Page 55 of The Paris Chapter

It was time to head to the spot Joe had asked to meet me at. I checked my phone again but there had been no contact from Ethan. I bit my lip, hoping that wasn’t a bad sign.

So I sent a quick message.

Are you okay? What happened with Joe? I’m just about to meet him…

I waited five minutes but there was no reply and I needed to leave or I would be late. Maybe Ethan would be there with Joe and would tell me face-to-face. I tried to hope for that as I left Juliette’s apartment, but my stomach swirled with nerves regardless.

25

I met Joe near the River Seine. Paris was bustling thanks to the sunshine, but I spotted him easily. A group of younger women were looking over at him as I approached. He wore a smart beige jacket with matching trousers and a white shirt with shiny shoes. His hair despite the slight breeze was styled to perfection and in his hand was a bunch of red roses.

I stopped walking, my heart racing. He made for a very handsome sight and I had to remind myself that his looks were deceiving.

Joe turned and saw me, a smile forming on his face as he waved.

Taking a deep breath, I went over to him, hoping this would be a quick meeting and I could get back to my Paris trip. ‘Hi,’ I said.

‘Morning, Tessa. These are for you. You look lovely.’ Joe greeted me, planting a kiss on my cheek, the compliment he gave me surprising me enough that I didn’t duck away when he made the move to kiss me. His aftershave hit me, a musky scent that took me back to being in his arms. I tried to shake off thememory but it was impossible. He handed me the roses then gestured behind him at the river. ‘I remembered that you really wanted to take a boat trip on the Seine so I thought we could do that while we talk,’ he said.

I looked at the waiting boat. It was a small one, clearly hired just for us. I had really wanted to do that but it had slipped my mind while I was here. I was surprised he remembered that. ‘Oh, okay then,’ I said, not wanting to turn down the opportunity even if it meant doing it with Joe. I would have preferred to do it with Ethan. As we went over to the boat, I checked my phone again but there had still hadn’t been a response to my message from Ethan. ‘Um, so how was coffee this morning?’ I asked Joe, hoping he would tell me what they had talked about so I could stop worrying.

‘Oh yeah, it was good. Ethan went straight to talk to Juliette afterwards,’ Joe said, holding out a hand to help me onto the boat.

I frowned, wondering why Ethan went to talk to her but not tell me what had happened. I couldn’t ask anything else though as the boat driver greeted us and we sat at the back.

My mind quietened a little as we set off along the water at a gentle pace. The river glistened from the sunshine and as we approached a bridge, I could see the Eiffel Tower stretching up into the cloudless blue sky. I smiled despite the current situation.

‘What a view, huh?’ Joe said, looking across at me, seeing me smile. ‘I knew you’d love this. Remember when we took that boat trip in London? Champagne under the stars.’

‘That was beautiful,’ I agreed. Joe had been very good at romantic dates like that, but now I questioned them all.

‘Speaking of…’ Joe reached behind him and pulled out a bottle of champagne from a bucket and two glasses. ‘We have to continue the tradition.’

‘I’m not sure that…’ I started to protest, but he handed me a glass and I thought maybe it would make this situation less awkward, so I took a sip. Then I looked at him. ‘What is this all about, Joe?’

‘What do you mean?’

I waved the glass. ‘The boat trip, the champagne, turning up here in Paris…’

Joe sighed. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said.

I looked away. ‘You can’t say that.’

‘It’s true. I kept seeing all these photos on social media of you here; you looked so happy and I thought, why am I not there with her?’

‘Why?!’ I turned back to him incredulously. ‘Because you cheated on me; you chose another woman over me.’

‘No,’ he said firmly.

‘You’re denying it?’

‘No,’ he said, softer. ‘I did cheat. But I cheated on Rachel, not you.’

‘What are you talking about?’ I snapped, confused. I gulped down my champagne in the hopes it might help make this conversation a tiny bit more bearable.

‘I was with Rachel first, on and off for a long time; she’s a family friend,’ Joe said. ‘When I met you, I tried hard to ignore my attraction to you but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted you to be mine. And these past two months, I’ve missed you, Tessa. Seeing you walking in that restaurant with Ethan was like a gut punch. My best friend has been sleeping with my girlfriend!’ Joe shook his head.

I stared in shock. Was he serious? ‘I’m not your girlfriend!’ I cried, struggling to keep calm. ‘How can you say that? You cheated on me. The whole time we were together. You haven’t spoken to me for two months. We are not together. You are myex.’ I wasn’t about to tell him Ethan and I hadn’t had sex – it was none of Joe’s business. ‘You didn’t want me,’ I added, trying not to let him see how much his rejection had affected me.

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