“Oh my God, sounds sinful.” I lifted my head a couple of inches off the pillow and felt an ache that sliced like a knife through my forehead. “Yeah. My head is pounding.”
He took a bottle of Advil from his pocket. “I had a feeling.”
“C’mere,” I said, reaching a hand out to pull him toward me. He came and sat on the bed. “I’m happy to see you.” As usual, I’d gotten a bit less than my required nine hours of sleep. Why should vacation be any different from the rest of my life?
“Me too,” he said.
“So… are you gonna stick around Paris for a little while?”
“Are you saying you want me to?”
“Yes, I would love that.”
“Then yes. I’m at your service.” He held out the bag. I unfolded the top, and before I could peek inside, the scent of butter wafted out in a delicious siren call. “I know, they can make them at home, but they’ll never taste as good as here.”
“Then I think we’d better eat them immediately.” I took out a croissant and broke it in half, the buttery insides pulling away last. Crisp caramel-colored flakes dropped on the white bed sheets, but neither one of us made a move to be any neater. I handed half to Josh and took a bite of mine. “Oh. My. God.”
“Amazing, right?”
“I think somewhere a gym trainer just died.” I pulled the soft insides out and ate a light, buttery layer.
He grabbed two water glasses from the bathroom and poured us each a full glass. “Did we drink any water last night?”
“Isn’t wine mostly water?”
“Ah, I forgot about that, Doctor. You’re right. We’re good.”
“I feel pretty good.” I felt happy, and for maybe the first time in my life, I didn’t think or wonder about anything. I didn’t analyze or fret that I was making a mistake or that Josh was the wrong guy. Everything about him felt right.
I pulled Josh toward me on the bed, almost making him spill his water, but he deftly kept it balanced until he could put the glass on the nightstand. Then he rolled toward me, peeling another layer from his half of the croissant and feeding it to me.
“That is delicious, I’m not gonna lie, but it’s not what I want,” I said, reaching a hand around Josh’s heck.
He dipped his face toward mine, and I felt the same electricity when we kissed as I had that first time on the boat. I was still bound in the bed sheets, and he was fully dressed, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to feel the softness of his lips on mine and to know that what I’d experienced the night before was real. This was Josh, the guy I’d known for three years and never considered dating. And now I couldn’t see him any other way.
“I could do this all day,” I said. “And I feel a little guilty. About Paris. Like there’s stuff we should get out and see.”
“You’re so type A,” he said, laughing at me.
“Yeah, so are you. Tell me you weren’t thinking it.”
“No, you’re totally right. It’s a gorgeous day. We should be outside. And I can kiss you outside, too, so it’s a win-win.”