Chapter 27
I’m back in my body.
Back in Paris, by the river’s edge.
The ledge of concrete digs hard and cold into my upper thighs, and I’m taken by the view. The sun’s out, and the whole city feels fresh and clean and is glowing gold.
My cheeks are wet, and I turn to Tyler, who’s watching me carefully.
“I can’t believe I forgot,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”
“So it came back to you?” he says. “All of it?” He reaches over and puts his arm around my shoulders. I lean in closer, not worrying that I’m smashing the bread and cheese.
“Yes. All of it. Roseline’s sandwiches. The scene I wrote for us.” I shake my head. “Why didn’t you just remind me of everything earlier?” I ask.
Tyler grins. “Where’s the fun in that? Once I saw your list, I wanted to time it all out—like a mastermind.”
I feel tingles all over. My character arc, the one I wanted for this trip to Paris, has been completed. I can check off every item on my list—even number seven.
Believe in love and enchantment again. Number seven. I don’t even need to show it to Tyler right now. That item, I can keep as my own secret.
“You evil genius,” I say, looking at him in wonder.
“I learned it all from you.”
“You gave me a new ratatouille moment,” I say, dazed. “A Proustian memory.”
“That’s a true Proustian memory,” he says. “You don’t know what yours really is until it hits you.”
I look around, drinking in as much beauty as I can. The city is coming to life around us.
The scenery is almost too much, painful to take in, like I don’t deserve it—like no one could deserve it.
But deep down, I know I do deserve this. We both deserve each other.
We kiss again, this time as Ben Lim and Tyler Travers, former best friends and now … something else. I can taste grape marmalade and Brie and golden-brown baguette on his tongue.
No need to label everything right now, or ever.
Just like everything that happened tonight, we’ll figure it out as we go.