Page 51 of I Love You in French

“You’re not the first person to tell me that, by the way.”

“Uh—tell you what?” My voice is raspy and strained. I really do think I am going to cry, but I’ll try to hold it in until I get to the studio or to Graham’s.

Lily wipes something from her face and then freezes. She turns slowly, and it takes everything in me not to laugh. Who am I kidding? I start laughing. The emotional energy from sharing my secret with someone else has gotten to me, and Lily is standing there, chocolate milkshake smeared across her face like it has marked her to be an American football player.

“Chocolate really does hate me,” she says, defeated. And there’s nothing I can do but agree. “So, here’s what you do. You really should pay me for my help, by the way.” She grins and pulls me toward the corner of the street, where we hover between a Thai restaurant and a Southern kitchen with a clear view of the bakery. “You’re going to take Winnings’ advice.”

“Winnings? You know Graham?”

She flinches a bit but waves it away. “Not important.” I see the way her jaw tenses. Got it. Another time. “Here’s the thing. This isn’t La La Land. Rory loves that movie, but it’s so depressing.”

I scoff. “It’s beautiful.”

“This is why you’re perfect for each other, but that’s not my point. My point is that you’re both acting like this is the end. Like you’ve missed your chance. You’ve kept something to yourself. She’s doing the same with her heart. But you don’t need to move to Paris, and she doesn’t need to stay behind.”

“What?”

“La. La. Land.”

“Yes, right.”

“This isn’t a movie. And if you don’t want La La Land to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, you’re going to do everything you can to get your girl. You’re not going to let her slip through your hands, even though it’s hard.” I’m nodding furiously. “But your pursuit of her needs to be heartfelt. Your grand gesture needs to create a memory. Sparrow is all about the things she can hold on to. The ways that she can tangibly know she’s seen. So, what’ve you got?” She motions for me to spill again. I’ve got nothing left to spill.

“Uh . . . flowers?”

She makes a frustrating buzzer noise.

“Ok . . . well, chocolate and baked goods are out. Although, croissants ...” I grin at the idea of Sparrow holding a croissant as Lily interrupts with the buzzing sound again. “A note?”

She nods her head up and down. “Better, but ...”

I hold up my hand to stop her, and still, she makes the buzzing noise.

“Please stop doing that.”

“I’ll stop when you come up with the idea.”

I wince. “A trip to Paris?” Lily buzzes.

“I already wrote her a song ... several of them.” I run my fingers through my hair as, you guessed it, Lily buzzes.

“Keep going ...” she continues. Lily snaps her fingers as if it will hurry the process.

I think of everything I know about Sparrow. She holds on to things that remind her of people she loves, which must be why she keeps taking guitar picks of mine. She sees everyone, and gives to everyone, and never expects to get anything in return. Halloween is just around the corner, just like our hiding spot, but that’s beside the point. Because while she’s with my unspoken rival, Jacques, I’m wondering if I can come up with something special enough to win Sparrow’s heart.

Just then, a fancy car pulls in front of the bakery. Under the reflection of the streetlights, I can't see anything at first. When Jacques steps out, dressed in a sharp suit that looks familiar, I'm immediately miserable. He rounds the car and opens the door for the most stunning woman. Sparrow takes his hand and steps out, her red lipstick accentuated by the dim lighting.

I turn away, but Lily is gripping my arm. She’s with me. They say goodbye, kissing on each cheek, and Sparrow walks around the back of the store toward her apartment. Jacques drives off, but I see Sparrow stare at the door as if she needs a little more courage to step through it alone. My heart hurts for her, but a spark from a flame of hope stirs in my soul. It doesn’t look like it was the best night of her life after all.

“What is she doing?” I whisper.

Lily looks at me, a furrow in her brow. “Being Sparrow.”

Once she walks through the door to her apartment and is out from the cold, I know what I need to do.

“You’ve got it?” Lily asks. I nod. I assume she’s going to give me a hard time, but she must see the determination in my face. “Okay, then. Do what you need to do. I’m rooting for you.”

She holds out her hand for a sort of high-five type of thing, but instead, I awkwardly lean down to pull her into a side hug. “Thank you, Lily,” I say quietly. She’s stiff, but she nods with a grin.

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