Chapter 25
Stepping foot in Paris was something I had never imagined would happen in my lifetime—or not anytime soon. But my feet were, indeed, on the land of Paris.
The smell of fresh bread and coffee penetrated my nostrils, causing my stomach to grumble even though I had just eaten.
There were many small shops nearby, including a bookstore.
In the distance, the Eiffel Tower was visible, its height towering over the buildings.
Amazed at the sights around me, my lips parted and my eyes twinkled.
It deserved the title ‘the city of love.’
Ayden said his farewells to his new friends before joining us. He stared at Benji. “So it’s the four of us, huh?”
As I was about to nod, I heard a name being called.
“Benjamin.” Miss Kennedy gestured for him to walk over to her. “Since you aren’t in a group, I would like for you to walk around with me, please.” In that moment, I felt an involuntary wave of relief wash over me.
She paused, seeing the four of us. “Unless you joined their group?”
“Yeah, I—”
“He would love to join you,” I cut him off, smiling.
He turned to me with a puzzled look. “What are you doing?”
All I wanted was to bond with my best friends, and frankly I really didn’t need anyone getting in the way of it. Even him— no, especially him.
“Please understand, Benji.” I swallowed. “I want this day to be perfect.”
“And I’ll ruin it?” He searched for an answer in my eyes. “Nevermind, don’t answer that. Just…” He glanced behind me, to Hero and Ayden. “Are you really sure about this?”
He seemed hesitant to leave me alone with Hero and Ayden. Was he pitying me?
“I’ll be fine,” I said, a bit harsher than intended. “Go with her. Have fun.”
“I’ll see you later, then.” He walked towards Miss Kennedy, giving a small wave to me and smiling. I waved back.
“I’m surprised at how easily you kicked him out,” Hero said, impressed.
“He offered to keep me company since it wasn’t guaranteed you guys were getting off the ship,” I explained. “Not to be mean or anything, but he was never really a part of our group.”
Ayden laughed. “Damn, that’s blunt.”
I stared at my friends. “My loyalty lies with you guys. Not some stranger I just met a day ago.” I turned to Hero. “Okay?”
Hero nodded. “Got it.”
“Good. Let’s go.” I walked with speed, seeing a map up ahead. Many pigeons crowded the street, eating breadcrumbs that were being thrown to them. Grabbing a map, I unfolded it. We all stared at it. “Where should we go first?”
Hero looked up from the map after examining it. “The Louvre Museum.”
“That’s like an hour walk.”
“Who said we’re walking?” Ayden took out some cash.
“We don’t have Euro.”
“Currency exchange.” Ayden patted me on the back.
The nearest currency exchange office was still quite a distance away, but with the gorgeous view, we didn’t mind. Ayden exchanged a thousand dollars for Euro.
A thousand dollars.
The amount of money that I needed to pay Blake.
* * *
“So,” I said as we were in the backseat of a taxi, “what was it like in isolation?”
“Isolation was fine,” Hero spoke first. “Ayden and I were in separate rooms and got everything we needed in there. I was left alone with my thoughts, and I had time to reflect on things. I wished I could’ve seen you, though.”
“Speak for yourself.” Ayden scoffed. “It was terrible. There were no windows, and they didn’t let us have our phones.”
“You were hurt and all you cared about was your phone?” I asked.
“My friends were worried about me.”
Hero and I violently turned our heads.
“We’re your friends!” I snapped, visibly hurt. I tapped my chest. “I’m your friend.”
Ayden swallowed. “I know you’re my friend, Peps,” Ayden stammered, grabbing my hands. “It’s just… look, I can’t say, but things are getting really bad. So forgive me if I act unusual lately.”
“Things are getting bad?” I asked, concerned. “What do you mean?”
“Forget it.” He let go of my hands, biting his nails. “I said too much, please forget it.”
“You can’t just say that and expect her to forget it,” Hero said, crossing his arms. “Are you depressed or something?”
Ayden shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Hero pressed.
“We have arrived,” the driver said.
Ayden sighed in relief and gave the driver a tip. He then practically jumped out of the taxi, feeling extremely claustrophobic.
“Ayden!” I called after him, stepping out of the taxi. Hero got out from the other side and walked around the back of the taxi.
I surveyed the area. A huge glass pyramid. A stone rectangular building standing behind it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was fascinated by the building’s unique architecture.
Many people were in this area—more than the other places we passed through. Hero stood next to me, tapping my hand with his. He hesitated to hold my hand, afraid that I wouldn’t want to. I instantly interlocked fingers with him. He exhaled a breath he was holding in, blushing.
Ayden rolled his eyes at the sight of us holding hands, walking far ahead of us. We quickly followed, making sure to keep him in sight.
