Interlude: One Little Catch

Written by CitizenErased14

“This is huge, Hope. You’re not gonna believe this.”

She laughed brightly, a feeling of excitement already washing over her. Hope hadn’t been quite sure what to expect when Louis’ name appeared on her caller ID, but whatever he was teasing her with had to be good. He rarely sounded that excited when they talked business… Not unless it was something incredible.

“Well don’t leave me in suspense.” She smiled, pressing the phone closer to her ear.

“Four day shoot in San Myshuno.” Louis told her at last. “With Francisco San Martín.”

Hope’s eyes went wide. Francisco San Martín was one of the hottest designers on the entire planet. She never dreamed she’d ever book a job with him. “What?! Are you serious?”

“He requested you specifically.” Louis replied happily. “He saw your spread in Vogue back in April. Needless to say, he was impressed.” He added. Hope could almost hear his smile. “So who better to help debut his new line… With another Vogue shoot.”

“Vogue AGAIN?!” Hope was practically jumping up and down. A Francisco San Martín shoot… in Vogue! She already knew this would be the biggest shoot of her entire career. It almost felt too good to be true.

“And I haven’t even mentioned the pay yet…”

When Louis told her, Hope nearly dropped the phone. “You’re joking.”

“So… is that a yes?” Louis laughed.

She nodded, though he knew he could not see her. “Absolutely!” She’d be insane to turn down a job like that. “When is it?”

“Two weeks.” He replied. “We’ll fly you out on the 21st.”

The smile vanished from Hope’s face instantly. “The 21st?” She repeated.

“Is that a problem?”

For a few moments, she said nothing. Hope closed her eyes and took a slow breath. “No, it’s fine.” She said at last. “Tell him I’ll do it.”

——————————————————

Hope practically leapt from the couch at the sound of the opening apartment door. She’d been waiting anxiously all afternoon for Zayne to return from his shopping trip. Calm down. She scolded herself mentally. Everything’s gonna be fine.

Zayne placed the large bag of groceries on the counter, smiling warmly at his girlfriend. “Ready for another round of experiments?” He asked with a laugh. “You’re on guinea pig duty again this week.”

Despite her nerves, Hope still managed a smile. “Isn’t that every week?”

“Touché.” Zayne smiled as he opened the refrigerator and began putting things away.

Hope reached over toward where the groceries sat and began helping, handing him a few items at a time until the bag was empty.

When they were finished, she finally decided to bite the bullet. He’ll understand. Hope reminded herself before breaking the silence at last. “So… I got some pretty exciting news while you were out today.” She hoped he was unable to detect the uncertainty behind her cheerful tone. “It’s big.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of news?”

“I think you might wanna sit down for this.” Hope managed a teasing tone as she gestured toward the couch.

“FUCK.” Zayne slumped down onto the sofa, horrified. “You’re pregnant.”

“No! No! God, no!” Despite everything, she couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s nothing like that. Louis called a little while ago…” Hope paused for a moment. “I got offered a shoot with Francisco San Martín.”

The fact that Hope did not even have to explain who he was spoke volumes. “Holy shit.” Zayne’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy!”

“I know.” Hope smiled nervously. “And it’s for Vogue too!”

“You’re kidding!”

She shook her head.

“Okay, please tell me you said ‘Hell yes’?” Zayne laughed. “Hope, this is like… Your dream job.”

“I know… There’s just one little catch.” She bit her lip nervously.

Zayne’s smile disappeared in an instant. “What is it?”

“It’s in San Myshuno… On the weekend of the 22nd.”

“But… That’s my birthday.” Zayne replied softly.

“I know.”

“We’re supposed to be in Champs Les Sims that weekend.”

“I know.” Hope repeated in a whisper.

He shook his head slowly. “We’ve been planning this trip for months.”

“Zayne, I am so sorry.” Hope’s voice was pleading. “This timing sucks so much. And I swear to God I’ll make it up to you. But it’s like you said… it’s my dream job. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me. I just couldn’t say no.” She shrugged apologetically as she spoke.

Zayne raised an eyebrow at her. “So you already said yes?”

She nodded.

“Without asking me first?!” His face suddenly contorted into a scowl. “What the hell?!”

