Chapter 3
The bed dips and Ifeel cold.Reluctantly, I open my eyes.
I was wide awake at three in the morning.Just after five I fell asleep again.I never moved from my spot.It felt too good in the nook of Olivier’s arm, pressed against his body, so I stayed.
The door shuts and I stare at the back of it.While he’s gone down the hall, I quickly cup my hand in front of my mouth and huff, smelling my breath.Fortunately it’s not bad.Phew!I pull my t-shirt down to cover my waist just as the door reopens, startling me.
“You’re awake,” Olivier says.He stops just inside the room and looks past me toward the window.“I need to go.I have work.D’accord?Sorry,” he says, running his hands through his shaggy morning hair.“Okay?”
I look at him, but remain lying down and pull the covers up to my neck, suddenly feeling too exposed and vulnerable in the light of the new day.“Okay.”
He walks to a chair and grabs the shirt he wore last night.As he pulls it over his head, I admire his body.His stomach is more defined than any of the guys I’ve dated before.I can tell he’s more into how he looks, and puts effort into it, staying in shape more than my last boyfriend who was a bio-chem major.
As he tugs at the long sleeves of the blue Henley, I ask, “What do you do?For work?”
“Odd jobs for cash.Today, I’m working down at a flower shop on La Rive Gauche.”With socks and shoes in hand, he sits on the end of the bed and asks, “What about you, Kandace?”
“I’m in school.University.”
With a nod, he looks back down and finishes getting dressed.He stands up.“What university?”
“Barnard College.”
“Ahhh, New York City.”
“Yes, how did you know that?”
He laughs, but I’m not in on the inside joke.Grabbing his jacket that hangs from the corner of the bed frame, he says, “I hope you get to see la Tour Eiffel.Au revoir.”Leaving the room before I have a chance to say goodbye, I’m left totally confused by him.But confusion over men is nothing new.I’ve spent time on my future.Men have always come secondary or even third or fourth.Most days they don’t make my list of priorities at all if I’m completely honest.I’m looking for love that sweeps me off my feet.
Tired of analyzing my dating situation, I flip the covers from my body and get out of bed.I lay my suitcase on the floor and open it, getting my stuff for the day out of it because Paris awaits.
Istop into a bakeryfor a croissant, feeling more like a local just having the French pastry in my hands.Walking along the narrow street, I turn a corner and look in all directions.I’m not sure where I am exactly, but I know where I want to go.Sitting down on a nearby bench, I pull my small map out of my purse and try to get my bearings without being obvious that I’m using a map to do so.I wish my phone worked over here.I could GPS it so easily, but I don’t have it, so old school it is.
When I figure out which direction I want to go, I walk with purpose.
The Louvre is evenmore beautiful than I ever imagined.I take the long route and wander the halls, losing hours to the beauty of art and design.Extra time is spent with the Venus de Milo statue—the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty, admiring her beauty and seeking her strength.
I leave the museum when the sun is low in the sky.I’m not sure how I’m getting back to the hostel, but considering it took me so long to walk here, I can’t do the same walk back.Tucking my camera into my bag, I head to the nearest side street away from the chaos of the Louvre crowds and hail a cab.
The cabbie looks at me in the mirror as I slide inside, “Where you going?”
“You speak English,” I ask, surprised.
