was charming, and i got why everyone falls in love with him. i might be a culprit of it myself.
"yeah." he said. "somewhere between now and then."
there was a tension. i feel like there always has between us, but more now than ever before. we told each other everything, but there's something he's not telling me. and something i'm not telling him.
it's all so silly to me. i knew why i felt that way when i was younger, but i'm in my thirties now. i should know better than to fall for a man who has a girlfriend and is totally content with his life.
i shook it off once i realize we were already at the premiere. he did too.
"alright then." i began, scooting my way over to the door so i could head out. i tried my hardest not to show that i felt whatever i was feeling just a few seconds ago. there were already cameras and people bombarding the limo.
"let's get this over and done with, shall we?"
leo cleared his throat and opened the door to his side before he went out.
"sure. let's do this."
i climbed out of the limo with mia in my arms, and by the time i had gotten out completely, leo was already by my side and the paparazzi had already taken hundreds of photos of us together. i couldn't help but give a little grin. it was nice to have him right next to me while they were snapping photos of us. at least i knew that it happens to him as well.
he gave me his arm and i clung onto it with my free one. i looked up at him. he was already staring down at me with a smile on his face. i looked away, but a smile managed to creep in before.
"over here, guys!"
"leo, kate, turn to your left!"
"no, turn to your right!"
his hand moved to my back, signaling me to walk faster so we could actually make it to the carpet and take some photos. i followed his lead, waving my hand to the people with cameras so they wouldn't feel ignored.
"kate, what are you wearing?!" someone yelled once we finally got through the fancy little barrier.
i looked around to see who had asked the question, but i couldn't detect the person.
"uhh, emporio armani? i think?" i shouted back to whoever said it. i heard the audience laughing and i laughed along as well.
the dress i wore was quite simple. it wasn't too long. actually, it wasn't long at all. it was a black dress that looked like it could be bought from wherever. it was one i was keeping for an event like this. i didn't want to buy a new dress, but i also didn't want to wear one that looked like royalty.
leo and i posed for the cameras in front of us. we really were naturals. especially leo. there is never a bad photo of him, and i wonder how he does it.
"you wanna freak them out?" he whispered in my ear. for a second i pretended like there were no cameras. i gave him my watchful eye, and for a second i believed myself. no, there weren't any cameras at all.
"we should pretend to kiss." both of us said at the same time. both of us burst into laughter but tried to keep it to a minimum so none of the people were suspicious of what we just said. the next thing we wanted was the whole internet to break loose because a news reporter said kate winslet and leonardo dicaprio were being extremely selfish for only conversing with themselves and no one else.
"only pretend though. make it pretend." i told him. the thing with me is that when leo was there, i am the wildest girl in the room. he made me crazy. love does make you do crazy things, but did i really love him? or was it the natural brotherly love that i'm confusing it with? at this point, i don't actually know.
he saw me shift mia on my other hip, and then offered to take her from me. i carefully gave her to him and didn't let go until she was securely on his hip.
"follow my lead." he said. he looked like a kid that was was eager to open up the presents they got on their birthday. "pretend we're in a movie. this is gonna be so funny."
i nod my head and smile at the cameras, when leo sneaks his finger around my back and swipes it against my waist. i swerve my head over to him and immediately we make eye contact. his face is centimeters away from mine. his lips just a few centimeters farther.
he told me to improv, so i did. my forehead rested against his. his one hand moved to my waist.
"kiss!" someone said.
"oh my God is this real?!" someone else screamed.
"if this is a dream don't wake me up!" someone else said even louder.
both of us simultaneously tried not to laugh. i bit my lip with excitement and trying to conceal my giggles. i looked up at leo who was already looking down at me.
"okay now just a teeny weeny bit closer." he told me. i moved my lips forward, and he did too. i could feel the air from his nose blowing into the skin just above my lips. mia was enveloped between the two of us, but he was careful not crush her or move too close. i held onto her little back while she faced leo's chest.
it felt like ages, yet it felt like no time at all. one minute we were standing so close, the next minute both of us separated as we giggled for the camera. the flashing lights reappeared, and the people around us popped up like magic.
leo was having a blast knowing we had tricked everybody in the room. i took mia from leo and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go.
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"do you want me to stay for a few days? until you're settled in?" i was in the house i rented which was close to leo's. i would be staying in the united states for quite some time because there were still loads of other things that were coming up within the next few days.
i put mia on the warm carpet and handed her a stuffed animal to keep her occupied.
"yes, but you have your own life, darling. i'm fine here all by myself with mia. really. it might be too big for the two of us but it's too big for the three of us as well." i smiled. i went back over to him, noticing his features on his face. he changed a lot from the first time we met.
his hair wasn't as blonde as it used to be, his face seemed rounder, and he looked more worn down and tired. i wasn't sure if he was. but his eyes were still just as blue and his smile never faded no matter how much he had gone through.
"there's not much waiting for me at home, kate." it sounded like he was trying to get attention, but i knew he didn't mean it that way. he just wanted to be here with me, and so did i. i just couldn't let him. we had to be more adult than that.
i looked down and absentmindedly took both his hands into mine. we truly were the only two people who could do that without making it difficult. it wasn't difficult at all. in fact, it should have been so simple, shouldn't it have been? but it wasn't. not at all.
"you have a girlfriend. a very good one, waiting for you to come home." i reasoned with him. when the words came out of my mouth, my tongue stayed visible and my eyes seemed to freeze into his. the whites of my eyes were prominent, and i didn't blink until i could fully process what went through my mind.
"bloody hel—" i interrupted myself. "you have a girlfriend and you told me to do all that stuff with you this morning? leo, are you out of your mind?"
he put the palm of his right hand to his forehead and shook his head slowly. his eyes were closed, but i could see through him and what he was feeling.
"you knew about bar, remember? besides, it's not like we kissed. i wanted to have a little fun, that's all. i wanted to trick the guys with the camera." i crossed my arms to my chest as my eyes wandered to the side. i wasn't mad at him, but what we did was stupid, i had to admit to it.
to be honest, i wasn't even thinking that he had a girlfriend when we were up there. the only thing i was thinking of was him. i didn't see the many articles about us on the internet yet, but they probably noted the look on my face that i most definitely couldn't conceal.
"oh, for goodness' sake." i sighed. "are you gonna get a beating when you get back home?"
"yes." he answered almost immediately.
i rolled my eyes playfully. "one night only."
and then he hugged me tightly like it meant the world to him he was going to have a sleepover with mia and i. he picked me up effortlessly and i gave a high pitched scream, wrapping my arms around his neck and bending my knees so i wouldn't hover on the floor.
"put me down!" i laughed. i couldn't see him, but i heard his distinct laughter from over my shoulder. he put me down obediently and i invited him over to the couch where mia had crawled onto when we weren't paying attention.
"angel, when did you get up here?" i cooed, picking her up and putting her on my lap once i sat down on the couch. leo sat down next to me and grabbed the remote control to turn the television on.
"ya wanna watch a movie?" he asked, flipping through channels unheard of to me.
"are you kidding? what's a sleepover without a movie?" he responded by opening the movie options and began to browse through ones that appealed to him.
"start looking while i go and make mia some dinner quickly. do you want me to get taco bell delivered to us? i don't really feel like making anything today." i got ready to stand up from the couch and waited for a response.
"honey, you know me too well." he joked. i laughed, stood up from the couch with mia in my arms, and got ready to cook her some mac and cheese and her bottle of warm milk.