He cringed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought it would be a quick trip. It turns out that it took longer than I thought.”
He raised his white plastic bag. The side of it showed an image of a sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower.
“What is that?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise. There’s a spot on the Seine where there’s a good view of the Eiffel Tower. Come on.”
He took my hand. If he hadn’t, I might have stayed angry. I might have demanded answers. My legs had started to feel heavy before this, but as he took me down the street, nearly racing, I felt re-energized. My fear transformed into excitement and my infatuation buried my anger.
It should have been the moment I saw him for who he truly was, but I let it go because we were careless eighteen-year-olds. He was careless with my heart and, if I’m honest with myself, I was careless with my own heart too.
He stopped at a park bench on the edge of the Seine, where the top half of the Eiffel Tower was visible. There was a brisk breeze, making it a little chilly, but it added to the sensation of adventure.
When Mark sat by me, our knees nearly brushed against each other. He picked out two black plastic containers from the box. He handed one of them to me.
I popped it open. It was a crêpe, a savory scent wafting off it.
“I hope you like crêpes. And smoked ham. And gruyere cheese,” he said. “I am sorry about disappearing before. I just realized it was noon and I’d been running around with you all of this time. I thought I owed you some lunch, but I knew if I told you beforehand, you’d insist paying for your half, so I…just left. I didn’t think it would take so long to get something. I’m genuinely, deeply sorry.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. I shoved his shoulder. “Just promise me that you won’t do it again.”
“I promise,” he said.
It was a fucking lie.
Chapter 4:
Mark
As Zandra and I walk to Katharske-Jones Dog Rescue, I’m reminded of our first walk inPariswith Petit. Memory can be a tricky bastard, but this time it is significantly less enjoyable. Zandra remains a step ahead of me the whole time and avoids looking at me. I sort through my thoughts, but they mainly divide into two camps:Zandra is here, working at my companyandher ass is somehow more impressive than it was six years ago.
Zandra opens the door for me as we walk into Katharske-Jones Dog Rescue, but I can be certain that it’s because I’m holding the dog. She doesn’t say anything to me and once we’re inside the dogs’ recreational room, I set the dog down and she walks to the opposite side of the room.
When we found Petit, life became a utopia. This is closer to a dystopia combined with a tempting sex dream.
“Hey, Mark,” Aaron says, walking up to me with a banana in his hand. “Thanks for helping to get the dog back.”
“It wasn’t a problem,” I say. “I saw him running toward me, so I just grabbed him. I didn’t even know it belonged to the organization until…until I talked to Zandra.”
“Yeah, Zandra,” Aaron says with a little more interest than he should be expressing. He looks over at her as he starts to peel his banana. “What did you think of her? I think she’s a rogue. Like from the Reign & Pulse games. They’re the ones that are smart but also—and you don’t care, so I’m going to stop talking.”
“No, I get it, Aaron,” I say. “You’ve told me about the game before. You’re a mage. How did the tournament go? It was last weekend, right?”
He lights up. “Oh, it went great. We got fifth place, but it was a lot of fun and I think Erica and I are getting closer.”
“Just continue being there for her.” I clap him on the shoulder. Zandra would never be interested in someone who’s highest ambition involved a game. “I’ve got to go talk to John.”
“Sure, sure.”
I walk past Aaron, heading toward John, who happens to be a few feet away from Zandra.
Angela, a redhead who deals with our social media, stops me. “Mr. Acorsi,” she says, her nails nearly scratching my arm as she tries to grab me. “I was thinking about our post for the incoming college students and I thought we should consider a post just for the freshman. Maybe we could create a playlist that either inspires or pumps up those students who are going into a whole new era of their life. You already pointed out how important they are to the social media aspect of the service, so it could be conducive to lure them in with a post specifically catering to their needs.”
“It sounds great, Angela,” I say, clapping my hand over her hand to casually pull it off of my arm. “How’s the new kitten?”
“She is amazing,” Angela gushes. “I love her so much. Thank you so much for asking. She has this annoying habit of climbing up the curtains, but it’s so funny because she’s fearless.”
John walks up to the two of us. “Mark,” he says, grasping my hand in a tight handshake. “How was Paris?”