“What was I supposed to say? Louis needed an answer!” Hope insisted.

“What about ‘I’ll call you back and let you know’? Would that really have been so hard?!”

“Zayne, this could be the most important job of my whole career! There’s no way I would have turned it down.”

Her boyfriend’s eyes widened. “So you would’ve taken the job no matter what I said.” It was not a question.

“I didn’t think I had to worry about what you’d say!” Hope confessed. “I thought you’d be fine with it. No, I knew you would be… I thought you’d understand.” Her eyes narrowed at him.

“Of course I understand!” Zayne cried. “But that’s not the point! How could you cancel our trip without even asking me first?! You just said yes to that stupid job without thinking about how I’d feel about it!” For a moment, he looked almost disgusted. “How the hell could you be so selfish?!”

Hope could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “Selfish?! Are you for real?!” She shook her head, her own anger suddenly bubbling up to the surface. “And this job wasn’t so ‘stupid’ a few minutes ago when I told you about it. You know how important this is to me.”

“Yeah, more important than me, apparently.” He spat bitterly.

“No! Jesus, how can you say that?!” Hope paused, taking a deep breath and trying to let some of her anger melt away. It almost worked. “I love you, Zayne. You know that.”

Zayne was silent for a few moments, and appeared to be trying to calm himself just as she had. “I do.” He replied at last, his anger slowly melting away into sadness. “And I love you too. I just…” Zayne shook his head. “Why couldn’t you just ask me about it first?”

“Look, maybe you’re right. Maybe I should have asked. And I’m sorry I didn’t, okay? I really am” She shrugged helplessly. “I feel awful that everything worked out like this. But I don’t know what else I can say. Except…” The girl hesitated. “Look, if it really bothers you, I can call Louis back and we can try to figure it out.”

“No you can’t.” Zayne shook his head. “I’m still pissed off that you didn’t ask me first… but there’s no way I’d let you say no to a chance like this. You know that.” He tried to smile.

A soft sigh of relief escaped Hope’s lips at his words. “Thank you.” She replied seriously. “And I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow. We’ll find another way to celebrate, and it’ll be amazing. I swear.” She assured him. “Okay?”

“Yeah.” Zayne replied softly. “Okay.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment before rising to his feet. “I guess I’ll go make us some lunch or something.”

They barely spoke for the rest of the afternoon.

63 thoughts on “Interlude: One Little Catch”

  1. Ahh hope and Zayne…I think you are only fighiting because their life is good until now, because, for example, if this had happen when there was a bigger porblem in the picture, I’m almsot sure they wouldn’t fake a fuss about it…Well, do what, you can always facetime, right?

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    1. Hahahaha I think Zayne would have been upset no matter what… Though Facetime would be a nice way to at least see each other on his day! Haha

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  2. Storm clouds are definitely brewing. A lot probably has to do with Zayne not having his restaurant opened yet. I can see him eventually becoming jealous of her success. He already doesn’t really like that other people look at her in the mags. There’s that too. Zayne still feels like a teenager to me in some ways while Hope seems much more mature. Maybe it’s just because of where they are career wise, not sure.

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    1. I think there’s a lot of truth there about their maturity levels… Zayne gets very easily discouraged and offended and tends to lash out (he IS a hot-head after all, like so many Rosebrooks before him! Haha). He was able to be somewhat understanding at the end of this chapter though… #babysteps?

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      1. I’m not sure if he’s jealous about other people seeing her in the mags, but I agree about the restaurant thing. He seems frustrated. I understand the feeling, but don’t like how he took it out on Hope and quilted her into offering to call back Louis. Still, he kinda got himself together at the end, so I’m not too mad at him.
        Up until now he’s been supportive, showed interested in her career, learned a few things about the fashion industry. All very sweet and healthy. He’s still very insecure though, and he clearly needs to work on that. Which can be tricky given his current situation. I’m willing to bet Hope is both mature and in love enough to stay and deal with the ugly stuff.
        I am rooting for Hozay and I enjoy their drama. It’s very lifelike :p ( Ofc I loved struggles of previous generations, this just hits closer to home for me. Much like Mari did.)

