Chapter 6
Round two is the ‘fucking’he promised.Hard.Fast.Uncompromising.Unrelenting.I came twice.Sex has never been that rough or that fulfilling before and I loved every second of it.
Two hours after having sex with Olivier, I’m still wide awake.He fell asleep more than an hour ago.My head rests in the nook of his arm and his steady heartbeat hasn’t lulled me to sleep yet.I’m too happy, too sated, feeling too much of everything to shut down my rapidly growing feelings for him.
I’ve never had casual sex before and there is something so liberating about it.In it to win it, looking out for number one, and all those clichés have run around my head and long since left.The reality is that I have a bad pattern of falling in love with people I have sex with.Themakinglove is actually true for me.Olivier and I made love tonight and that will be hard to let go of in a few days, no matter how much I try to convince myself it was only one time.
Nope, not even knowing I’ll be leaving him in 3 days has fazed my heart.It’s my most stubborn organ by far and refuses to acknowledge the facts.Instead, my heart focuses on the man next to me and how he felt when he was inside of me, how peaceful he looks while sleeping, and how cute his hair looks hanging over one eye.
My brain won’t shut down and rest despite reminding myself that when I leave Paris, I’ll be leaving Olivier behind as well.It doesn’t seem to matter how intelligent I am or how logical I believe myself to be.The bottom line is that this is a onetime thing.That’s it.We didn’t make any promises or commitments to each other, but the unwritten rule of no strings attached was definitely in play tonight.Closing my eyes, I try to shut off the noise that’s keeping me awake and focus on how I felt just two hours ago after having my first real orgasm.
Snuggling closer, I take a deep breath, giving into the exhaustion that is taking over.
When I open my eyes, Olivier is sitting in the chair across from me with a coffee in his hand, staring at me.“Bonjour.Prendrais-tu un café?”
“Oui,” I reply.
He gets up taking the other coffee I hadn’t noticed from the nightstand and hands it to me before sitting back down in the chair.His gaze leaves me and drops to the ground as he leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees.My stomach turns from the negative vibe of his body language, so I brace myself before he even has a chance to speak.
Running his free hand through his hair, he stands suddenly and says, “I have to work today.Maybe I’ll see you tonight.”There’s no sincerity in his tone, his French even slacking off as he glances toward his only escape—the door.
“Okay.”I reply and quickly take a sip to end the morning after awkwardness that is leading to regrets.
I redirect my eyes to the underneath of the top bunk as he says his goodbye, “Au revoir, Rayon de Soleil.”
“Yeah, au revoir.”The door closes and the expected tears don’t come.A numbness to it all rushes through my veins instead.Trying to hold back my disappointment, I sit up and set the coffee down before standing.Maybe I should see if they have other rooms available.
The door swings open and Olivier stands there out of breath, which momentarily takes my breath away.“Did you run back up here?”I ask, hoping the answer is yes.
“Yes.”He closes the distance in three steps.Staring into my eyes, he cups my face and says, “Last night...last night was amazing.”Then he’s kissing me with a fiery passion, his hands groping as his body presses against mine in ways that stirs up the frenzy from last night all over again.
Backing up abruptly, he has a huge grin on his face.“I’ll see you later.”
With my own goofy grin in place, I laugh.“Yes, later for sure.”
He turns and runs out again.Standing at the door, I watch as he takes to the stairs, leaping to touch the ceiling and hollering excitedly right before he descends.Shutting the door, I lean against the back of it, smiling without reservation and stupidly happy.I slide down the door until I land on the floor.All of a sudden, the world seems to offer unparalleled opportunities.Too giddy to wait any longer to conquer Paris, I jump up and get ready for the day, the grin never leaving my face.
Istroll up the Avenuedes Champs-Élysées with Icona Pop playing in my ear buds.The Arc de Triomphe is straight ahead.The trees are blowing in the breeze.The sky is cloudless and blue reminding me of Olivier’s eyes.I pick up the pace to match the beat of the music until I find the pedestrian tunnel.When I arrive ready to climb up, I mentally prepare myself for the two hundred and eighty steps.
At the top, I see huge monuments sprinkled around the city.In one direction is tomorrow’s scheduled adventure—the Sacré-Coeur.Back down Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde.The city is breathtaking and more than I could have hoped for in other ways.
