Chapter 2 #2
I knew she just wanted to find out if I had contacted Sybille. It did not matter that we had broken up almost two years ago, or how many times I told her that we would not be getting back together, my mother would not listen.
‘Do you need to get that?’ Nico asked.
‘Non.’ I shook my head. ‘It is just my mother asking me when I will be providing her first grandchild.’
‘Ouch,’ Cassie said.
A text flashed up on my screen. Although my mother was French like me, she always messaged and spoke to me in English. Except when she was angry.
Mother
Photos from our celebration of Laila’s freedom today. Kisses xx
Two photos flashed up. One of my mother with her neighbours, Marjorie and a lady whose name I could not remember standing beside the woman whose name I could never forget: Laila.
It had been years since I had seen her in person.
When I fell out with my mother and refused to visit her in London, one of the things I missed the most was the conversations I used to have with Laila.
The last time I saw her was before I decided to leave university and Mon Dieu, she was still as beautiful as I remembered: sparkling chocolate-brown eyes, pretty dark braided hair, warm brown skin and a body that I dreamt of more than I should have.
I had a major crush on Laila from the moment my mother introduced us. But I knew that nothing would ever happen. Not just because she was best friends with my mother and lived in London, whilst I was here in France, but because I knew that she would never be interested in someone my age.
Back then, I was barely a man and Laila was all woman.
‘Who’s in the photos?’ Cassie asked.
‘That is my mother in the centre, with her neighbours.’ I showed Cassie and Nico the screen.
‘Your mum looks fun. And wow, who’s that woman on her left?’ Cassie pointed. ‘She’s really pretty!’
That was exactly what I was just thinking.
‘That is Laila.’
I scrolled to the next photo. When I saw a policeman standing in front of Laila, who was sitting on a chair, looking terrified, my eyes widened.
Was she in some kind of trouble? My heart thudded in my chest as I wondered whether she was okay.
‘Why is there a policeman with her?’ Nico asked, once again voicing my thoughts.
‘I am not sure,’ I frowned. ‘My mother said Laila was celebrating her freedom.’
‘From prison?’ Nico tilted his head.
‘I do not think so,’ I replied, wondering if I should call her to find out.
I tried to limit my contact with my mother, but I hated the thought of Laila being in trouble and not being able to help her.
‘You two are hilarious!’ Cassie grabbed my phone and zoomed in. ‘That’s not a real policeman! He’s a stripper!’ She burst out laughing.
‘Oh!’ Nico chuckled.
‘Your mum’s friends certainly know how to celebrate!’ Cassie added. ‘It’s probably a divorce party if she’s “celebrating her freedom”.’
‘I do not think she was married,’ I said, thinking that my mother definitely would have mentioned if she was and that I always thought it was a miracle that someone like Laila was even single.
I remembered thinking that she was the definition of a perfect woman. Not because of her beauty, but because she had a kind heart. She adored her son and sacrificed so much for him. Her education. Her career. Her happiness.
And she was so smart. The long discussions we would have when I came to London were always the highlight of my holidays.
‘Looks like they got her some kind of voucher or something.’ Cassie scrolled back to the first photo, then zoomed in. ‘No way!’ she shrieked.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘The piece of paper she’s holding up is a receipt for a hotel. And not just any hotel!’ Cassie grinned.
‘I do not understand.’ My face crumpled.
‘You’re not gonna believe this considering we were literally just talking about it, but it’s a receipt for a deposit for the Paris Love Hotel – the one Nico invested in!’
‘That is a coincidence.’ Nico’s brows shot up.
‘You might call it coincidence, but I call it a sign.’ Cassie’s eyes brightened. ‘It’s like the universe wanted us to persuade Gabriel to go, so it made his mum send him that picture right at the exact moment that we needed him to see it.’
‘Perhaps,’ Nico said.
‘Whether you believe in the universe, or coincidences or not, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The point is, now Gabriel has had two mentions of the same hotel in one day, which has to count for something, right?’ Cassie insisted.
‘How does it work exactly?’ I said, resting my finger on my chin. ‘It is a large group of single people that go to the hotel and you chat with each other until you find someone that you are interested in?’
‘No,’ Cassie said. ‘You fill out a detailed questionnaire, pay a deposit and then the matchmaking experts use some top-secret magic to find your perfect woman from the zillions of applicants. And you only get invited to the hotel if they find your soulmate. Could take a week, could take months, or even years. It all depends on when the future love of your life applies.’
‘I see.’ I sat up straighter in the sofa. My curiosity had been officially piqued.
‘What do you think about going?’ Nico asked. ‘It could be very useful for me if you went.’
‘How so?’ I frowned.
‘Well, I have invested a considerable amount of money in these hotels and although of course I have done my research, it would be useful to have someone I know and trust visit as a guest to confirm that the hotels are as excellent as I have been led to believe. If you went, you would be helping me a lot.’
Nico had done so much for me in the past three years since we met at a networking event and he offered to mentor me. It was his advice that helped me take my business to the next level. Without him I would never have been able to sell it. I owed him everything and he had never asked for anything.
Until now.
Although I had no interest in going to a matchmaking hotel, he said it would help him if I did, so there was no way that I could refuse. It was the least I could do.
‘Of course I would be happy to help you, but what about the woman I will be matched with? Surely it would be unfair to go there when I know I do not want a relationship?’
‘Naturellement.’ He nodded. ‘If you decide to help, you must promise that you will go with an open heart and mind. Although you believe a relationship is not for you, you must be willing to try. If the matchmakers do their job, they will find a woman who is perfect for you and as long as you try your best to make it work, there will be nothing disingenuous about this.’
Laila’s face immediately flashed into my mind.
I was not interested before, but Nico asking me to go was reason enough to change my opinion. And as foolish as it sounded, somehow knowing that Laila had applied also helped.
She was one of the few women that had ever truly captured my attention.
Even back then, despite the fact that we were at different stages of life and came from different backgrounds, we still seemed to have a lot in common.
I always felt that we had a connection.
Although I was on speaking terms with my mother, I had no intention of visiting her in London which meant I would not get to see Laila again. So the news that she was potentially coming to Paris was interesting.
But of course, I had no way of knowing if and when she would be here. The receipt showed the application was made days ago. So even if this hotel had already found her match, it was highly unlikely that we would be there at the same time, so like I had said, it was stupid to even think about her.
And I did not even know what her personality was like now. Just because I enjoyed her company before, a lot could change in seven years.
Non.
Laila’s application to go to the hotel had no influence on my decision. I was going purely because Nico needed me.
Plus, it would give me something to do whilst I worked out what my next venture would be.
‘Of course I will help you,’ I said. ‘How do I apply?’