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        1. I’m glad you’re enjoying this! You’re very right about his insecurity. I think (if TS4 had it lmao) Zayne’s #1 trait would TOTALLY be “Insecure”. You’re right that he’s always been very supportive of Hope… but I also think it was easier to be supportive when he had a steady job and stuff himself. His own situation is really getting to him, and we can see it’s starting to put a bit of a strain on things…

          I really like your optimism for these two 🙂 Hopefully they can make it through this little bump unscathed!

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  3. Anti-Shipper IS oddly specific in his predictions… Does he want a turn at writing this story? I think he may be even more evil than I am! 😮

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      1. Those faces are because I am really realizing that I am a different person. I don’t get the drama and the jealousy and anger that your sims have lol always issues. Of course, the drama is good for us readers though.

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        1. Haha my Rosebrooks all tend to be extremely sensitive people, as a general rule. They have highly emotional reactions to situations. (Plus, Zayne has both the hot-headed and jealous traits, sooooooo…. )

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            1. Yeah, everyone’s different and won’t always relate/understand to my characters, I get that 🙂 Zayne’s trait combination has been fun for me to write though! He’s a little differen than my other Rosebrooks (though still highly emotional… just in a different way)

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              1. I get him being bothered by the missing the birthday and the trip but not the anger that she didn’t ask him first. The birthday thing I get just because having lost my mom, who, if you think about it, is the one person who your birthday means the most to. I was my mom’s first and she was young when she had me so she was always open about how much my birth changed her life, she always made a big deal out of it. So after losing her, my birthdays dont seem to be as important. And Zayne lost both of the people who created him and to who his birthday would mean the most. So I understand how that day could carry a lot of emotion for him.. But I would be sad and disappointed not angry and certainly not demanding she should have asked him first lol. But I get he has the jealous trait. Which you have done a good job representing.

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  5. If she had to ask her boyfriend ‘can I go’? It really looks bad job wise. She had to say yes. True, it sucks that she couldn’t ask Zayne or warm him and let him come to the same agreement first, that she had to go. But unless he’s a stupid over-controlling jerk, and he’s not. He had to say yes. Of course, I don’t have a bf.

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    1. Yeah, Zayne would have definitely said yes. I think for him it’s the “principle” of the thing. He feels slighted that she made that decision without him… but you’re right that she really HAD to say yes at that moment. I really think if Hope thought she could have waited, she would have. But she recognized that it was too important of a decision to hesitate on.

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      1. I believe so too she didn’t look forward to telling him like that.

        Sometimes upsetting things happen, I think Zayne got there in the end and knew why she did it and that she had to. He’s still hurt, I understand, but he better realize that’s his problem, not hers.

        Very well written dynamic between these two. Hope is so adorable when she’s angry.

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    2. Lol … Rae pretty much said my thoughts … and it’s only a birthday. Not like it was their wedding. Shoot after you been married a while just do your birthday on a different day. Sorry to spam your comment Rae.

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  6. Trouble in paradise…

    And while Zayne may be her boyfriend, even if he were her husband he ultimately can’t dictate her life. That’s a problem a lot of people have, and it ultimately leads to trouble. Yes, discussing it first would have been good, but people belong to themselves, no matter how much we may sometimes want to think otherwise. Maybe you intend for her to look selfish, but really she isn’t. She’s been helping Zayne out so much in pursuing his dream, so why is it that when it’s her dream he doesn’t feel like being supportive? She isn’t, thus far, moving to San Myshuno. If she were agreeing to move, I’d agree he had reason to flip out–because either he’d have to move or their relationship would need to be long-distance again, or worse, it would cause a split.

    Yes, yes, I know it’s his birthday. Did he plan to propose or something, I wonder? Otherwise it seems like he’s overreacting–at least from the perspective of someone who’s never really had big birthday shindigs. The most I do is usually take the day off from work on mine, and only if it’s not a Monday or Tuesday!

    And what if circumstances work out so that she does end up having to move? Would he be angry with her for not quitting her job for his sake? She supported him when he quit his job–but that’s so he could start his own restaurant. I don’t believe she’d ask him to let go of his dream.

