Homecoming

Chapter 29

At the beginning of the plane ride, you and Spencer chatted excitedly about your plans. You flipped through brochures trying to figure out what to do in your free time. Most of the trip was dictated by the professor and the classwork, but there were some days when you were granted free time to explore. Spencer was spewing out random facts after each page turn of the pamphlet. You told him he should be a tour guide with all the information he knows.

Once the sun set and night fell upon the plane, you could feel yourself dozing off. Spencer was off in his own world reading a book comfortably with his neck pillow. You clowned him for it, but now that you were sleepy, you envied it. After a few minutes of desperately trying to get comfortable, you gave up with a huff. Spencer gave a slight chuckle and patted his neck pillow, motioning you to use it. You leaned your head and placed it on the neck pillow on top of his shoulder. Spencer went back to reading his book, and you went to sleep a few minutes later as you were enveloped with his scent.

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You and Spencer were able to snag a hotel room together. You were slightly disappointed there were two beds this time. Both of you quickly unpacked your things before heading down to the lobby to meet up with the class for the first tour.

The first trip was to the Louvre Museum. Before being set free, Professor Rothschild passed out notebooks and announced the assignment to the class, "Your first assignment is to walk around the museum and find a work of art that you feel conveys the best interpretation of love and why. Then, I want you to find a painting that conveys an interpretation of love you do not like or disagree with and why. Please write your thoughts down in the notebooks. Meet me back here in two and a half hours. Enjoy!"

After walking through a few exhibits, you came upon a painting called Apollo and Daphne. You jotted this painting down as an interpretation of love you did not like. In the painting, Apollo is trying to pursue Daphne who is trying to escape. It represents an unwanted desire. The painting made you uncomfortable.

"I guess Apollo doesn't understand that no means no," Spencer noted.

You grunted in agreement, trying to get away from the painting to find one you did like. The painting you found was not a picture of love but of adoration. The Adoration of the Shepherds depicted the worshiping of baby Jesus. You like this version of love because it was innocent and beautiful. The birth of the baby is one of the strongest moments of love for a mother. You wrote it down in your notebook.

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The next day was a free exploration day. You and Spencer went shopping in a plaza area, looking around for souvenirs in cute boutiques.
Afterward, you and Spencer dined in a cafe and talked about your plans for Christmas. Both of you were planning to go home and spend time with family. Spencer expressed his disappointment of not spending the holidays with you again since he had so much fun at Thanksgiving. You promised him you would be back in January to be his date to Maeve's wedding. He grinned, imaging you in a formal dress dancing with him slowly.

After spending the day together, you realized how weird it seemed that you guys weren't a couple. You had to stop yourself from grabbing his hand multiple times during the shopping trip. When you got back to the room, you almost flopped down into Spencer's bed into his arms for a nap. You liked being Spencer's friend, but it was hard not to be his girlfriend. You considered asking him to get back together, but you didn't want to be rejected again.

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Up next was a boat tour on the Seine River. The class ate lunch on the lower deck as the boat cruised smoothly across the water. A tour guide pointed out some attractions and sights to see while giving some history about them. Spencer recited some other facts the tour guide didn't mention in your ear, causing you to giggle every so often. Everytime his mouth would get close to your ear, butterflies caused a storm in your stomach. You wondered if he knew what he did to you.