My heart skips a beat, my eyes go wide. “It’ll be just us.”
He nods. “You all right with that?”
I think of New Years in Milan and conjure up big parties and new friends. Fresh adventures in a far-off place. Loud and manic.
All of it leaves me cold.
But when I look at Colin and the sweet smile I somehow helped put on his face, I’ve got nothing but warmth inside. “I’m a little freaked out. I mean, where will I live?”
“My place? I’ve got two bedrooms. And I’ll bet your patisserie people would take you back. You could work here, but—”
“Too much. Too soon,” I say. “I barely know you.”
He grins. “Are we out of our minds?”
“Yes.” It’s a wild plan, totally irrational.
“We’ll find you a flat of your own, if you’d like. Whatever you want.” His eyes narrow. “This means you’re staying? At least a while?”
“I’ll be illegal.”
“Shit.”
“Won’t be the first time.” I force a smile. “Maybe I should leave and come back and then—”
“We’ll figure it out. I can think of at least one legal way to get you a carte de séjour.”
My eyes go wide. “Are you, like, proposing something right now?”
He laughs and I do the same, giddy and nervous and as excited as I am scared. By the time we wind down, we’re both way too awkward.
“Bit fast, isn’t it?”
“How about one step at a time?” I ask. “In case you go back to hating me.”
“I never hated you,” he growls, low. “Not once. You were just so…”
I hold my breath. “What?”
“Right.”
“Right?”
“Like a wish come true. Too perfect to be real.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“You’re perfect for me, Jules.” His gaze on mine is so fierce I can feel it to my toes. “Getting stuck with you was the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
The front door swings open, letting in cold air and a sprinkling of fat snowflakes, along with an old lady carrying a scraggly, brown dog.
“Is that…”
“Bon, is it finished now?” Madame Christen squawks into the quiet between songs. The murmuring ceases as people catch sight of her. “Did those two fools finally see the light?”
For a drawn out moment, everyone stares, their attention slowly moving from us to our elderly neighbor and back. And then, into the silence, Chouchou the dog gives a joyous bark, Raf yells out “They did!” and the entire pub bursts into laughter and applause.
“Were we that…obvious?” I whisper to Colin under my breath.