    I think Zayne’s starting to see why dating celebrities is often hard for people who aren’t celebrities themselves. There’s a lot of travel involved, and it can be difficult for a person to maintain a certain body weight and appearance too (Hope doesn’t seem to have this issue, but many do). So there’s always stress, and of course any significant other has plenty of time to worry about whether their beloved is being faithful while out on the road. Then there will be missed birthdays, holidays, anniversaries… It’s not exactly an easy life.

    Also, I notice Zayne isn’t thrilled with the idea of a kid. Too bad for him that this is a legacy…

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    1. Haha I don’t think Hope is selfish here… Just Zayne! 🙂 Though I’d argue that he IS being supportive of her at this point. He was sincere in saying that he would have said “yes” to her taking the job. He just felt that he should have been asked first. As you pointed out, there’s a lot of stress involved in dating someone who is famous, and as Hope’s career continues to flourish, it’s getting more difficult for Zayne.

      I think it also wasn’t just that it was his birthday, but that they’d spent months planning a vacation together that now has to be cancelled. I think his reaction wouldn’t have been as extreme if they hadn’t had such special plans for his birthday.. .But we’ll never know for sure!

      Thank you for reading 🙂

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    2. Sorry about spamming, but I just need to say how much I agree with you, Brass Bruckles. I don’t think Hope had any obligation to discuss her decision before making it. She’s doing it now, sorry about cancelling the plans for a good reason, and willing to find another way to celebrate. Choosing a once in a lifetime opportunity that can change that life for the better over his birthday doesn’t mean she’s choosing her career over him. She moved halfway across the world to be with him, supports his dream and IS there for him. Just as one day of romance on February 14th isn’t going to make up for a whole year of crappy relationship, one birthday apart doesn’t overshadow years of a strong one.

      Now Zayne is understandably sad and disappointed, seeing how they dedicated a lot of time to planning, but in my opinion, his anger is unfounded. And moping afterwards isn’t exactly mature either. It is, however, very human of Zayne 🙂 I know you love him, Citizen and I do too. I’m still optimistic that he can change, just expressing more clearly why I think he should.
      One more thing- is jealous the third trait that was a surprise or did we already know that? Seems that I’m a little lost on that. *ashamed*

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      1. LOL Jealous was the third trait 😛 I slipped and ended up telling someone else today in a comment, whoops haha. Not that it’s a huge deal at this point… The fact that multiple people guessed he has that trait means I’m doing my job well and writing him the right way 😉 Hehehehe

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    1. Haha I think it’s more the trip they had to cancel than anything else… it was something he was really looking forward to (plus, this birthday is an emotionally difficult one for Zayne… stay tuned to tomorrow’s chapter to see why :P) Not saying his reaction wasn’t kind of immature and an overreaction. It was. But I gotta defend my boy 😛

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  9. BECOMING…? 😛 Hahahaha. He is extremely jealous and insecure, unfortunately (and a hot-head!). Not a great combo… Hopefully this is just a little bump and they can get past it though 🙂 (And all chapters are chapters LOL Interludes are what I call the third-person chapters, as opposed to the usual first-person journals)

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    1. Didn’t you read the fine print? “CitizenErased14 is not responsible for any damage to her ships. All repairs will be made at crew members’ expense. In the event of an emergency, life jackets will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.” You’re on your own 😛

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  14. I wasn’t ready for the happiness to end. Bring back the happiness! Ugh, never mind, I know how life is gonna be from here on out. What’s next? She books an even bigger job on the night of his restaurant opening?

    Why can’t they just move the birthday celebration to San Myshuno? They can go to Champs Les Sims in a few months, prolly when she books a gig there. He’s looking at this all wrong. They can use her travel for her job, especially right now while he’s not tied to a work schedule, to see the world together. Sheesh Zayne. I get your reaction, but for someone who has a life full of people who lowkey build their lives around him, he really can’t handle it when that’s not the case 100% of the time.

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    1. I really liked this part of your comment: When you mentioned that Zayne has “a life full of people who lowkey build their lives around him”… Because it’s really so true. And I think it’s something Zayne really takes for granted. I already revealed to a couple other people today that Zayne has the “Jealous” trait (in case you maybe hadn’t picked up on that already haha). That’s a huge part of why he is the way he is — he’s so easily offended and gets so envious when he feels like he’s being pushed aside or slighted in some way. Definitely puts a lot of stress on the current career situations of himself and Hope!

