Maricela
Damien looks at me and smiles.
" what is it now "
" nothing. It seems you had a good time yesterday" he says with his hands behind
" I did" I nod and smile trying to not remember what transpired yesterday or else I will smile like an eighteen year old
" so…. You like him?"
" like…. No it's too soon for that. Let's say I'm fond of him" he is a good company
" don't they mean the same" Damien asks
" I don't know buh definitely not like. Well not now" I add
" alright then….. but you two seem possible" he shrugs and lifts his hands up
" what an interesting way to put it" I laugh and sip from my bottle.
Ahh I'm thrirsty
" so where do you want to go today"
" I heard Lucas is free today" I turn to him looking directly at him.
" Yes miss but I doubt for long though" he says
"Work?"
"Yeah " he responds with a pitiful expression
" give me his contact" I pick my phone and go through it.
He sends it to me and asks me if I'm in need of anything else
" no I'm good. Thank you"
" sure miss. I will be outside" he nods and heads out, leaving me to my thoughts and Lucas who is one call away. I do call him and he answers on the first ring
📞Hey this is Mericela
📲Hm , did you sleep well
📞I did . Did you
📲Yes
📞I was kinda hoping you can accompany me today
📲You don't want Damien to…
📞I came here for you remember and besides I'm not sure if you'll be free again after today
📲I will be there in an hour
I nod before realising he's on the phone and so he couldn't see me.
📞see you in an hour then
I hang up after he responds and head over to my vanity to get dressed properly. After some time I order for breakfast and while picking out a dress I happily munch on my cookies and drink my coffee.
It's an hour now and I'm looking as ready as ever to explore Paris. I'm looking forward to seeing the Louvre, eat in a famous restaurant and…my phone beeps.
"I'm here "
I grab my bag and head downstairs. I spot him leaning on his car talking to Damien about only God knows what.
They go quiet when they spot me coming. Lucas still leaning lazily on his car and now staring at me rather more intensely that I would like him to.
But I somehow like it, that I'm the centre of his attention.
" hi" I greet him with a smile and sneak a peek at Damien. Of course he's smiling like an idiot. He nods at Lucas respectfully, then me and takes his leave.
" where would you like to visit first" Lucas asks , drawing my attention back to him
"Well first of I'm starving so let's go eat and then we can continue from there"the cookies i had earlier didn't help.I really needenergy to hang out with this man. Lots of em
"Sure,let's go then" I get so happy when I realise Damien ain't coming with us. That means it's just the two of us.
I hum the song with a smile hoping he wouldn't hear me. Not that I would be bothered if he does , I doubt he knows the song I'm humming.
I mutter a thank you as he opens the door to my seat and goes ahead to take the drivers seat.
" so where are you taking me"
" to eat?"
"Yeah, but where exactly" I really want to go back to that restaurant we had dinner at the last night. The view is amazing.
" it's one of the restaurants I visit whenever I come here for work" he says while driving
" and what do you like about it" I need the conversation to go on so the atmosphere won't be tense.
"Nothing really. Just the food and the view"
"You like the view?" At least we have something in common
" it's on the last floor high up and so you get the view of the whole of Paris and probably beyond."
"That is beautiful" I love nature and this sounded like exactly what I want in my dream house, a view of the city.
"And you look beautiful" I almost lose my sense of hearing. I know he's just being a gentleman but I didn't expect this.
I smile so big I don't even notice. I know I'm pretty but hearing someone else say it makes me feel it more.
"Thank you" I say
He nods and continue driving. We get there in in about less than an hour and I'm marvelled by this restaurant. It has transparent glass so you can see the city from wherever your table is and the aroma hits you right outside before you even get in.
Lucas guides me inside while a waiter attends to us and guides us to our table upstairs. I guess he reserved the whole place for just the two of us like last time because there's only one table which is apparently meant for us.
This time also he pulls back my seat for me and I smile , muttering a thank you.
Breakfast is served and since I'm hungry I focus on my food and once in awhile glance at him. He notices this and starts doing same too. Our eyes meet a couple of times and after the fourth he drops his cutlery and stares at me.
"Is something wrong or have I got food on my face" God let it not be the last one
" no, I'm just wondering how you are so quiet"
" ohh "I laugh a bit and drop my fork, reaching out for the napkin.
" I barely talk when I'm hungry, it makes me more hungry.
" so what of now"
"Now? Well I'm okay now so I guess I can start talking again" I laugh
He smiles a bit and after sorting out the bill we leave for Louvre.
...
We get our own tour guide who's more than happy to guide us and I assume it's because of Lucas. He shows some sort of familiarity towards him making me think they've prolly met before either here or elsewhere.
We go through the artworks Monalisa, Pierrot, the virgin of the rocks, the wedding at Cana buh I'm fascinated by just one which I stop at. Lucas notices and he stops too alerting the tourguide. He follows my eyesight and comes to stand near it.
" Many people are captivated by this artwork. It's one of Antonio Canova's works, PSYCHE REVIVED BY CUPID'S KISSit's really stunning work and represents the theme of love and passion."
What amazes me is the bodies of the characters involved. I love how shameless the man is to support his lover's head and breasts with his hand after kissing her and she holding on to him.
I sense a gaze upon me and so I look up to find Lucas looking at me. I shrug not knowing what to do and say to him
" he's a shameless guy"
" and you like it" he says
"Yes , very much" I smile and look back at the artwork.
