The man of my dreams!
4
GABRIEL
‘Salut, Nico,’ I said as I slid onto the leather back seat of the Rolls-Royce before the chauffeur closed the door.
‘Salut. I am calling to wish you good luck. It is today that you go to the Love Hotel,non?’
‘Oui,’ I confirmed. ‘I am just in the car that the hotel sent.’
It still had not sunk in that in just a few hours I would be having dinner with a stranger that was supposed to be my perfect match.
Thankfully this was not a video call so Nico could not see that I had just rolled my eyes.
He had asked me to go with an open heart and mind, so I was trying my best not to be sceptical but it was difficult.
After I had filled out the application, I told myself I would not think about it, but because I no longer had work to distract me, I was ashamed to admit that despite knowing that it was stupid, I had still wondered on more than a few occasions if I would see Laila there.
Hoping that our paths would cross was the definition of insanity.
Nico had explained that the hotel received hundreds of applications every week. Not just from France and the UK but from all around the world. I was already lucky to have secured a place this quickly, so it was clear that the chances of also being at the hotel at the same time as Laila were low.
Instead of thinking about a woman I had not even seen or spoken to in years, I needed to focus on the objective: helping Nico.
And if I got to enjoy the company of what I hoped would be an interesting woman in the process, that would not be a bad thing. It had to be better than spending my days in my apartment, struggling to think of a new venture. I would of course make my intentions clear from the beginning to avoid leading her on.
‘Fantastique! Cassie and I will wait to hear news of your soulmate.’
‘Do not get too excited,’ I said. ‘This is a research trip. I am not going to find a soulmate.’
‘Remember what I said about keeping an open heart and mind.’
‘Entendu,’ I agreed. ‘But I do not want you and Cassie to be disappointed when I tell you that I do not have a spark with my match.’
‘You will,’ Nico said confidently. ‘I am very careful with the ventures that I invest in. The Love Hotel’s reputation is impressive. I am confident that you are going to be very happy with your match.’
If he was so confident in this hotel, why was it even necessary for me to do research on his behalf? I was about to ask, but then stopped. Nico asked for my help, so I was not going to question his request. But I was sure he would not mind me asking if he had information about my match.
‘Do you know who she is?’
‘Non.’
‘Then how can you be so sure I will be happy with her?’
‘Just a feeling,’ he said. ‘I must go. But update me later. If I cannot answer, leave a voice note.’
‘D’accord,’ I agreed.
Nico hung up and I relaxed back in my seat.
Although I still took the Metro and used Uber (just because I had money, it was important that I did not let it go to my head), I could not deny that sending a top-of-the-range chauffeur-driven luxury electric car to take me to the hotel had certainly made a positive impression. And it was a lot more comfortable than public transport.
But after my conversation with Nico, it was not the car or hotel that was dominating my thoughts.
And as reluctant as I was to go, the one thing I wanted to know right now was who my match was.
Nico said that he had a feeling that I would like her.
