Everything in my life goes wrong. Everything. But, when I'm with my friends, I feel happy. They don't care if I mess up, they'll support me either way. I try to keep a happy face for them, but most of the time, when they're not by me, my face falls...
"Absolument," I say, making him look up with a shocked face. [Absolutely!]
"Vraiment?! C'est super," he says, the friend grinning. [Really?! That's great!]
"Il n'y a qu'une chose," I start. [There's just one thing...]
"Quel? Qu'est-ce que c'est," he asks, his face dropping. [What? What is it?]
"Je vais aller à Nulle Part Ailleurs dans quelques minutes. À moins que tu n'y arrives assez tôt, j'ai bien peur de ne pas pouvoir. Désolé," I say, his friend holding car keys up. [I'm going to go to Nulle Part Ailleurs in a couple minutes. Unless you can get there soon enough, I'm afraid I can't. I'm sorry.]
"On se retrouve là-bas," he says, running out the door with his friend. [I'll meet you there.]
The last song ends and Ari comes back, cheering with me.
"Who was that," she asks, walking backstage with me.
"My date," I say, her stopping me and squealing, jumping up and down.
"You have a date?! And with a Frenchman," she exclaims, all of the guys eavesdropping.
"Somehow yes. And he's cute too," I say, playing with my hair. The guys come around the corner and Sid hugs me tighter then usual, saying he's so happy for me.
"Happy for what? Were you guys eavesdropping," I ask, all of them avoiding eye contact.
"They were," Ari whispers, riding with me to Nulle Part Ailleurs in the bus.
She along with Sid, who wanted to, braid my hair into two loose braids that started at the bottom of my head. Ari gets done before Sid and I patiently wait, Ari starting to put a few flowers in my hair as Sid ties it. She tucks a little pink lily behind my ear, both Sid and Ari smiling at their achievement.
"Okay, do I look good," I ask, my contacts still in. I take them out so I don't scare anyone.
"Yes you do. Now go find your date and have a great time," Ari says.
I hop off the bus after I put some of my perfume on my neck and see Bruce, who's waiting for me. He has a single red rose in his hand, his other hand holding his walking stick. I walk to him and he hears me, smiling and meeting me in the middle.
"Où d'abord," I ask, him handing me the rose with a lot of gestures. [Where first?]
As the guys pass us and pinch my ass, he gets on one knee and raises the flower, putting one hand to his chest. I take it and smell it, smelling springtime. I could feel Corey's protectiveness coming out but being held back by his happiness that I found someone.
"Que diriez-vous d'un café quelques rues plus bas? Ils ont de très bonnes pâtisseries," he suggests. [How about a coffee shop a few streets down? They have very good pastries.]
I agree and walk with him, getting there in a few minutes. He opens the door for me and I thank him, smelling berry jam and buttery pastries coated in glazing. We walk to the counter and I order a plain coffee with a strawberry filled turnover, Bruce ordering a plain coffee with a raspberry filled turnover. I guess we have a lot in common. We sit at a two chair table by the window and start talking, my mind switching into French since I don't have to talk English yet.
-after date-
"Est-ce que je te reverra," he asks, standing with me at the bus. [Will I see you again?]
"Peut-être la prochaine tournée," I say, taking his hands in mine. [Maybe next tour.]
"Au cas où si tu ne le fais pas, je veux que tu ai es ça," he says, giving me an adorable black cat plushie and a piece of paper folded in half. [In case you don't, I want you to have these.]
"C'est, incroyable. Merci," I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek and getting on the bus. [These are, amazing. Thank you.] I sit on my bed and open the paper, seeing his mailing address with a little heart on the corner of the paper.
"How did it go," Sid asks, sitting next to me.
"Perfectly," I say, hugging the plushie.
"I'm still surprised he asked you out after, what, an hour of talking," he says, making me smile.
"He probably wouldn't've if it wasn't for that friend who pushed him at me in the first place," I say, the other guys eavesdropping once again.
"And I really think we're getting married in a week because-"
"I object," Corey exclaims, stepping into the bed room.
"This is why you shouldn't eavesdrop all of you. I can say lies and you'd believe them," I say, Corey going confused.
"So, you're not getting married," he asks.
"No, I'm not getting married," I reassure, him sighing in relief and sitting on the other side of me.
"Ya know, I could feel your protectiveness trying to get out when I met up with him," I say, Corey smiling a half smile.
"I wanted so badly to drag you away backstage but then I saw something in your eyes. Something that hasn't been there since '94," he says, making me smile.
"What was in '94," Sid asks.
"I met Arron in '94. Back then, I thought he actually loved me. My god, I had to endure 5 years of torture," I say, resting my head on the plushie's face. It was so soft.
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