"That's great!"
"How's culinary school?"
"Hard. But good. I'm learning so much."
More silence. Awkward and painful.
"Lucy, we need to talk," Jake said.
Lucy's stomach dropped. "Okay."
"I'm struggling. With the distance. With barely talking to you. With feeling like you have this whole new life in Paris and I'm just—I'm here. Waiting."
"I'm not asking you to wait—"
"I know. But I am waiting. I'm living my life, yeah, but I'm also just counting down until March when I can see you. And that's not healthy."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I miss you. I'm saying this is harder than I thought it would be. I'm saying I don't know how to do this."
Lucy felt tears start. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"What? No! Lucy, no. I love you. I just—I need to know if you're struggling too. Or if it's just me. If I'm the only one who feels like we're drifting apart."
"I'm struggling too," Lucy admitted. "Every day. I miss you so much it hurts. But Jake—I can't leave Paris. I just got here. I have five more months of school."
"I'm not asking you to leave! I'm just asking for honesty. For real conversations instead of these surface-level check-ins where we both pretend everything's fine."
"I pretend everything's fine because I don't want to worry you! You have coaching, you have your life in Timber Falls. I don't want to be the girlfriend who's always complaining about how hard Paris is."
"But I want to know when it's hard! I want to know when you're struggling. That's what partnerships are—sharing the hard stuff, not just the highlights."
Lucy wiped her eyes. "Okay. You want honesty? I'm lonely. Paris is incredible but it's also overwhelming and isolating and I feel like I'm failing most days. Chef Laurent thinks I'm mediocre at best. I cry at least twice a week. And I miss you so much that sometimes I can't breathe. But I can't tell you that because you sacrificed so much to let me do this—"
"I didn't sacrifice anything. I chose you. I chose to support your dreams."
"But what if my dreams are pulling us apart? What if six months is too long?"
Jake was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe it is. But we have to try, Lucy. We can't give up after one month."
"I'm not giving up."
"Neither am I. But we have to be honest with each other. We have to talk about the hard stuff. Can we do that?"
Lucy nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Yeah. We can do that."
"Okay. Then let's start now. Tell me everything. Tell me what Paris is really like."
So Lucy told him. About the loneliness, the fear, the moments when she wondered if she'd made a huge mistake. About the incredible highs—when Chef Laurent actually praised something she made, when she discovered a new patisserie, when Paris took her breath away.
And Jake told her about Timber Falls. About how empty the bakery felt without her. About Wednesday mornings that didn't feel right anymore. About lying awake at 3 AM missing her so much his chest hurt.
They talked for two hours—really talked, no surface-level pleasantries. By the end, Lucy felt exhausted but closer to Jake than she had since she'd left.
"I'm coming in March," Jake said. "Five more weeks. Can you survive five more weeks?"
"If you can."
