Chapter 40
40
That night, Ethan and I went for dinner with Juliette, Carly and Luke, and Juliette’s older Frenchman Pierre, who was now officially her boyfriend, had followed her to London and seemed besotted.
We went to a small restaurant run by someone Ethan had trained with in a quiet corner of London, and all sat around a table with wine, and orange juice for Carly. Ethan sat beside me, his arm draped around the back of my chair, and we kept smiling at one another.
‘The venue might actually be perfect,’ Juliette told us. ‘It’s light and the perfect size and it’s in a great spot near theatres for people looking to eat, right?’ she asked Ethan, smiling happily.
Ethan nodded. ‘It does feel pretty perfect. It was a catering college so can be easily changed into a kitchen and restaurant, and it’s a listed building so would give us the cosy family feel we want for the French bistro. We want to do food that our parents made for us, recipes passed down, albeit with a slightly fancy twist. ’
‘It sounds great,’ I said, feeling really proud of him. ‘I love that you’re making your dream come true.’
Ethan turned to me as the others fired more questions about the venue to Juliette. ‘You helped inspire me to do it.’
‘How?’ I asked, liking the fact he’d dropped his arm to wrap around my shoulder. I loved how affectionate he was with me in front of our friends. Something again I hadn’t experienced, particularly with Joe, who had told me he hated all public displays of affection. Although, I guessed it had been to make sure no one saw us who also knew Rachel. Now, I could just relax and enjoy Ethan’s attention and touch. I felt just as comfortable here with him tonight as I had in bed with him.
‘You came to Paris scared you couldn’t write any more. You were blocked because of how hurt you were. But you didn’t give up. You kept trying and now you’ve almost written your novel. You used what happened to you to write a brilliant story. Even though it meant reliving all your hurt, and being vulnerable, because writing is your dream. You inspire me, Tessa. I thought my dream would never come true, but I know I can do it because you did.’
‘God, Ethan.’ I leaned in to kiss him. ‘I could only do it because of you. You took me to those romantic places in Paris, you encouraged me, you made me believe in myself – and love again.’
Ethan shook his head. ‘You would have done it by yourself, I know you would have done. But I’m glad I was there to help a little bit.’
‘More than a little bit,’ I argued, but I smiled. I loved how he saw me.
We tuned back in to the conversation around us. Now, Juliette was telling Pierre our story in rapid French .
Ethan translated snippets for the rest of us. Then Juliette turned to me with a grin, so I asked Ethan what she had said.
‘She said that she was out of the country when you got here so we had to share the one-bedroom apartment.’
‘It was a very comfortable bed,’ I told Pierre.
Juliette burst out laughing. ‘I bet it was,’ she said.
Ethan’s hand found my thigh under the table and stroked it.
‘I knew you couldn’t give up on love,’ Carly said, looking over at us with a smile that said she knew exactly what we had done last night.
‘Being honest, I feel quite smug,’ Luke said, nodding. ‘It was my idea you should go to Paris for inspiration.’
‘That’s true,’ I said. ‘And I got more than I bargained for,’ I said with a chuckle. I turned to Ethan, who was watching me with the kind of look I had always wanted someone to give me. ‘I suppose it’s true what they say – Paris is always a good idea.’
Ethan winked at me.
‘God, get a room, you two!’ Carly called over, making everyone laugh. She gave me a smile though, so I knew she approved really.
Juliette turned to us. ‘Ethan, you better be good to Tessa.’
‘Hey, shouldn’t you be telling Tessa that; you were my friend first,’ Ethan protested. He squeezed my thigh under the table and it sent warmth travelling up my whole body.
Juliette waved her hand. ‘We are all friends now.’
As the others grilled Juliette about the venue they had looked at earlier, I turned to Ethan, who frowned at his phone. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Come outside with me?’ he asked. I nodded as he got up. He asked the others to excuse us, and we walked outside the restaurant. He showed me his phone. Joe was calling him.
‘Do you want to answer it?’ I asked him .
Ethan looked down at the screen for a second then reached out and pressed the cancel button. He put his phone in his pocket and then wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me closer to him. ‘No. I will always have some fond memories of Joe when we were younger but right now, I want to focus on what’s important to me. You, opening my own restaurant, the friends I love spending time with. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I feel better without him in my life right now.’
I nodded. ‘I understand that. And I bet he does too. He may have hurt me, but he hurt you too. And if you’re not ready to forgive him then you’re not ready.’
‘I don’t know if I ever can. I hate that he tried to stop us being together. I can’t help but wish we had met first.’
‘Sometimes I do too, but I think we were meant to meet now. I had to go through what I went through with Joe to know what I want, to accept myself, to know that I’m okay just the way I am.’
‘Of course you are!’ Ethan looked shocked that I didn’t already believe that. ‘But maybe you’re right. You gave me the confidence make this leap with the restaurant and Juliette.’
‘I’m so happy we worked things out. It’s a new chapter for both of us.’ I grinned. ‘Sorry for the writing pun.’
‘No, I like it,’ Ethan said, smiling back. ‘It is a new chapter for both of us. Your book will be a smash hit, I know it.’
‘You want to hear the title?’ I asked, excited to tell him.
‘Definitely.’
‘It’s going to be called We’ll Always Have Paris . What do you think?’
Ethan looked taken aback. ‘Are you serious?’
‘What you said to me by the river, I kept thinking about it. It’s perfect for the book, and for us. Whatever happens, I’ll never forget our time in Paris.’
‘Me too. We’ll go back there together one day,’ Ethan promised me. He drew me in to brush my lips with his again. ‘I can’t believe you’re going to call your book that. I can’t wait to read it. Tessa, you’ve changed everything for me.’
‘You’ve done the same for me,’ I told him.
Ethan leaned close to my ear to whisper, ‘You know I’m falling in love with you, don’t you?’
I turned my head to whisper into his ear. ‘I’m falling for you too.’
We shared a deep kiss before we went back inside, arm-in-arm. I realised that I felt happy and content. I looked at our friends, who were listening to Luke testing out baby names for the twins with Carly, who hated all the ones he suggested, and I smiled. I loved my friends. I was enjoying writing again, which was and always would be my passion. And beside me was a man who I knew I was going to be head over heels in love with soon.
I couldn’t wait to spend more time with Ethan. To be with someone who was honest with me, who I trusted, who told me how he felt and who saw a future with me and who I saw a future with. But most of all, someone who wanted me to be myself, who I could be myself with, and who had seen me before I saw myself clearly.
I knew one day we would go back to Paris together. It would always be our place. Where we met and where we first started falling for each other. The first chapter of our story, which I really hoped would continue for a very long time.