Chapter 11
GAbrIEL
I glanced at my watch. Breakfast service would be finishing in ten minutes and there was still no sign of Laila.
When I came down to the restaurant over an hour ago and spoke to Claude, he said Laila had made a decision about whether she would be staying or leaving, but he was not able to elaborate, because discussions between Love Alchemists and guests were always confidential.
He said that although he understood it was difficult for me, I would have to wait to hear from her directly.
Naturally, I hoped that she would see sense and stay, but there was no guarantee. Either way, it was out of my control, so I just had to get on with my day.
I headed out of the restaurant and towards the lift. The first briefing would be starting soon and I wanted to go to my room first.
After brushing my teeth, I picked up my wallet and was about to go to the rooftop for the briefing when my phone rang.
‘Salut!’ I said as I answered the call. It was Nico.
‘Cassie and I are on our way to a meeting and we wanted to hear how it went with your first date. And of course hear about your experience at the hotel so far.’
‘I wanted Nico to call last night,’ Cassie jumped in, ‘but then I thought if you two had hit it off, you might be otherwise engaged, if you catch my drift!’ She laughed.
‘The first date was… unexpected,’ I said.
‘What happened?’ Nico asked.
‘Didn’t you feel the sparks?’ Cassie added.
‘I felt it. She is my dream match. But I am her nightmare.’
‘You?’ Cassie said, shock clear in her voice. ‘How could anyone ever call you a nightmare? You’re a sweetheart.’
‘Merci. She was not happy because she is my mother’s best friend.’
‘Noooo!’ Cassie gasped. ‘That’s wild!’
I told them everything, including how well I remembered us getting on before and explained that I was waiting to find out whether she was staying.
‘There is still hope,’ Nico said. ‘You have the briefing now?’
‘Oui.’
‘If she is as smart as you say, I am sure she will be there.’
‘I hope so.’
‘Keep us posted!’ Cassie added. ‘I’m sooo excited to find out what happens. We’re rooting for you, Gabe!’
‘I appreciate that.’ My heart swelled. They were such supportive friends. ‘Would you like me to tell you more about the hotel and my observations so far? I can prepare a report if you wish.’
‘A report will not be necessary,’ Nico said. ‘You can tell me more when we next meet. In the meantime, just focus on enjoying yourself. Remember, open heart and mind.’
‘D’accord. Have a good meeting.’
‘Merci.’ Nico hung up.
I strode out of the door and up to the rooftop.
It was impressive. As well as the breathtaking city views, which of course included La Tour Eiffel, the outdoor space was like an oasis of calm in the heart of Paris.
An abundance of olive and fig trees and colourful plants were strategically placed around the dark wood decking to make it feel like a beautiful Mediterranean garden, without obscuring the views.
There was a flower wall with a Love Hotel Paris logo which I imagined was created for couples who wanted to pose for selfies and a flower arch which led to a cocktail bar.
Dozens of red-and-white-striped sun loungers were perfectly positioned to enable guests to enjoy the views of the Parisian skyline, along with comfortable-looking sofas and daybeds with red cushions which looked ideal for relaxing on after a long day of sightseeing.
After finding an empty sun lounger, I sat down. Minutes later, Claude and three other staff members appeared at the front. Looked like the briefing was about to start and Laila still was not here.
She was not coming.
My stomach sank like a stone.
I was so disappointed.
‘Bonjour!’ Claude stood in front of the group. ‘I have of course met you all already, but just in case you have forgotten, my name is Claude and I am your Love Alchemist.’
‘Sorry!’ a familiar voice called out. When I turned around, I saw Laila rushing towards the gathering of guests.
A wide grin broke out on my face and happiness flooded my chest.
She stayed.
Oh là là.
Laila was wearing a colourful pink and yellow knee-length dress with gold sandals and she looked absolutely breathtaking.
‘Welcome!’ Claude ushered her in. ‘Take a seat. We have just started.’
I was about to pat the space beside me, but just because she was staying, it did not mean that she wanted to sit close to me.
Laila’s eyes met mine and she gave me a cautious smile before looking at the empty seat. She paused and for a moment I was convinced she was going to sit elsewhere, but then she sat next to me.
