“Yeah, but you should hear yourself when you talk about him, Ruby. Your voice gets all dreamy. I mean, really, when’s the last time you were this smitten with anyone?”
She cleared her throat and took another sip of water, pressing a hand against the ache in her chest. “It’s been a while.”
“Elle and Theo made a trans-Atlantic romance work. Maybe you and Flynn should try too.”
“The situations are totally different. And I mean, we only spent one day together.”
“Well, I still think you should come home, but if your cough were to clear up…I’m just saying, he’s in Europe. You’re still in Europe. Maybe try to see him again if you think this thing between you two is worth fighting for.”
Flynn didn’t makeit back to his hotel room until past nine that evening. He’d spent most of the day with Aidan, running through all the particulars of his build, noting updates and adjustments that needed to be made to the rough mock-up Flynn had put together yesterday. Now, he had a mountain of work to do, but it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he needed to relax for a bit.
He set the carry-out bag that he’d brought home from the pub on the table, his stomach rumbling as the scent of beef and potatoes met his nose. He set out his meal, cracked open a beer, and thumbed through social media on his phone while he ate. Ruby had posted a series of photos of Paris landmarks, taken from what looked like the inside of one of those tourist buses that took people around to all the points of interest. Briefly, he wondered why she’d decided to ride the bus today, but that was secondary to the pang of regret in his chest that she’d left London.
This wasn’t a surprise. He’d known she was only in London for three nights. Hell, he’d been the one to suggest the train to Paris. But it felt real now, in a way it hadn’t before, that he wasn’t going to see her again.
He looked over at his laptop. He’d finished surveying the site and gone over all the particulars for the house with Aidan. Technically, he could complete the design from anywhere. Of course, it would be more professional to stay here in Wales, to be able to show Aidan his progress and get his feedback along the way. But he had a feeling Aidan would be the first person to give a green light to Flynn taking a quick excursion to Paris.
Before he got ahead of himself, he’d just shoot her a text, see what she was doing tonight. He opened his text messaging app, feeling a punch of lust in his gut when he saw their most recent texts, the ones that had led to their ridiculously amazing phone sex. If she’d texted him last night from bed while she was pleasuring herself, surely it didn’t violate the rules of their relationship if he texted her now just to say hello.
Bonsoir, chéri. How’s Paris?
Her reply came almost immediately.Much sunnier than London. She added an emoji of the sun for emphasis.
Most places in the world are sunnier than London. Feel like chatting for a few minutes?
This time, there was a lengthy pause before she started to type, a pause he tried very hard not to overanalyze. It was totally fine if she didn’t want to chat. For the best even, maybe.
Sure, she answered finally.
Not giving himself a chance to second guess the decision, he pressed the little icon next to her name.
“Hi.” Her voice was soft, almost hushed, and the sound of it made his stomach swoop like he’d just gone over the big drop on a rollercoaster.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Nope. Just relaxing in my hotel room before bed.”
“Same.”
A loaded silence fell over the line as he remembered what they’d done together on the phone last night. He suspected she was remembering the same thing.
“Would you like some company tomorrow?” he asked before he could lose his nerve.
There was another pause as she seemed to consider this.
“Company, as in…?” she asked, still speaking in that hushed voice. Was there someone else in the room with her that she was trying not to disturb? No, that was ridiculous.
“As in, I could fly out to Paris for the day. I’d really like to see you again.”
“I…” She paused and cleared her throat. “I’d like to see you again too, Flynn, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
“Of course,” he said quickly, fighting the sting of disappointment. “No need to complicate things when you’re only in Europe for a few more days.” It had been a ridiculous request, really. His parents had been disappointed time and again when he lost focus in the middle of a project, and here he was doing it to Aidan too. This had felt different, but maybe it was exactly the same.
“Yes.” She sounded relieved. “I mean, I like you…a lot. But I planned this trip as a solo adventure, so I really think I need to do it on my own. And besides, it would only be harder to say goodbye a second time, don’t you think?”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
“Sorry.”
