Page 45 of Love in Bloom

“At least there’s a chaise longue,” Camille remarked. “You won’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“It looks rather comfortable,” he answered.

Camille had watched Tristan all afternoon as they explored Fontainebleau. Something was off, and she wanted to know what it was. But right now was not the time. “I’d love to go stretch my legs for a bit. I get so stiff riding on the bus. Are you up for a stroll?”

“I'd be happy to go with you. Where?”

Camille rubbed her hands together. “How about the Champs-Élysées? I would love to see it all lit up at night, and perhaps we can find somewhere to have dinner as well.”

He nodded. “Sounds like a great idea.”

After they both made trips to the loo, they headed out the door. There was no group dinner, for which Camille was thankful. One daily group meal was enough for her. She liked the Kollmans but steered clear of Mrs. Chan and Mrs. Aaron. The other couple in the group didn’t speak any English or French. She wasn’t even sure she could pronounce their name.

Outside the hotel, Camille took a deep breath.

Tristan pulled up a map on his phone. “The Champs-Élysées is a five-minute walk.”

“Wonderful.” She took his hand and intertwined their fingers. This action had become natural to her, almost like breathing. She knew as well as he did that in a few days their time as a couple would come to an end. The thought filled her with dread. She had no idea how she was going to say goodbye to Tristan, fully aware that she had developed strong feelings for him. She needed to figure out how to make a long-distance relationship work. They were half a globe away from each other

“Tristan, have you ever been in love?” The words popped out of her mouth quite unexpectedly. Too personal. But then she wanted to be personal. She wanted to know everything about him, the good and the bad.

He frowned and stared at the cement below his feet. “My whirlwind romance with Jia made me think I was. I’m not so certain it was love.” He cleared his throat.

Camille got the hint. He didn’t want to talk about Jia anymore. “Have you been to Paris before?”

“No. Well, actually once, but I was very young. We came on family holiday, I think. I really don’t remember. Did you come here?”

“My family and I came right before I went to University. We saw all the major sights: Notre Dame, the Opera House, Sacré-Cœur, and the Champs-Élysées. We missed Versailles because Clara got sick that day. And we missed going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The wait to buy tickets was hours long as was the elevator queue. My parents decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. We could see it just as well from the bottom as from the top. I’d love to see all of Paris spread before my feet. I bet it would be amazing. Don't you think so? Of course you do.”

They strolled down the Champs-Élysées as the sun finished setting.

“It’s beautiful,” Camille said.

“Are you hungry? We can get something if you like.”

“I’m still full from lunch.”

“Would you be up for an evening boat ride?” Tristan asked. “I think there’s a dock ahead where we can get tickets and go for a cruise in the twilight.”

“I’d like that.” A romantic gesture? Was she misreading Tristan’s signals? Maybe he was as confused about his feelings as she was about hers.

They purchased tickets, and soon the boat got underway. Camille stood at the railing with Tristan just behind her, his arms encircling hers. Interesting. He hadn’t seemed very much like he wanted physical interaction today, despite how the morning started.

The boat went up the Seine, tracing its way through Paris. They viewed the sights in silence. Normally she would be running her mouth a mile a minute. That was her way. But tonight she wanted to enjoy the feeling of Tristan against her back and watch as the magical city shared its beauty with her. She felt comfortable enough in Tristan’s presence not to talk. That had never happened before, not even with her family. Usually Camille couldn’t shut off her brain, but Tristan’s help with teaching her meditation had changed her. She found that she could quiet her thoughts for a few minutes at a time. She wanted to enjoy the moment with him.

She turned away from the sights, putting herself within inches of Tristan’s face. One taste of Tristan was not nearly enough to satisfy her. She leaned forward to put her lips against his, and she felt his arms fall away from her sides.

He stepped back. “I think it’s best if we don't kiss again.”

“What? Why? Didn’t you like it this morning?”

“Of course I liked it,” he said. “That’s the problem. What’s going to happen to us in a few more days when the tour is over? You're going back to London to run your company, and I’m going to go back to India to do research. What exactly do you expect to happen after this tour?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been trying to figure it out.” She stomped her foot. “Why do you have to be so infuriating?”

A glimmer of a smile crossed his lips before he squelched it. “Camille, there’s no way around it. We have different lives. We’re different people. We’ll go back to where we belong at the end.”

“I don’t believe you mean that.” Her heart ached in her chest as she witnessed him try to conceal the regret in his eyes.

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