Page 79 of Reeling in Love

The evening air along the Seine is cool, and the city lights reflect off the water, creating a shimmering path as Gabs and I stroll along the riverbank. The sky is a deep, velvety blue, and the scent of fresh bread from nearby boulangeries fills the air.

“You want some croissants?” Gabs asks with a little chortle, as he sees me eyeing a couple entering a bakery. “You went quite rogue on the breads last night.”

I give him a light rap on the shoulder. “I didn’t know what to do, so I ate. And they were so good. If there’s one thing I like about Paris, it’s the breads. But no, I don’t want any right now. I’ve had enough for an entire year, I think.”

We walk along in silence. Even though he’s trying to act normal, I know something’s on his mind. He’s more jumpy, and keeps going into his own thoughts, which is quite unlike him. But there’s a lot that he’s discovered since yesterday. I guess I’d not even be able to function as much as him if I were in his position. So yeah, I give him his space.

The sound of distant laughter and the hum of conversation blend with the gentle lapping of the water against the quays. The Eiffel Tower looms in the distance, its lights twinkling like a thousand stars. It feels like we’re in a postcard, a perfect moment frozen in time.

I take a pic and post it on Instagram. “Enjoying a late evening stroll”. I don’t qualify it with a ‘my BF’ or ‘my best friend’ or a ‘my’ anything. I think even in my mind the lines have started blurring.

I love spending time with him, but I’ve always loved spending time with him. We know each other so well that being with him is like being with yourself, but more fun.

Even when I was with Rick, I always preferred Gabs’ company to Rick’s. In fact, that was one reason I was with Rick, because he didn’t have a problem with me spending so much time with Gabs, or so I thought.

Have I always liked him? Of course. Is there any other way to remain friends for so long? But do I ‘like’ him, as in ‘almost love’ him?

Come to think of it, what is love?

Love is not about physical intimacy or emotional dependence. Love is what sets you free, not binds you to a person. So how does one know that they’re in love? How can one decide they want to spend their entire life with this one person?

Obviously, one can’t. It’s no wonder that we have such a high divorce rate. I’m sure all those people, looking for lawyers and fighting divorce and custody battles, also felt that they were in ‘love’ when they proposed or got married. I’m sure Dad believed he loved Mom when they married. But where was his love when he got drunk and yelled at her or sometimes even hit her? How did Mom love a person like that? Doesn’t this prove that the ‘love’ we feel and what we make it out to be is a far cry from what it is in reality? It’s a ‘right now’ emotion, not a ‘forever’ emotion.

We’re walking toward the Eiffel Tower. To be honest, it doesn’t look like something that deserves all the surrounding hoopla. I’d always thought I’d feel impassioned and enamored just looking at it. But nothing. It’s a big metal tower. Big whoop.

We stand in the queue to enter.

“Do we really want to see this?” I ask Gabs.

“Of course. You can’t visit Paris and not climb the Eiffel Tower. It’s blasphemy.”

“Why don’t we go to the Louvre or something?”

“You want to see the Mona Lisa? Don’t kid me, girl. I know how much you hate that painting. And the museum must be closed by now. It’s late. You’re saying this so we can get out of here. I know you.”

“Unfortunately, a little too well. You need to rest before your presentation tomorrow. It’ll be past eleven by the time we get the elevator,” I say while fishing into my purse to take out my vibrating phone. I need to be careful with all the beware of pickpocket signs everywhere.

“That’s the point,” he mutters, or do I imagine it? I can’t be sure because my focus is on the phone.

It’s Carla.

“Hey,” I say, swiping up.

“Hi, I saw the apology by that man. Thank heavens it’s sorted. And Nora, I’m really, really sorry. I’ve kicked out Kevin. He came back last night apologizing and everything. The creep. I also took his phone and factory reset it. The bugger was saying he’s lost this and that, but I don’t really care. He should be happy I only reset it and didn’t actually break the device.”

I chuckle at the image of Carla breaking Kevin’s phone. She has a tendency to get all worked up. “That’s quite like you. Good, that you got to know about Kevin now, rather than say after you got engaged or married. So, I’ll say all’s well that ends well. Men are usually not to be trusted. This has proven my point.”

I hear Mom’s voice next. “That’s not true, and you know it. One or two evil men don’t make the entire fifty percent of the population bad. Do they? Is that statistically true?”

“Oh looky. Someone’s brushing up on their math! These are two out of two in our family. So yeah, I call that statistically significant.”

Mom’s voice is louder now. She’s probably taken the phone from Carla. “You know quite a few happy couples, too. Look at Ryan and Eva or Alex and Lily, or even your friend Stacy and her husband. There are so many.”

“Oh, please don’t start again.”

“The way I see it, love can come to you in many forms, and it doesn’t remain the same with time. But if two people are committed to each other, if they value each other, they’ll make it work. If being with the other person is easy, if your face lights up when you think about him or her, if he or she is the one you want to turn to when you’re sad or happy, then trust me, you will make it work. Because the relationship gives you much more than it takes from you. It’s that simple.”

She pauses for a bit, but there’s nothing I can think of saying.

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