The chestnuts of Montmartre

Chapter 3: Four years ago

We walked through Montmartre with my friends. Despite all the tourists, this place felt like heaven on Earth. A small village, far from the city's agitation. Chestnuts, painters, restaurants... I fell for the place before than for Felix, to be honest. Felix was leaning against the wall, on the corner of the street. I immediately fell in love the first second I noticed him. He looked like midnight rain. Wild, unpredictable, chaotic but beautiful. I couldn't stop staring at him and Allie saw it. I thought Allie was one of these true friends you only met once in your life. She was not. She wanted a friend whom boys weren't running after. Allie said that, if I would like to, she could ask for his phone number for me. With my gullible teenage mind, I did not realize what were her real motivations. She liked this feeling of midnight rain too. She always went for toxic boys.

"You know what, do it..."

I thought she would not cross the limits this time. But she did. And I miserably ran away. With Felix, it has always been hide-and-seek. One getting away and the other chasing. It was how we liked it. He constantly wanted space to grow alone. I happened to be very indecisive. That's how you lost the people you, then, think about every day.

"My friend would like to get your number!" she almost screamed it -I could hear it far away-.

Felix simply gave it. I have always thought he did it because he believed it was just an invented pretext for Allie to get it. And it was.

I reminisced about Felix the whole evening. I finally messaged him after hours hesitating. In the beginning, he did not reply. At least, to me. To Allie and Elizabeth, yes. They kept repeating: "This guy is so nice." When he eventually answered my text, I was glad to be someone's interest, even for a second. I never imagined I would be addicted to this thing.