Whispers of the Heart

Chapter Three

Five years later...

Abby rushed inside the Hôtel Ritz Paris; a mob of fans tried to grab her.

"Oh, I hate it when that happens."

She took her coat off as she stepped inside the hotel elevator. She noticed a man standing in the lobby. She stared at his short, sandy blonde, Val Kilmer-during-Batman-Forever style hair, and his blue eyes; yes, she could see them from so far away. Then she noticed his round muscular buttocks, large muscular arms, and the outline of his pecks under his black silk shirt.

"Oh my..." she said and then she looked at his face.

She could not help but think that she knew him from somewhere. When their eyes met, she realized who it was. She gasped and jumped out of the elevator just as the doors were about to shut. She stepped closer to him; her hand went to her mouth. It was Christopher. The same look was on his face, and they walked closer to each other. Abby ran over to him and stopped short of knocking him over.

"Christopher?" She said, almost not able to talk. He stood there for a minute in shock. He looked confused at first then his eyes grew wider as he realized who it was.

"Abby? Is that you?" He touched her face and smiled. Abby pushed her cheek into his palm.

"Yes, it's me." She breathed deeply and touched his face. She started to cry. Christopher grabbed her and held her tight; a tear ran down his face.

"Oh, Abby, I've waited so long for this moment. I've missed you so much."

They stood there for what seemed hours, but then crazed fans passed the bodyguards and charged towards them. Abby saw them as they ran towards them and pulled Christopher into the elevator. Just as the doors closed, the mob reached it and stopped.

"Christopher, how did you find me? I know you live in Paris, but how did you come to be in the same hotel as me?" Abby asked as she gasped for air.

"Well, you are a big hit in France, obviously, and I read that you were going to be here for the week on one of your ghost hunts. I wanted to find you. I missed you so much. I followed the mob of French fans and was able to get into the hotel. You know... connections." He grinned, "It's been so long, I love your work, your show is a hit here, I noticed that at the end of each episode is the dedication to me. Thank you, I'm glad you never forgot me."

Abby looked at him, "Forget you, you know I could never, no matter what my life was like."

Christopher smiled and touched her face, "I know. I am so sorry that I didn't write to you more. I've been so busy..." Abby placed a finger on his pouty lips to quiet him.

"Christopher," she looked him in the eyes, "I've been dreaming of this moment ever since you left on that plane five years ago. It was hard for me to get over the fact that you were gone. Eventually, I got on with my life and overcame each obstacle that got in my path. Every day I prayed that we would someday find each other again. You know what, we found each other. Now how about we catch up on lost time?"

She smiled, as the elevator reached the top floor and opened to a short hallway that led to one room, the penthouse. The two friends stepped out and walked to the room door. Abby pulled out her hotel key and pushed the door open. Once inside they talked about everything that had happened in the past five years. In a short time, one hour became five, and the two were found lying on the bed together, asleep. The next day Abby had the whole day to herself, so Christopher decided to show her around Paris. First, they had breakfast at a little café on the street.

"It's so beautiful here," Abby said munching on some toast. "It's funny too, after all these years and all the money I've made, this is the first time I've been here." She laughed and sipped her coffee.

"Yeah, it is a wonderful city. I traveled a little after I became successful, but it was a little lonely doing it alone." Christopher took a bite of his croissant and slowly let his hand trail over to hers, his fingers caressed hers gently before he pulled his hand back. Abby blushed and averted her eyes but smiled.

They visited the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. They also ventured to the Notre Dame de Paris, Champs – Élysées, and walked through the Tuileries Gardens. Now and then they had to dodge crazed fans that were after both of them. By the end of the day, they were tired and ended up at a viewpoint over the River Seine.

"This sure is a gorgeous lake," Abby said her arm wrapped around Christopher's.

She laid her head on his arm and gazed out at the river, the stars sparkled off the calm water. Christopher ran his hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. They stood there for a while and then decided to catch a cab back to her hotel. Once up in her room, they climbed into bed and held each other. Christopher listened to Abby; the sound of her soft breathing sank deep inside him. He caressed her back and ran his fingers gently back and forth as she fell asleep in his arms. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, thoughts of him and Abby ran through his head.