Chapter 2
2
Gare du Nord was hectic when I got off the Eurostar, dragging my suitcase behind me. I hadn’t slept well last night and was too keyed up to snooze on the train, so I fought off weariness and made my way outside. It was February and London had been grey, miserable and cold so I was happy to see Paris was bathed in wintery sunshine instead. The bright day gave me some hope that this trip might not be a complete disaster. I walked out of the station and hoped the crisp February air would help to wake me up.
The Airbnb that Joe had chosen was only a ten-minute walk from the station, so I set off in the direction I’d memorised from Google Maps. As I made my way through the winding streets, I looked up at the Parisian architecture that couldn’t fail to thrill even the most cynical Londoner. There was something about Paris. Even though Carly accused me of having rose-tinted glasses when it came to romance, she couldn’t say the same about this city. It was beautiful. I held back from calling it romantic, my heart was firmly closed against all of that, but it did help to lift my sprits just a little bit .
I soon reached the apartment building and stared up at it in awe. Joe, I hated to admit it, had chosen well. It was a Haussmann-style building with a cream-coloured stone facade, a steeply sloped roof, and ornate black balconies that were charming. I typed in the door code the Airbnb host had given me and walked through the main door. I then had to walk up to the second floor, the building having been constructed before lifts were a thing. Luckily, I’d packed light, my mind only half on the job, so it wasn’t too hard to get my suitcase up there.
Outside the front door was a key box. I put in the code the host had given me and took out the key to open the door. I was surprised to find only one key but as I’d come alone, it didn’t matter. Letting myself in, I stepped into the apartment and forgot everything that was wrong for a moment.
After walking through the tiny hall, I found myself in the living room. The light was glorious as the sunshine beamed in through the huge windows, displaying the balcony and then the city beyond. The floor was shiny wood and there was a stunning fireplace in the corner. The furniture was antique and so Parisian, my heart sung.
I shrugged off my leather jacket, left my suitcase and hurried towards the window, stepping out onto the balcony, the smile wide on my face. Then I actually gasped out loud. Because to my right, peeping through a gap in two buildings opposite, was the Eiffel Tower. This Airbnb was a dream. I wasn’t grateful to Joe for much but I was for him finding this.
Maybe, just maybe, this will be good for me.
I walked back inside from the balcony and looked across at the kitchen in the corner and then as I stepped towards where the bedroom and bathroom were, I frowned. I could hear running water nearby. I spun around but then told myself not to be so jumpy. The walls were likely just really thin .
I grabbed my suitcase and wheeled it with me towards the open bedroom door. I was just about to walk through when the sound of water abruptly finished and there was a click, and to my shock and horror, the door next to the bedroom opened and out walked a man wearing the skimpiest of white towels around the middle of his body, shaking his damp hair all over the wooden floor.
‘Oh my God…’ I cried, and acting on impulse, I pushed my wheelie suitcase at him.
‘What the actual fuck?’ the man cried, jumping back just before it hit him, crashing into the wall instead. Then things got even worse and his towel slid down his body. I yelped as I caught a flash of flesh while he hastily grabbed the towel and pulled it up to cover himself.
‘Who are you? What are you doing in my Airbnb?’ I demanded, hiding my eyes behind my hand in case I saw more than I should again.
‘Hang on… Tessa?’
I took my hand away in surprise. Now the man had the towel firmly back in place, I looked at him properly. His cheeks were bright red and he was staring at me, confused. His blonde hair flopped over his face and when I looked into his eyes, they were a startling blue. ‘Sorry, I…’
‘Oh, yeah, I guess you probably don’t remember me,’ he said uncertainly. ‘It’s Ethan. I’m Joe’s…’ He trailed off as recognition sunk in.
‘Best friend,’ I finished for him, staring into his frankly terrified-looking face. I had only seen him twice, both fleeting meetings, and obviously he had been fully clothed as expected. This was most definitely unexpected. I shook my head. ‘But what are you doing here?’ I repeated, marginally more calmly than I had squealed at him a minute ago. At least he wasn’t a stranger about to attack me. But I wasn’t sure Joe’s best friend being here was much better.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’
I realised I was still staring at him. And he was still in a tiny towel with most of his body on show. He had a more muscly, defined chest than I would have thought based on the fact he equalled my five-foot-eight frame. I looked away quickly, desperately trying hard not to think about the glimpse I’d had of what was underneath that towel. Thinking about the word ‘hard’, I blushed instantly and coughed, thanking God that people couldn’t hear each other’s thoughts. I took a breath and tried again. ‘Please tell me why you are in my holiday flat. The one I’ve rented for the next five nights.’
‘You haven’t rented it, I have,’ Ethan said slowly, as if mulling over what I was saying. I saw out of the corner of my eye he was shaking his head. ‘Joe said…’
I breathed in sharply. Of course this was Joe’s fault. And it explained me finding only one key in the box outside. I held up my hand. ‘How about you get dressed and I sit down and then you join me and we can talk about this without you being in a towel and me hyperventilating from the shock?’
‘That sounds like a plan.’ He sounded amused now. Of course he did. He was probably loving every minute of my panic attack, poised to tell Joe all about it.
