I turned to Nick, thrilled about meeting a fellow debate nerd. “You have excellent friends.”
He did a little bow. “Thank you, mademoiselle. I think so, too.”
Martine pulled her chair closer to me, and I asked her howshe prepped for Model UN. We were deep into a comparison of research strategies when I remembered I was on a date. I looked at Nick, who was talking with Youssef. “I’m so sorry,” I told him, blushing.
He smiled. “Nobodyeverwants to talk Model UN with Martine. You just did us all a huge favor.”
She nodded, beaming. “I will look forward to seeing you at tournaments. What school are you going to?”
“École Jarret.”
“Formidable! It is where Youssef and I go also. You should join our team.”
“I’d love to.” It would be nice to do a new event, something that didn’t have any bad memories associated with it. An event where I didn’t have to rely on a partner to do well.
Nick grinned at me like,Well done, you, and sparks of happiness ran up my arms. I’d passed the friend test. And bonus for me, I now knew two more people in Paris. This was going to be such a great year.
“Can I get a photo with you all?” I asked. “My friends in Portland demanded pics of clubbing in Paris.”
“Is there not clubbing in Portland?” Youssef asked, slipping his arms around Martine.
“Well, yeah, but it’s just Portland. People wear flannels to clubs.” Martine raised an eyebrow. “It’s not…elegant. It’s not special.”
Youssef smiled. “Bon. If we are elegant and special, we must of course take a photo.”
I sent the pic to the girls, then tucked my phone into my purse. I wanted to focus on Nick and this night. A guy so California-handsome he could have been Barbie’s dreamdate sauntered up to our table, said hello, and asked Martine to dance. His teeth glowed when he smiled, which unnerved me a little.
“Yann,” Martine said as she shook her head, “you know I am here with Youssef.”
Yann mimed being shot through the heart with an arrow of love. “What can I do but try?”
“You can listen to me when I say no.” Her expression remained friendly, but her voice had an edge. Yann shrugged one shoulder, like,Ah, well, life is sad—and his eyes shifted to me. I edged closer to Nick, shaking my head, and he didn’t even bother with the arrow of love business. He just moved his gaze to a nearby table, all,But wait! There are more girls over there. He drifted off to see if he could charm one of them onto the dance floor, and Martine and I shared an eye roll.
“How long have you been in Paris?” Youssef asked me.
“About a week. Nick’s been showing me around.” I told them about our trip to the Louvre, and Martine said, “Nick, why are you not taking her to do things real people do? Fun things. Museums are where you go because your professeur makes you.”
Nick smiled and shrugged. “I’m only the tour guide. I take mademoiselle where she asks to go.”
I looked at Martine and Youssef and smiled apologetically. “I mean, I really did like the Louvre. But what else should I see?”
“Flea markets,” Martine said at the same time that Youssef said, “Zombie escape room.”
Nick nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah. I’m putting that on the itinerary.”
“Zombie escape room?” I repeated.
“You have to evade a horde of zombies. It’s not really a room; you’re supposed to get from one part of Paris to another without having your brains eaten,” Nick explained. “It’s perfect dumb fun.”
Martine was shaking her head. “You did not hear? It has been stopped. A girl was attacked and bitten last week during a game.”
“By one of the zombie actors?” I said. Some people get way too far into role-playing.
She shook her head. “No, it was the man who is biting all these women.”
“Did she—” Nick didn’t finish the question.
“She lived,” Martine said.