We spend most of our time at the museum and afterwards we go for lunch at a simple eatery which I doubt is actually simple. The food was great and the waitress professional but gave off a friendly vibe. We visit few other places with me taking pictures half of the time. I wouldn't dare ask Lucas to take them for me.
It's a little after 7pm when we get to my last destination, the Eiffel Tower. Since it's dark the lights are on and it looks so magical. The atmosphere serene and peaceful. The people here aren't many and so we get a quiet place to sit and relax.
I should prolly ask him the question now. I've been wanting to do so since I got here. But how am I going to start
I sigh so loud I didn't realise he actually is close to me
"Are you tired" he asks
"No no. Well abit but I still want to be here for a couple of hours if you don't mind"
"It's fine. I will stay here until you are ready to go back"
" thank you so much for today, I really had a great time" I really did
" including the museum I'm sure" he mocks and and turns to face the tower
"Yhh including the museum" I laugh when I realise what he meant, about the artwork.
" I think he's a pretty good lover if he's got that much of a hold on her" i continue
" you would want someone to hold you like that" he asks, this time looking at me.
" yeah, exactly like that." I say putting emphasis on the phrase "exactly like that".
" hmm you look like it. Even back there I was so sure you would rather have it your way and be sculpted like that.
" if I could why not. And then. I would have a little museum for my self and my love and we'd keep it there.
He nods and smiles.
This is it I guess. I should just ask
"Lucas, why did you agree to this. To meet me again, to take me out and now we're here. I'm pretty sure we've made headlines now since we've gone out twice. Why are we here"
He looks at me and leans forward, not too close but closer than before. Then an annoying person decides to call his phone.
Sh*t
"I'm sorry I have to take this" he stands up and walks a little farther. I watch his mouth move and his brows lift up every now and then. Finally he comes back to our table.
" I have to go. An issue has come up that I need to solve"
I stand up from my seat " can't you leave tomorrow" I ask a little disappointed.
"I'm needed at the moment in Miami"
"Miami!!! That's like 10hrs from here." He goes quiet prolly waiting for my approval or something.
" so you're going to leave me here" I'm not one to cry but damn he wasn't about to leave me here like this. Not when I want answers.
"Damien will take you back. He's on his way here. And if you want I can come back for you" if he's trying to assure me it's not working
" it's fine . I will leave tomorrow" I turn and grab my bag. Trying and blinking away the tears so they don't fall. I'm not about to cry for a man my feelings for ain't steady and I'm not even sure he likes me back, as much as I do at the moment.
He doesn't say anything and I'm glad Damien pulls over right after . I walk towards the car and plunge myself in.
"Take her home" he says to Damien to which he nods. He then looks at me but I don't look back. I didn't want him to see my almost tearful face. Damien drives away and that's when the tears drop.
"Do you want to go get ice cream" Damien offers
"What makes you think I want icecream" I blow my nose and laugh
" I don't know what else to say to you. I doubt sorry will make things better"
" don't even say it. And yeah let's go for icecream" I say and we make a stop at the nearest icecream store. It looks very pretty and welcoming too.
Just perfect
We walk in and Damien goes ahead to get me a vanilla while I take my seat. I spot a claw machine and I walk towards it.
"It's been awhile since I tried these. Let's see if I'm still good" I immediately get to work not even noticing Damien had gotten the icecream and is now standing next to me figuring out what the hell I was doing.
" you need any help"
"No thanks" I work it out five times with no luck before I finally give up. I take my icecream and he gets to work.
…..
"No way you got this lamb after your first try" I am impressed but not so impressed since I tried five times with no luck.
" you are welcome" he smiles and hands me the stuffed toy.
"What do I name it" I ask him looking at the lamb
" hmm Lucas. You can hit him for breaking your heart" he has a point. Tho he didn't break my heart.
"Yeahh true but he just hurt me little . It's not his fault tho"
" well little lamb here will be a substitute" I nod my head and for the rest of the drive home I stare at my new toy. I guess I wasn't prepared for the surprise waiting for me.
The third time.
" why are you still here" I ask very surprised at seeing him here instead of being in a plane right now.
" I had to come back. What took you so long to get here."
"We went to get icecream and Lucas" I say showing him the lamb.
" you got a substitute " he quirks his brow, totally not expecting that.
"I did, you left without any proper goodbye. I had to get something I could vent my emotions on"
He nods and steps forward, closer"I'm here now so we can try again"
I'm speechless and so I stand still waiting for him to make the next move.
" am I supposed to hug you or anything else you would have me do" it takes a while for what he says to register in my head. When it does I smile.
"A hug is fine" he moves closer and wraps his hands around me. I hug him back while he pats my hair and whispered into my ear, catching me off guard.
"I don't need to say goodbye because I will see you again and about your question. I will answer them when I get back. All of them and so you might want to get a list"
I smile and we stay like that for a couple of minutes until we decide it's time to go.
" I will be back" he says and I smile. Then he turns to leave.
" Lucas"
he stops and looks at me
" all the best in your meeting and … I'm obsessed with flowers"
He smiles too. I guess he understands what I meant, hopefully.
I watch him drive off and I realise a part of me is gone with him as well.
Damien guides me to my room door with a stupid grin on his face.
"What " i say to him
" nothing, have a goodnight miss" he bows slightly and heads towards his room.
I shrug and get into mine. I reach for the lamb across the bed and walk towards the balcony, looking at the city shining with all those lights at night.
" have a goodnight Lucas,I'm taking you home with me tomorrow.