Page 57 of The Paris Chapter

‘He rushed off to tell Juliette the news. He was already talking about quitting his job in London so they can get started. Maybe he’ll work at her family’s place until they find their own place.’

‘So they want to open somewhere here in Paris?’

‘I thought he would have told you that.’

I slipped into silence. When Ethan and Juliette had talked about it, neither had said where they wanted the restaurant to be. I had no idea why I had assumed it would be in London when Juliette’s life was here in Paris. Suddenly, it seemed Ethan and I could never be anything more than a holiday thing.

‘Tessa, isn’t this, just us two here, good? We could have this all the time.’

And it was good. A romantic boat trip in Paris. Us two with champagne. Joe, handsome and charming, paying me attention and making me feel special. This had been why I had moved in with him after only six weeks. Why I had fallen so quickly and hard for him. Why Carly said I’d been so impulsive after meeting him. ‘But this isn’t real life,’ I said. ‘We had romantic dates but you didn’t let me into your life. You didn’t want me to meet your friends, you would never bring me home to your family, I was kept away from your colleagues. We were in this little bubble of us two because you knew if you let me into yourlife, I’d realise I wasn’t the person you were planning to have a future with.’

Joe reached for me then but I pulled back. He sighed but didn’t try again. ‘I kept you away from people who might tell you about Rachel. Like Ethan. He gave me so much shit… but he doesn’t get it. What it’s like to have all this pressure to do what your family wants. I won’t let them make me be with someone I don’t want to be with though. Rachel and I are over. I promise, Tessa.’ He took my hand in his and squeezed it. ‘You are who I want a future with.’

He was saying things I had longed for him to say. The night I saw him with Rachel, I had been so angry and upset but I had hoped he might follow me and beg me to stay, to say he chose me not her, but he hadn’t. ‘Why are you saying this now?’

‘Because now I know what it’s like to lose you,’ Joe replied.

Oh God, the way he is looking at me…

The boat driver called behind him then to say the trip was almost over and he steered the boat back towards where we had got on it earlier. My head was spinning with everything Joe had said along with the glasses of bubbly. My heart was starting to remember falling for Joe. And I really didn’t want it to.

When we climbed out of the boat, Joe took my hand but he didn’t let it go as we stood by the edge of the river together. He turned to face me. ‘Do I have any chance of getting you to forgive me? Of making things up to you? Of us trying again? We can’t let those six months go, can we?’

I hesitated as I looked into his eyes. I tried not to think about the good times or how it had felt to be in his arms. I tried to remember the hurt, but him looking at me like that, the boat trip, the fact we were in Paris and the disappointment in my chest thinking that there was no chance of me and Ethan really starting something made me unsure what to say to Joe right now.

Joe reached out to touch my cheek and this time, I didn’t pull away. He kept his eyes on mine and moved down to touch my lips. ‘I really did miss us, Tessa,’ he said.

‘I have missed us too,’ I admitted then. I had missed what I thought we had.

Can we actually have it for real this time with Rachel out of the picture?

Joe smiled, looking pleased, and he leaned down. I was rooted to the spot, confused and unsure, but I was also curious what it would feel like to kiss him again. He moved his hand to the back of my head, drawing me closer, and his lips found mine. Muscle memory crept in. My mouth knew what his felt like. My body responded to his touch like there hadn’t been a two-month gap and I found myself kissing him back, losing myself for a moment.

Just when I realised what I was doing and was starting to pull back, Joe abruptly leaned away from me. ‘Oh, hi mate,’ he said, letting me go as he spoke to someone behind me.

I turned around and my stomach dropped to see Ethan standing right by us, shock and pain on his face.

27

‘Ethan! What are you doing here?’ I cried, my cheeks turning pink. I quickly stepped back from Joe but I knew it was too late. Ethan had seen us kiss.

‘I came to see you,’ he replied tersely. ‘Joe said this was where you would be. Did you plan this, Joe?’

I turned from Ethan to Joe.

Joe held up his hands. ‘Of course not. Why would I? Tessa was mine to kiss a long time before you decided to pursue her, mate.’ The word ‘mate’ was heavy with bitterness.

‘You lost her a long time ago, mate,’ Ethan replied, copying his tone. ‘What are you really doing here?’ he said, walking right up to us. ‘I don’t buy that you came to tell me what your father said; you could have phoned me.’

‘I wanted to see Tessa. I miss her,’ Joe said, throwing me a smile.

‘You’ve got some nerve,’ Ethan said then. ‘Seriously, Joe, you cheated on her!’

‘Well, she said she’s missed me too,’ Joe said with atriumphant smile. ‘I don’t blame her after days with you. She doesn’t want second best any longer.’

My mouth fell open. That was such a low blow, and it was untrue too. I shook my head. ‘Can I speak now?’ I said, exasperated by the both of them.

‘You know what, Joe? I stayed quiet when I realised that you were stringing both Tessa and Rachel along because we’ve known each other since we were kids, but you’re taking the piss now,’ Ethan said, ignoring me, an edge to his voice I hadn’t heard before.

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