Her beautiful scent immediately flooded my nostrils. She smelt of summer. Sweet, fruity and fresh.
‘So, as I mentioned, I am Claude and standing beside me are three of our most talented Love Alchemists who will also be working their magic to help you fall in love with your match: this is Sammie,’ Claude gestured towards a woman with light brown skin and pink ombre curly hair who waved enthusiastically, ‘and this is Romeo,’ a man with olive skin and dark hair nodded, ‘and Lisette.’ A dark-haired woman with glasses waved.
‘Bonjour!’ a guest with short brown hair called out excitedly and the Love Alchemists gave her a warm smile.
‘I like your enthusiasm!’ Claude replied before continuing.
‘So this morning I will explain how everything will work during your stay. I am not sure if you are aware, but the Love Hotel in Paris is our first ever capital city location. Our other resorts in Spain, Jamaica, Italy and California are all based on the beach. Which means that the activities we have prepared for you and your match will be different.’
‘Good different, I hope!’ a man with blond hair and an English accent called out.
‘Bien s?r!’ Claude said reassuringly. ‘Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world with many beautiful monuments. I know that some guests are already familiar with Paris, but the majority of you are not. That is why our objective is for you to get to know both the city and your match better. By the end of your stay, we want you to fall in love not just with Paris, but with your Mr or Mrs Right. That is why we have put together a Love Hunt.’
‘What’s that?’ a man with a shiny bald head called out.
‘I am about to explain.’
‘Sorry!’ The man winced.
‘No problem! Each morning, you will all gather here and you and your match will receive a clue to a romantic location you will need to visit that day. We have a dedicated fleet of luxury eco-friendly vehicles to take you to the location or, if you prefer, you are free to go on foot. Sammie, would you please explain what our guests will need to do when they arrive at the romantic location.’
‘Course! Or should I say, bien s?r!’ she chuckled.
‘The French lingo is still a work in progress, but I’m getting there!
Don’t worry. I know enough to get by and help you out with the tasks.
Phew! Anyway, so when you get to the first location, you’ll both be given a special Love Passport, which is like a workbook. ’
‘Oui,’ Claude added. ‘And when you arrive at the location, you will receive a stamp from a Love Alchemist.’
‘Yep!’ Sammie continued. ‘The Love Passport is also what you’ll use to complete the daily Love Tasks you’ll need to perform.
Once you’ve solved the clue and got your passport stamp, the second Love Task you’ll need to do is to take at least three photos doing romantic things at the location on your phone or you can borrow one of our cameras.
Thirdly, each of you will also need to write down at least one thing you discovered about your partner.
Back to you, Claude.’ Sammie turned to face him.
‘Oooh, I feel like a TV presenter saying that! Y’know like when they say, “Back to you in the studio!” Maybe we should get a mic so I can do that tomorrow!
’ She chuckled and several guests laughed along with her.
‘I will certainly look into that,’ Claude smiled. ‘Merci, Sammie.’
‘De rien,’ she replied.
‘So,’ Claude resumed, ‘to clarify, the objective of the daily Love Tasks is to make you work closely with your match. First to solve the mystery, then to decide on the romantic activities and photos so that you will have memories of your special day and then to find out more about one another.’
‘Sounds like homework!’ a man who looked to be in his mid-forties grumbled.
‘Relationships involve work, so this is good practice,’ Claude replied. ‘But the tasks are designed to be fun. Do not think of it as homework, but more about love work. You will be building the foundations of a long-lasting partnership. Romeo, could you explain the last two Love Tasks?’
‘Sì, sorry, oui.’ He smiled. ‘In case you have not already noticed from our different accents, we are from different countries and resorts around the world. Claude and Lisette are from France. I am originally from the Italian resort in Puglia and Sammie is from London.’
‘You have a resort in London?’ a guy called out.
‘No. Not yet. Sammie is from London. We met at the resort in Puglia.’
‘You two are together?’ a woman called out, reading my mind.
‘Sì.’ He nodded.
‘Wow!’ she replied.
‘You were about to tell the guests about the fourth Love Task…’ Claude prompted.
