Page 32 of Falling for Paris
“No need to be sorry! We’re just happy for you. And besides, we get little snippets of you in that YouTube channel of your school. That head chef, though. He’s intense.” Kat’s teasing tone filtered through.
“You’ve watched the channel?” Tori inquired. “I didn’t know they recorded me. I thought it was just Rafael and his guests.”
“Rafael is…” Celina started but didn’t continue.
Now or never. “We’re together,” Tori blurted. “I mean, not together,together. At least, I don’t think so. We haven’t talked about it that way. But we’re having, I guess, a fling?”
Kat burst from her chair and entertained them with her twisty celebration dance. “I knew it! You owe me five bucks, Celina!”
“Wait, you had a bet going?”
“For the record, I didn’t bet against the affair,” Celina clarified. “I just wasn’t sure you would tell us at all since you held out for that long.”
“Held out? It was just this week!”
“Exactly!” both sisters retorted and they all laughed. They were so close, they often checked in on each other every few days.
“There’s more,” Tori said. “I’m spending the next two weeks in his home outside of Paris. He invited me and I…I can’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.” The words spilled out without her permission. She didn’t realize it was her deepest wish until she said it out loud. She didn’t want to be anywhere else. And it had nothing to do with being in his home, or in France, or on vacation. It was about being with him.
Her sisters were quiet for a moment. “That sounds like heaven,” Celina gushed. “And it also sounds a bit more serious than a fling. If you’re staying with him.”
Was it more serious than a fling? Her mind floated beyond the next two weeks. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine where things would lead. But her sister could.
“Are you moving to France for him?!” Kat burst out.
“What? No! We’re spending time together while we can. That’s it.”
“Whew,” Kat said “We know what happened last time you moved for a man.”
“Kat!” Celina shrieked. “That’s too much.”
“Kat’s right, though,” Tori conceded. After James and her got engaged, Tori moved across the country for him. DC wasn’t her choice but his job as a political pundit required them to move. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, to move for your fiancé who you eventually married. But looking back? She realized that she placated his needs at the cost of never acknowledging her own. The old Tori accommodated too much and asked too little in return.
And yet, a surge of indignance crept up from her gut to her chest. The comparison wasn’t fair because Rafael was not James.
For one, Rafael never said anything about their future together. Never assumed anything of her. Most importantly, nothing about her time in Paris showed signs of selfishness on her lover’s part. Even in bed, despite their unconventional fantasies, Rafael alwaysasked. That is, before heordered. The thought of his voice against her ear, demanding the most deliciously devious behavior, warmed her body from the inside. Because when it came to Rafael, even his demands were in tune with her needs, with her satisfaction.
Looking back, she could honestly say most of her failed marriage was dedicated to James’s needs. James’s satisfaction. She moved on from the divorce wiser and freer. And that’s how she would approach this adventure.
“You’re right that I’ve moved for a man before. This situation is far from the same thing. I learned my lesson and can smell out a grown brat a mile away. Rafael is nothing like James. This fling is like nothing I’ve ever had before. We’re two adults having fun for as long as possible. Nothing more.”
“If you say so,” Celina offered before she finally moved on. “Now tell me about his place!”
“My understanding is that he decided to move away from the city and commute only when necessary.” Tori didn’t say more about the complicated details of his exile from Paris.
“Send us the address. Although, since his school is public knowledge, we know where to find him.”
“Guys, I appreciate your concern but there’s nothing to worry about. Being with Rafael is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, that’s all.”
“Is that why your eyes glow every time you say his name?” Celina teased.
“It does not!” Both her sisters rolled their eyes. “OK, maybe a little,” Tori said somewhat bashfully. “But only for two more weeks.”
It’s not like she could leave her life behind.Could she?The question was moot. He had asked her to stay for the remainder of her vacation. No need to think past that.
***
As she watched the Eiffel Tower recede in the distance, Tori sat back in her seat. The train was as smooth and comfortable as a first-class cabin. Their section was occupied only by them and an elderly couple a few rows behind.