After standing in line for forty minutes, we finally walked into the glass pyramid. Inside, we made our way to the entrance of the museum. The museum had a lot of stunning artworks, so I took my time staring at one artwork before moving on to the next. Ayden hesitantly joined us after an hour.
“That looks like your cat.” Hero pointed to an artwork of a black-and-white cat.
Ayden laughed. “You’re right, it does look like Rhodes.”
“You named your cat Roads?” Hero squinted. “R-O-A-D-S?”
“No.” Ayden pinched the bridge of his nose. “R-H-O-D-E-S.”
Hero snorted. “Like that’s any better.”
“It is!”
“Is not.”
I stared as the two of them continued to banter with one another, a smile slowly forming onto my face. Maybe this could really work out like I wanted it to.
* * *
It was now 11 a.m. Only two more hours before we had to be at the Eiffel Tower.
“I’m going to head to the restroom,” I announced. “Don’t go far.”
“Don’t take long,” Ayden called out. “I want to visit a clothing store afterwards.”
“You’re going to buy clothes?” I heard Hero ask Ayden as I was walking away.
Approaching the restroom, I caught sight of Benji nearby. He was staring at a sculpture, and Miss Kennedy wasn’t around as far as I could tell.
He turned his head, noticing me. “Pepper.” He scanned the area. “Where are they?”
“Back there somewhere,” I replied, pointing behind me. “I was just going to the restroom. Where’s Miss Kennedy?”
He nodded. “She’s in the restroom.”
“Oh, okay,” I said awkwardly. “Well, I guess I’ll go now.”
“Not yet,” he said. “Follow me.”
Without a second thought, I did. I had no idea what I was doing. My feet had a mind of its own, wanting to get closer to him. He stopped around a corner, hidden away from everyone.
“What are we doing here?” I said, shaking my head at myself.
At how easily I followed him.
“I wanted to thank you again for helping me on the train earlier.” He exhaled. “Nobody has ever done that for me before. My family just ridicules me for it, which makes it even harder to deal with.”
“I can’t even imagine.” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Benji. And I’m sorry for—”
“For not spending the day with me?” He grinned. “I’m sure I can handle it.” His eyes gleamed even though there was no sunlight shining through. His hazel eyes pierced my soul, urging me closer.
“Oh, you can handle it?” I teased.
He scrunched his face mockingly.
“Remember how I said I owed you?” he said, stepping closer.
“It was no big deal, you don’t owe me anythi—”
“It was a big deal to me, so I want to thank you properly.” He breathed heavily and stared into my eyes.
The boy standing in front of me was different from the one I met yesterday.
Bolder.
He didn’t have to say it out loud for me to understand what he meant.
“Benji—” I paused, his eyes luring me. “We can’t.”
“You like me,” Benji whispered, although nobody could hear us. “Don’t you?”
What was he doing?
“I think you got the wrong idea.” I backed away. “We’re just friends. I love Hero, you know that.”
He exhaled—or was it a scoff? “You’re delusional.”
“What?”
He looked away for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. “You saw how he acted towards me, didn’t you? I’m genuinely afraid of what he might do to you, Pepper. Let me help you.”
“I already told you it’s—”
“—not my place, I know.” He brushed his hand through his hair. “You’re being naive, y’know?”
“You’re wrong,” I said, my voice growing louder. “I know what he’s capable of, and I’m choosing to stay.” I bit my lip. “And even if I was naive, who cares?”
“I care,” he said firmly, closing the gap between us. I could feel his breathing. “I care.” He whispered that one.
I could hear my heartbeat pulsing in my ears. He was making me so nervous. I didn’t want to feel this way—this feeling was reserved for Hero—but I couldn’t stop it.
I really wanted to stop it.
“Okay,” I whispered.
His eyes slightly lit up. “Okay?” he asked, wanting me to confirm that it was what he thought it meant.
“The kiss.” My brain regretted saying that, but my heart didn’t.
A small smile appeared on his face. “Okay,” he repeated in a whisper. He moved my hair behind my ears.
The world around me stopped as he pressed his lips against mine.
It felt magical.
“If I stay any longer, they will start to worry.” I pulled away, although my lips were having a hard time cooperating as they went in for another kiss.
“Miss Kennedy too,” he said in-between a kiss.
I pulled away again, this time for good. “Don’t speak a word of this to anyone,” I said, the guilt rushing to me all at once.
“See you at the Eiffel Tower,” he said casually, turning the corner as he walked backwards.
“I’m serious!” I shouted, following him around the corner. “This was a mistake, you hear me?!”
He did a two-finger salute, and I grunted at the sight of that. I then rushed to the restroom, almost bumping into Miss Kennedy as she opened the door.