I quickly spun around and went back into the living room. I heard Ethan walk into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Collapsing onto one of the sofas, I shut my eyes and put my head back against the soft, cream fabric. I couldn’t believe that this trip was already turning into a disaster. Then again, it just topped off the past couple of months really.
After what felt like an hour but in reality was only ten minutes, the bedroom door opened again and out came Ethan, no longer half naked. I opened my eyes as he edged towards me cautiously. He had pulled on jeans and a black jumper that looked really soft. His blonde hair was still damp and his feet were bare. I caught the scent of something oak-y and warm. His whole presence was calm, the complete opposite of mine.
‘How about a coffee?’ Ethan suggested, walking towards the kitchen. ‘I feel like we both need one. I went to the shop on the way here.’
‘Uh, I don’t drink coffee. Did you get any tea by any chance?’ I asked, taken aback by his very normal suggestion.
‘Of course, I’m British,’ he replied. Again, I caught amusement in his tone. ‘Milk? Sugar?’
‘Just milk. Uh, please.’ I followed him with my eyes as he busied himself in the kitchen as if he made me tea every day. Which Ethan definitely had never done before. I remembered Joe telling me, ‘Don’t be offended by him not wanting to meet you, he hardly likes anyone,’ when I questioned why he wasn’t introducing me to his friends. I’d only seen Joe’s best friend twice on nights out. His words had hurt. And they made me feel even more awkward now. Ethan must be pissed off to see me here.
Finally, he returned with two cups, passed me one, and sat on the sofa opposite.
Unsure how to begin, I took a sip. ‘It’s nice.’
‘Surprised?’
‘Kind of. Joe couldn’t make a hot drink for shit.’ My eyes widened. ‘Sorry, I…’
Ethan waved a hand as he propped his leg on his thigh. ‘It’s true. I think he just can’t be bothered to try. Whereas I would hope I can make a decent coffee or tea in my line of work.’
‘Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot you’re a chef,’ I said, relieved he didn’t call me a crazy ex-girlfriend for my Joe comment. ‘So, shall we address the elephant in the room?’
His lips twitched again. ‘Go ahead.’
I took another sip of the tea to fortify me. ‘Well, I’m confused. I booked this apartment for us at Christmas and, obviously, now that I’m no longer with Joe, I decided I’d come by myself. Instead of letting my money go to waste.’ There was no way I was admitting I was currently in the midst of crippling writer’s block. I didn’t want Joe to ever hear about that.
Ethan frowned. ‘You booked it? With your money? I thought Joe paid for this.’
‘Uh, no. It was meant to be my Christmas present but he said he was waiting for a new credit card. Now I realise it was so Rachel wouldn’t know… Anyway, I said I’d pay. But then we broke up so…’ I trailed off, feeling even more stupid than I already did for how I’d let Joe treat me.
‘Seriously?’ He coughed and quickly took a sip from his coffee cup. ‘When I told Joe I was coming to Paris to do a cookery course for two weeks, he said he had this apartment going spare. He told me he’d paid and asked me if I wanted to use it before I stay with friends for the rest of the time. He never mentioned you might be here, Tessa.’
‘And he didn’t think to check with me whether that was okay or not?’ I closed my eyes and took a breath. I was feeling very murderous towards my ex all over again.
‘I’d call him but he’ll be at work; this is a better conversation for this evening,’ Ethan said after a moment. He was still remarkably calm.
‘This is a nightmare! I thought I was coming for a relaxing, inspiring solo break away, to try to put that…’ I trailed off before I called Joe all the bad names under the sun. I sensed that wasn’t a good move in front of his best mate. ‘Look, Ethan, I know this is n’t your fault but this was my holiday, I booked it, and after Joe did what he did… I need this.’
Ethan swallowed visibly and for a moment seemed lost for words. I couldn’t quite bring myself to say it out loud but I was sure he knew what Joe had done and why I’d left him. And no doubt he didn’t care about it as he hadn’t wanted to get to know me. But I hoped he just might possibly understand why I wanted this break.
Finally, Ethan nodded. ‘I’ll see if I can find somewhere else to stay, okay?’ He pulled out his phone.
I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Good idea, thank you. I’ll just, uh, freshen up.’ I drained my tea then put the cup on the side table before fleeing to the bathroom. Once in there, I leaned against the basin and glanced at the mirror above it. I looked rough. The lack of sleep, train journey and shock of seeing Ethan made me look tired and puffy, there were dark circles under my green eyes and my winter skin was paler than ever. To top it all off, my shoulder-length highlighted hair was a frizzy mess from rushing this morning and not having time to curl it. I also had on a loungewear set for travelling, so it certainly wasn’t the best I’d ever looked. I really hoped Ethan wouldn’t tell Joe I had fallen apart without him. I splashed water on my makeup-free face, as I hadn’t had time to do that either, and could only be relieved I’d at least had a shower and put on deodorant before I left the house.
‘Tessa?’ Ethan’s deep voice came through the closed door.
I looked up at the mirror again. ‘Yes?’
‘I forgot – it’s Paris fashion week. Everywhere is completely booked up.’
You have got to be kidding me.