Page 53 of Serenade Me

Chapter Nineteen

Anca

“You guys have the rest of the afternoon free, yeah? Please be back here by 6 p.m., our show starts at 9 p.m.,” Hailey reminds us before she hurries off for a meeting with her crew.

“So late?” Brad yawns and raises his arms over his head in a stretch as if anticipating the late night.

“We’re French ‘ere,” Sebastian says, his accent stronger than usual. “We don’t have early bird dinner at 5:30 and go to bed with the covers pulled up to our chins by 8. We like to party.”

“Why don’t you adopt the same enthusiasm to bathing?” Marius asks, waving his hand in front of his face.

“I do, just last night I scrubbed my armpits very thoroughly.”

Jez moves closer and pretends to sniff Seb. “They still smell, bro.”

“That’s because I used your toothbrush, bro.”

Jez makes a face and I know he’s weighing up the chances of that actually happening.

Sebastian laughs and slaps my brother on the back of his head, eliciting a loud yelp and they chase each other, hollering obscenities, as they run out the front door of the hotel.

Brad wanders off, to find a bed, presumably, and I stand there, not wanting to walk away from Marius. He’s rubbing the side of his head and looking in the direction that Jez went, talking to himself. I can hear mumbles but not words.

Then he turns to me. “Fuck it,” he says. Out of nowhere. “Ready for an adventure?”

“Sorry?”

“Let’s go!” he says, his eyes getting wild.

“Go where?”

“Does it matter?” He asks. And I don’t need to answer, he can tell from the look on my face that I’ll follow him anywhere. “It’s now. Or never.”

“Now.” I say. Like that one word is the most important sound I’ve ever uttered.

“Let’s go then!” He exclaims, pressing a kiss to my cheek while grabbing my wrist and pulling me with him. As I run, trying to keep up with him, I can’t help but hope that I could spend now, and always, with him.

“Taxi!” He calls out to the doorman who waves to a waiting cab. He opens the car door for me and pushes me inside just as we hear Jez and Sebastian calling out to us from the hotel entrance. “Get in, get in!” Marius rushes me, giggling as he slides in next to me. “Vite, vite!” he yells at the driver as he slams the door shut.

I laugh as the driver throws us a weird look. “He doesn’t know where to go, you crazy loon!”

“Just go, man!” He yells and the drivers presses down hard on the brake, just as I hear a hand slam against the window and turn to see my brother’s face. I wave goodbye to his stunned face as the car speeds away.

“Where are we going?” I ask, giddy with excitement.

“Wherever the wind takes us,” he whispers into my ear, “whoooosh.” The look he gives me is so intense I have to turn away. Turn away before I say thing I won’t be able to take back.

“Stop! Arret, monsieur, s’il vous plaît!” he yells in my ear just seconds later, killing the moment, and the car jerks to a stop. He’s dragged me half way out of the car before I even have a chance to take a breath. “Come, Anca! Life isn’t going to wait for us!”

“Where are we? We barely drove two blocks?!” I pant, looking down at the shoes slipping off my feet as I run, taking two steps for each one of his long ones.

“Sometimes two blocks is all it takes, Anca.” He gestures with his hand and for the first time, I look up. And gasp.

In front of me is the most beautiful scene I’ve ever had the privilege to see.

A glorious green mountain cliff juts out into the sky, seemingly out of nowhere, and at its feet lies the most crystal-clear lake you can imagine. Like a perfect, flawless pane of blue glass, a window into the bottom of the sandy lake. Small motor boats line the semicircle edge of the lake and a giant expanse of thick, green, luscious grass lies out, welcoming you to spread out your lunch and body against its soft leaves.

“Oh my god. Marius.”