25
Xavier
Lina and I walk side-by-side down the streets of Paris. The moon is high, lighting the city streets that are filled with tourists and laughter. She and I have talked for hours. Filling each other in on the life that has happened over the past several months. I have to admit; she was the last person I would have expected to see in my office this afternoon.
There hasn’t been a day that went by that she hasn’t occupied my mind, at some time or another. For months I’ve tried to forget her. Tried to force myself to hope that she was blooming.
After talking to her for the past few hours, it turns out she was—blooming. Slowly but surely trying to get back to her old life. Her old routine of things. At least she’s making it seem that way.
“If you're not busy tomorrow evening, you should come to the wedding. A few people back home missed their flights this morning, so there will be a few extra chairs.” She suggests. Our arms swing as we walk, our hands barely brushing each other’s with each step we take.
I hate it. I hate that this is awkward. The brushing of our hands. I just want to take her hand in mine. Take her face in mine again, if I’m being honest. But–I can’t. Something is holding me back for some reason and I have yet to figure it out.
“I don’t want to intrude,” I say.
“You won’t.” She snaps back quickly. Something inside me warms up with how quickly she responded, shows me she wants me there.
“If I go, what are you going to tell your family?” I ask and she stares straight ahead.
“Well, I’ve only told one person the truth about everything that happened. And that was Jess. I told her basically everything. But the rest of them don’t know about you or anything that happened.” She says and I nod.
“I can say that we are old friends who ran into each other here in Paris. Keep it simple. Keep it—true.” She hesitates, looking straight ahead.
“Okay.” I stop walking. I look up at her hotel then back over at her. Her dark wavy hair sways in the breeze. She’s got on a black summer dress that drapes past her knees with white sneakers. She looks stunningly chic and stylish. People continue walking past us, but I can’t take my eyes off her. Her gaze meets mine and she swallows hard.
“Well, this is me.” She looks up at the building.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asks and seconds later I hear loud laughter from around the corner. A group of men drunkenly make their way towards us.
“Lina freaking Harrington!” One of them yells. He’s a little shorter than me. His dirty-blonde hair is nicely groomed and slicked back. He looks like a frat- boy with his khaki slacks and collared shirt. Just from the few seconds I’ve seen him, I can tell he’s obnoxious. The type I’d be instantly annoyed by.
“Declan,” Lina says uncomfortably. Her eyes bounce to me and then to another man walking behind him. From the pictures that Nora showed me a few months ago, that’s Logan Harrington—Lina’s brother. He’s muscular. His dark hair is nicely groomed too. He seems more put together than this scrawny and loud piece of shit that’s making his way to Lina.
“Missed you.” Declan walks towards her and throws his arm around her. “Get the hell off me, Declan.” She throws his arm off of her. It takes every bit of strength I have inside of me to not beat his face in. Jealousy creeps through my veins slowly as the group of men make their way in between us. They make their way inside and are too drunk to notice that she is even talking to me. “Lina, come on!” Declan shouts from the elevator.
“I’ll let you go.” I smile at her and she nods before turning towards the doors. I watch her pause before stepping into the elevator reluctantly. I swallow hard as I watch the doors close. The moment she disappears from my sight is when I feel the sting of a lump begin to grow in my throat.
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“Really?” Nora says annoyingly as she lays on my bed. She exhales long and hard as I sit in the leather chair across from her. She was bugging me the second I stepped into the house, wanting to know how everything went tonight.
“Why would I go to a wedding with her? It’s like teasing me with something I can’t have.” I say taking off my shoes.
“Why can’t you have her, Xavier? What is this whole—woe is me thing you always have going on? It’s annoying.” She says. I hold her stare as she holds mine.
“You two run into each other halfway across—” She says, but I interrupt her. “Enough.” I put my hand up. She stands up quickly and walks towards the door. Before she opens it she turns back around and looks me straight in the eyes. “You know something—after everything that I’ve been through, I know how precious life is. We have one shot at this Xavier. One shot at a life that could so easily be taken away from us. Are you really going to choose to walk away from someone who helped you during one of your darkest chapters?” She says. My eyes slowly blur.
“We rise and we bloom. I heard Lina whisper that to herself before she walked through your office doors. I think you need her more than you care to admit, but—remember life is fragile and you never know what tomorrow may hold. To rise and to bloom, doesn’t that mean to risk it all?” She walks over to me and kisses my forehead before making her way out of the room.
I hear a tear drop onto the leather chair. She’s right. I know it. She knows it. I exhale loudly as I fall back into my chair.