"Hi baby!"
"Hi Love, you okay?"
"Yeah… I miss you…" She professed.
He paused, a rush of emotions running through him.
"Where are you? It's kinda busy back there." He pointed out.
She panicked.
Shit! Where do I begin?
"Uhm, that's exactly why I've called, my love." She said, trying to buy into his affectionate side. "I've been in New York for some days now, and…"
"Wait! You're in New York? Since when?" He cut in, his tone expressing surprise.
"Yeah, I came in this week, and now I'm at the airport…" She hesitated for a second, "I'm going to Switzerland, and I thought I should let you know." She said quickly to stop him from interrupting her.
"Switzerland? You're in New York? Wait! I'm confused here."
"Benjamin!" She called out, trying not to cringe any more than she already was, "I came into New York this week, and I'm making my way to Switzerland today. I'll go back home from there." She explained.
"Wow! That's quite the adventure!" He said, feeling happy for her. "So, did you go with your family or alone?"
"I…uh…alone! I came alone." She lied.
What did you do that for, Eva?
A voice queried.
She couldn't believe she lied to her boyfriend. This was supposed to be a relationship built on honesty, amongst other things.
Way to go, girlfriend of the year!
Another voice praised mockingly.
"Wow! That's…uh…brave, babe. I mean, I'm happy for you. After all that end to the semester, I'm sure getting away from here is exactly what you needed."
She agreed and they both laughed.
"So, I'm just curious, but who are you going to see in Switzerland?"
"Family members!" She inserted another lie. Amazed at how freely the lies came, she went along with it, "I have cousins over there, so…" She concluded.
"That's amazing, babe. I miss you and I can't wait to see you when you get back." He said.
"I miss you too, baby. Oh! I wish I could kiss you right now."
"Don't worry, we'll get to do all that when you get your ass back here." He teased.
They laughed it off. Èdouard signaled for them to board the plane, and she said her final goodbye to him.
"Alright baby, I love you, bye!" She kissed and ended the call.
They made their way to an aircraft, parked at an obvious distance from the others.
"There are no other passengers!" She exclaimed.
"No, there aren't. I figured since you already know…why not use the family's private jet instead?" He smiled at her, searching her face for any expression.
This is unbelievable!
She thought, as she gave him an approving smile, and hopped in. The trip was smooth and pleasant— with Eva constantly throwing shy glances at him and pretending to look outside, wondering how his personal life must be. He appeared to have the perfect life for a young gentleman of his age.
"So, do you have someone you're seeing?" She asked randomly, trying to make conversations.
"And by someone, do you mean petite amie?
"If that means girlfriend, then yes, that's what I mean." She said.
He chuckled at her silliness. There was something about her sense of humor that made him drawn to her allure. He was starting to find her presence…irresistible.
"I actually don't," He began, "But there is someone in the picture though." He added.
"Oh really?" Her eyes widened in surprise, "Tell me about her."
"Oh I don't know…it's complicated."
"Come on, Èdouard. What could possibly be as complicated as having a girlfriend." She scoffed, not taking him seriously.
"I'm being serious, Eva. It's so complicated, you can't even imagine it." He said, wearing a less smiling face.
Observing his countenance, she called herself to order, her curiosity having the best of her. She leaned in closely to appeal to him…this time, determined to take him seriously.
"What is it, Èdouard? I'd like to know."
He hesitated, unsure about burdening her with his problems.
She gave him an assuring look of understanding, urging him to go on.
"It is my grandparents wish that I get a girl to marry before they die. Now I know how clichè that might sound, but in my family trading, the wishes of the grandparents surpasses that of the parents." He stopped, feeling awkward about the conversation. "They have a girl for me, but I'm at liberty to choose my own partner. If I fail to, I'll have to go with their choice." He finished.
She sat there looking dumbfounded. She wasn't expecting any of that.
"I thought… I thought those kinds of things only happened in the past." She said, appearing puzzled.
"I totally feel the same way, but it's a family tradition they can't break because of me."
"That's terrible!" She said, shooting him a look of disgust. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." She apologized, hoping she doesn't get misunderstood.
"No, you're right. But I'm totally open to getting married…only to a girl of my choosing." He said.
His words sparked a thrill in her body, for whatever reason.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm still in search of someone…"
"Do you have an ultimatum or something?"
They laughed at the thought of it.
"None that I'm aware of, Madame Eva." He said sweetly. "Okay, we're home now!" He announced.
She watched from the window as they landed, amazed at how fast time went by since she was so caught up in their conversation.
"Wow! This looks amazing, Èdouard." She continued looking around.
"We're not exactly home yet. This field is used to house the jets and other travel resources." He said, pointing to the surrounding property.
"So, where is home?" She inquired curiously.
"Come on!" He held her by her hand and got into a Mercedes Benz G63 AMG that pulled up in front of them. She giggled as they both acted like kids.
"Do you drive?" He asked her.
"No. I can't."
"We're going to have to fix that soon." He smiled.
The initial driver got out of the car, took a bow, leaving the two of them. Èdouard urged them to sit in front, while he took charge of the wheel.
They drove away, with Eva sitting quietly, letting her thoughts consume her with uncertainties…