Page 41 of Such a Sweet Girl

My mouth watered at the array of breads and pastries in the charming window display. I couldn’t resist it.

A table nestled next to the end of the lemon-coloured building, a little ricketier than the others and with only one chair. I squeezed past the tables, smiling at the bubbling of french coming from the patrons.

Within a quarter of an hour, I had a cappuccino and a réligieuse au chocolat in front of me.

Taking a sip of the coffee, I closed my eyes and inhaled, letting reality wash over me. I’d done it.

I’d graduated. I’d left. And now… I was in France for the first stint of a year of learning what I wanted to learn. Of immersing myself in food and adventure.

And I was finally closer to Alex.

Not close enough, though. With nearly a year having passed since we last saw one another anywhere outside of a screen, I’d expected his fervour for me to have waned.

But he’d been there, across the ocean but there, through every step of my final year. Listened to my frustrations, laughed at mishaps, coached me through annoyances. When my parents had threatened to cut me off, he’d helped me pay for my first patisserie course in a cute little village in France. Three months of intensive training under a chef I’d spent years following.

He believed in me.

Placing my cup down, I admired the religieuse, its perfect collar of coffee flavoured icing around the smaller choux bun, the decadent topping of chocolate on top. The buns pulled apart, sticky chocolate coating my finger tips.

I let out a moan as I bit into the crust, coffee cream filling my mouth.

God damn.

The wait to get there was worth it. An overwhelming peace drifted over me, a feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. That my path had finally aligned with my purpose.

My phone pinged, Alex’s name popping up.

‘Hey pretty girl, how’s Paris?’

I smiled, licking chocolate and cream from my fingers before picking up my phone.

‘It’s AMAZING! I love it here. Wish you were here.’

‘How’s the apartment?’

I sent him a set of pictures I’d taken the night before of the cute little apartment around the corner, as well as one Itook off my seat at the cafe table, the picturesque street in the background.

‘It’s fab. And I’ve just eaten the most delicious pastry.’

I took a picture of my half eaten religieuse, the menu on the table behind.

‘I’m so happy for you, baby. You deserve it.’

I couldn’t keep the grin off of my face, my chest swelling with pure contentedness.

‘Thank you. I miss you. Can’t believe it’s still three months before I get to London.’

‘Do you really wish I was there?’

‘Yes.’

‘Look up.’

My brows knitted as his message came in. Look up?

I glanced upward, seeing nothing but buildings and sky.

‘Not that far up.’ A deep English accent came from my left.

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