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      1. While I understand the child’s hot head and jealous trait, his reaction seems to be a bit extreme. Ok, yeah, it sucks that they won’t go to France. From Germany I’m sure they can drive there in no time. Just get on the plane and go to San Myshuno instead! Stay a few extra days to get the fun in since it’s a work trip. And can you spell ungrateful? This “stupid job” is paying the bills right now, bruh! HE agreed to this! Something else has to be going on inside cuz none of this makes sense. None of it!

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        1. Haha well Zayne has a lot of deep insecurities he’s suppressing right now (which we will get more glimpses of in upcoming chapters) that are definitely feeding into his current mindset/reactions (on top of his usual temper and jealousy). Like I said, wait and see how things go from here haha

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        2. To be fair I don’t think him hopping on a plane to San Myshuno as a last minute change of plans would have been particularly feasible. If they’re currently on a single salary, even with Hope doing well I don’t think they could justify splurging on an impromptu transatlantic flight for him (presumably hers is paid for).

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          1. This is true. It’s still not the end of the world though. It’s a birthday, not some special, milestone anniversary lol. People move their birthday celebrations around all the time. No biggie.

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        3. I absolutely agree! If the roles were reversed I doubt he would consult Hope before saying yes if it was about his restaurant. Not to mention Hope has always been very supportive of his career decisions. They can reschedule their vacation in France. I often celebrate my birthday on a different day than it actually is with my friends. Such things happen all the time, you simply adjust accordingly. Why did he have to make such a big deal out of it? And here I thought he’s all grown up.

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          1. Zayne reacts with anger as a first reaction to most things. So his disappointment and frustration came out as him lashing out at her. I think I’d be upset in his shoes too, honestly. I just probably wouldn’t have been so volatile about it haha

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  17. Ey, the fluff had to take a couple of hits for this to TRULY be a CitzenErased legacy.

    His parents were right around 22 when they died, right? Is that his reason for lashing out?

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  18. Is it bad (Doing a catch up almost caught up.) That I’m thinking “Why don’t you just GO WITH HER TO SAN MYSHUNO?” If her shoot doesn’t end late they can do a Birthday Thing at the hotel or a restaurant where he can scope out competition. He hasn’t started the business/building end they still seem to be in the early planning stage so it isn’t like it would really mess up to much for em. If the tickets for Champs Les Sims is refundable, or only put money aside to go. You can redirect the money in theory, And I noticed someone in the comments has already said “Go with her to San Myshuno.” So this might be a tad redundant.

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    1. I appreciate you catching up! ^_^

      As for Zayne going to San Myshuno, I think the biggest issue is money. Champs Les Sims is in France, so it’s a relatively short train ride away. San Myshuno is way farther — I intentionally never specify whether it’s in Asia or the US, but it’s a good 8-ish (or more!) hour flight in either direction from Windenburg. So a plane ticket to SM would cost a lot more… I think that’s the biggest obstacle that makes him going with her so difficult. I think if it were closer, it would have been an option to consider! 🙂

      Thanks for reading!

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  19. Goodness. I knew the happiness couldn’t last. I do understand where they’re both coming from though. CAN THEY NOT JUST BE HAPPY, CITIZEN?

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      1. Fair enough. I’m awful to my characters as well. Such as that time I created a whole fake ship for my fanfiction then killed them both.

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  20. Oh its really time to “Adult”. It’s about making and accepting hard decisions. I understand his disappointment but he knows how important this is for her (until his business is up and making a profit its important for the both of them financially). And I don’t recall him asking her anything before quitting his job…

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    1. Haha you’re right, he did not ask her (though he knew she’d support it, I think 😛 ) And yes, it is about hard decisions! I think he just feels upset because it’s his bday (and a kind of hard bday for him… you’ll see why!)

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  21. Pay back for missing your cousins’ 18th birthday :shrug:
    Literally just last chapter I was like when is the arc negativity going to come? I mean this was just a fight, and it really isn’t THAT big of a deal. Heck, why wouldn’t she just take him with her lol I suppose then there would be no drama XD

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    1. lol if you want conflict, keep going 😉 And this was a really special trip he’d been planning with her, so it really threw a huge wrench in everything for him.

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