‘This is serious,’ I protested.
‘We were playing around. It was just some harmless flirting. It is not as if my mother caught us doing anything. And in any case, who and what you choose to lick is completely up to you. This is your life, not hers.’
‘I know, but I can’t betray her like this. It isn’t right. Thanks for a lovely day, but I’m sorry, I can’t stay out with you. I need to go back to the hotel,’ I said, walking away and scanning the streets for the nearest Metro station.
‘Laila! Don’t go!’ Gabriel followed behind me.
‘I have to! Look, I’ll see you at the activity tomorrow, but apart from that, we have to keep our distance. It’s for the best.’
This was what I’d planned to do from the start, but I’d got sidetracked. I’d lost myself just because he’d given me some compliments.
I couldn’t do anything about my lack of willpower over the past few days, but I could do something about my behaviour in the future.
There’d be no more getting ice cream together or flirting.
I would only see Gabriel for the activities until we finally went to the Eiffel Tower. Outside of that, I’d avoid him.
That was the only way this could work.
That had to be the plan.
And this time, I was determined to stick to it.
19
LAILA
As I posed for a selfie in front of the huge glass pyramid at the Louvre, I smiled then blew out a satisfied breath.
I was proud of myself.
Three days ago I’d vowed to only see Gabriel for the scheduled couples activities and I’d done exactly that.
After I’d got back from Montmartre on Monday evening, I’d eaten dinner in my room so avoided having to stare into his ridiculously gorgeous deep brown eyes.
On Tuesday, when I woke up I’d had a long relaxing shower. And even though I didn’t have the photos we’d taken at the I Love You Wall, I’d tried to do the thing that Gabriel said about looking at myself and saying ‘I Love You’.
But when I’d run my hands over the stretch marks on my stomach and thighs, I’d grimaced. I couldn’t do it. I’d quickly wrapped the towel back around myself.
It was easy to tell someone to look at themselves and say nice things when you looked like Gabriel. But for normal people like me with cellulite and flabby bits, it wasn’t so simple.
Although I hadn’t seen him in the buff, I could just tell from his muscular arms and the way his clothes fitted him that Gabriel was in great shape.
If I had a toned body like his, I’d walk around naked all day. But I didn’t, so I’d got dressed, told myself to stop picturing Gabriel in his birthday suit, eaten some fruit that was in my room and headed to the briefing.
Once that was done, we’d gone to Notre-Dame and taken photos of the outside of other famous places like Panthéon and Sainte-Chapelle, then I’d come straight back to the hotel. I’d kept the conversations brief, which admittedly made things a bit awkward, but it was for the best.
Then on Wednesday we’d visited Musée d’Orsay, some key bridges including Pont Alexandre III and then went to Les Invalides – a pretty building with a striking gilded dome and lush, manicured lawn at the front, before returning to the hotel and going to our rooms (separately, of course).
Seeing the sights together was already blurring the boundaries so it was important to keep my distance as soon as those visits were done.
I’d continued to complete the tasks, including the playlist, but it was harder and harder to keep the songs generic when so many illicit emotions were running through my mind – and my body.
Even with keeping the visits and photos ‘professional’, I still enjoyed Gabriel’s company much more than I should. And my attraction to him wasn’t weakening like I’d hoped. Somehow it was just intensifying.
Maybe knowing that he was forbidden made me want him more. Like when you tell yourself you absolutely shouldn’t have the chocolate bar in the cupboard or the tub of ice cream in the freezer, then all you can think about is devouring it.
I knew the smart thing was to return to London, but we still hadn’t seen the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, I could go and see it myself, but the truth was I was loving Paris and I didn’t want to leave yet.