‘Scusi. So the fourth task is visiting at least one extra location each day. These are places that are not necessarily romantic, but you may wish to see together, for example the Champs-élysées or the Arc de Triomphe. There will be a list of ideas to choose from at the back of your passport. And if you visit those places, we would love you to take one funny photo together.’
‘Funny photos can be taken at the extra location or at the main location for that day. And they can be anything like pulling a silly face or doing a fun pose,’ Sammie added. ‘Just no streaking or mooning though! We don’t want you to get arrested for flashing your arse to tourists!’
The group burst out laughing again and even Laila chuckled beside me.
After the tension of last night, it was good to hear her laugh.
‘Good point,’ Romeo added then flashed her a warm smile. If they had not told us that they were a couple it would have been easy to guess from the way that they looked at each other.
‘Thanks!’
‘The fifth and final daily Love Task will be creating a playlist. At the end of each day, we would like you to make a list of five songs that describe your feelings towards your partner, so that by the end of the trip you will have a beautiful playlist to remind you of how your love story progressed. Back to you, Claude!’ Romeo said as he held his hand up to his mouth in the shape of an imaginary microphone and smiled at Sammie again.
They clearly shared the same sense of humour.
‘Merci, Romeo. And in case you still think that this all seems like a lot of “work”, you will be happy to hear that as well as the reward of building a long-lasting relationship with your ideal person, there is also a very big and exciting prize for the winning couple that completes all of these tasks over the next five days.’
‘Oooh!’ the guests said enthusiastically and I sat up straighter.
Having the opportunity to spend time with Laila was a big enough incentive, but now I knew it was also a competition, that made completing all of the tasks even more appealing.
‘Salut!’ said Lisette. ‘As Claude said, there will be a huge prize and I am not talking about a bottle of champagne or even a luxury massage. This prize will be very impressive! But before you ask, I cannot tell you what it is. Just that you will want to win it very much.’
‘Such a tease!’ a girl with a pixie cut shouted out and Lisette laughed.
‘Does anyone have any questions?’ Claude scanned the guests.
‘You said there are five locations. Can we do them all in one day?’ the blond guy asked.
‘No.’ Claude shook his head. ‘You will only get one clue a day at the morning briefing. To make it fair, everyone will get the same clue at the same time.’
‘How will you decide on the winner?’ I asked, my competitive streak showing.
‘We will consider many different things,’ Claude explained.
‘Completing all of the tasks is the minimum requirement. We will look for couples that demonstrate that they have gone the extra mile. This could be shown in the kinds of photos you take, the romantic tasks you choose, how much you find out about each other and any extra locations you have visited. Everything counts, so give it your all. We will announce the winner on Saturday morning.’
‘D’accord,’ I nodded.
I had to admit, I was intrigued to know what the prize would be.
But I would not have a chance of winning anything unless Laila agreed to take part.
And considering we had not spoken since last night, it was too early to get my hopes up.
The priority was to make sure that she felt comfortable enough to stay. Anything else was a bonus.
‘I must leave now to go to the first location,’ Lisette said. ‘Bonne chance!’
As Lisette left, Claude scanned the rooftop from left to right.
‘Anything else?’ Claude’s question was met with silence. ‘It may seem like a lot to take in right now, but I promise that it is very straightforward. But if at any point you have any queries, please ask. And remember, the goal is to get to know your match and have lots of fun in Paris together!’
‘Are you ready for the first clue?’ Sammie called out.
Everyone said a collective ‘oui’.
‘Now remember,’ Sammie added, ‘as lovely as all of the other guests are, your goal is to work with your partner to win. So when you get the clue, don’t shout out the answer.
The clue will be texted to your phones, shortly.
You can use the internet to help you work out the location and when you have and you’re ready to leave, let reception know if you’d like a driver and your chauffeur will take you there.
Okay, so the clue will be hitting your phones in un, deux, trois… !’
A series of pings vibrated around the rooftop as the message came through.
I pulled out my phone and clicked the message on the screen. As I started reading it a confident smile spread across my face.
‘I have absolutely no idea!’ Laila whispered.
‘You do not have to know. That is why I am here.’
‘You know where this is?’ She raised her brows.
‘Oui,’ I confirmed. ‘Follow me.’