Chapter 61

"You're home." Rhys stood to greet her. He had a simple dinner made and was wearing the sweater and the beanie she bought him. He smiled and kissed her. "Well? How do I look?" He asked, twirling on a circle.

"You look as beautiful as ever." Pearl giggled.

"I'm so happy I was able to come here and be here for you. How are you doing, you doing ok? How is Dylan?" He asked.

"He's good. He's doing well and making good progress."

Rhys took her hand and walked her to the couch. He sat with her and just held her. It felt good. "There's food if you're hungry." He said. "I'll eat in a little bit. Right now, I need this more." Pearl said.

They finally left the couch and ate a little. After a bottle of wine, Rhys looked for something to do in his apartment. He found a deck of playing cards and asked if she wanted to play blackjack. "Ha! Sure. What are we betting? I don't have enough money to lose any." Pearl laughed.

"I'm a little drunk but I have a bet for you." He smiled slyly, like he was up to something. "Well you've already seen me naked and had me every which way from Sunday so I can't imagine it's that" Pearl half joked.

"No. How about, I'll be the dealer. If you beat me 5 times or more out of ten, you pick your pot. But if you lose, I get to choose what my winning is."

"That's not fair! I don't want to take that bet without knowing what it is. Seriously, Rhys."

"We are both taking a risk, right?" Rhys had a point.

"Ok ok. Let's do it."

First two hands she lost quickly. Just when she thought he was cheating, she got 21 two hands in a row. "We are tied." She said, winking.

Rhys won the next three hands in a row. Then he got a blackjack on the fourth. "You lost. I get to decide the reward!" Rhys said, obviously proud of himself.

"Best 10 out of 20?" Pearl asked, trying to be as cute as possible.

"Nope. I win. And I know exactly what I want."

"Ok. But it better not be anything weird like butt plugs or something." Pearl said but wasn't joking.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just bring butt plugs into this." Rhys chuckled. "Seriously though. I know what I want. I want you to move in with me. When my shoot is done, I'll have six months off. I'll be coming back and settling into the house I bought. I want you to live with me, make it your home, too. I know it's fast but I'm ready. I want you to move in and live with me."

Pearl was in shock. "I don't know. I mean, it's really fast. We barely know each other. It seems like this last month has been really fast."

"It has, I know. And I know Dylan means a lot to you. I'll never be a jealous man with you. I respect the friendship even though things have happened. I am not at all worried about you and trusting you."

"What about you, Rhys? You're around celebrities all the time. You will be out of town all the time. What kind of stability is that?"

Rhys took a deep breath. "I'm shooting not far from where you are. Where our house will be. It's not a terrible drive and even shorter plane ride. And as we maneuver our lives more, you can come with me to shoots. Stay in hotels. See the world. I want you there with me. This can absolutely work. And what if something comes from this record demo? You're going to have your life, too. I just want us to have a goal that involves us coming together when we can and ending together in the end. I've given this a lot of thought. A lot. And I want this. With you. Especially when Jason called and told me what happened. The thought of you being hurt. Killed. I knew that letting you go after hearing that wasn't an option. Not at all." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I need some time to think about it. But I'm not saying no. I want you to know that. It's a lot for me but I'm not totally opposed. I just need some time with the Dylan thing and what I've been through. I don't want to make any decisions right now." Pearl knew it was the right thing to say. Even though she was jumping inside at the thought.

"Of course. Take all the time you need." Rhys said and kissed her forehead.

Rhys was so positive and light. She couldn't imagine they would ever fight. And she trusted him, there wasn't any ugliness between them at all. She knew he was going to be there for her, always. Not like Dylan. This was different. And at that moment, it hit her. She realized it was Rhys all along. He was the one that brought out her courage. He was the one that saw something special in her and made her value herself again. He never played games. Not one. She knew it deep down. He was the right one for her. He went out of his way to make her feel special. He needed nothing from her but her. This traumatic experience had forced her to see what was real and what was important. She woke up, and saw Rhys was the one, all along.

"You know what? Fuck that. Yes. Yes I will move in with you. I'm not going to waffle on this. Any of this anymore. I need to make a choice for once. For me. Yes. I will move in with you. When all this is over and I know Dylan is home and healed, the next step is moving in." Pearl said.

"Really!!? That makes me so happy Pearl! Wow. Ok! Well we have some planning to do. You have made me happier than I've ever been." He picked her up and kissed her.