"Care to tell me what we're looking for here?" Maxime asks as I stop at a stand with small antique furniture.
My gaze wanders over bronze statues, velvet-covered stools with bear paws as legs, and dark-stained dressers with beautifully weathered hardware.
"We need something very special," I murmur absentmindedly, slipping past a young woman with a stroller to the table displaying smaller artworks.
Maxime follows. "Something very special, huh? And for what purpose?"
There! I tilt my head to peer over the blond woman standing in front of the table. "Excuse me," I politely say in French, prompting her to step aside. Only when she turns to face me do I recognize that it's Alice from the academy.
For a moment, I feel caught, but I quickly realize that there's no need for that. Smiling, I raise my hand. "Hey."
With narrowed eyes, she lets her gaze wander back and forth between Maxime and me. "Ah, our dream couple. How lovely." Her tone sends a chill down my spine. "As much as I'd love to chat, I don't have the time," she adds before Maxime or I can react, and turns on her heels.
Frowning, I watch her leave. "What was that about?"
"No idea." He squeezes my hand. "Let's ignore her."
"Maybe she's just having a bad day." With those words, I shift my focus to the table with the artwork. We shouldn't let Alice ruin our day, yet I can hardly shake off the memory of her accusatory expression.
It doesn't take long before I spot something. "Aren't these wonderful?" I point at the miniature Baroque-style chests of drawers.
He's instantly beside me, examining the collection with enthusiasm. "Very pretty." He reaches for a black version adorned with golden stucco and pulls open the top of the ten drawers. "Is this for jewelry?"
Normally, yes, but I have a much better use in mind. "It's for our memories."
A knowing expression flickers across his face. "So this is the mysterious memory box?"
I lean in closer to him. "You haven't forgotten."
"With the secrecy you made of it in Giverny? Never." He puts the miniature chest back on the table and shrugs. "So what's it all about?"
His cluelessness is so endearing that I simply have to kiss him. I relish being able to do this here, in the midst of the bustling crowd.
"Do you remember what we promised each other on the rooftop terrace after the tournament in Bordeaux?" I ask, my heart pounding.
He returns my smile and wraps his arms around me. "We'll dance. And we'll live."
"Surely you remember the photos I took of our outings?" I raise an eyebrow.
He nods and sways us gently as if we were dancing to slow music.
"And the little things I collected?" I add with excitement. "The water lily leaves, the sand from the Atlantic coast, and the tiny cheese knife?"
All he does is smile at me. That's all it takes for me to suddenly feel as if we're completely alone on this flea market. I can no longer hear the loud conversations of the other visitors, and I no longer feel the constant stream of people passing by.
"They are more valuable than any jewelry in the world." They are our moments. Experiences that we will look back on together when we're old. "Everything we experience together, we'll gather in this box."
He gently kisses my forehead. "That sounds wonderful."
"Every adventure we dream of, we'll make come true. And we'll keep it in this box." I look at him meaningfully, then I reach for the miniature chest he had in his hands before. "Each of these drawers represents a year together." Carefully, I open the top compartment. It's still empty. "Soon, we'll place an ultrasound image in this drawer."
I involuntarily swallow. I feel ashamed that the pregnancy stirs up this internal conflict within me. I should be overjoyed, but a part of me doesn't know if I truly want the baby.
This thought is horrifying, yet I confront it every day. Only by facing it can I overcome it.
"And the hairpin you'll wear at the French Championship," Maxime adds, his voice choked.
Yes, that too. "We should dance our mambo right in the heart of Paris." Originally, we planned to do that once the academy was behind us, but there's no need to wait any longer.
