Paris with Love and Gold Medals

Chapter Nine

THE BREEZE FELT nice, a bit cooler now that the night had settled in, and the lights from the city cast a gentle glow over everything. Elena sat there, cross-legged on the soft grass of the Tuileries Garden, trying her hardest to focus on the view.

It should've been peaceful, relaxing even, but all she could think about was Ryan sitting right next to her. Close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body, close enough that his presence seemed to take up all the air between them.

She tried to play it cool, to act like this was no big deal. It was just dinner—well, pastries in the park—with a friend. No different from grabbing food with Mia and Alex after practice, right? Except... it wasn't. Not even close.

Elena stole a glance at Ryan. He was leaning back on his hands, looking out over the gardens with this soft, thoughtful look on his face. His jawline was sharp in the moonlight, and his eyes seemed a little distant like he was caught up in some memory.

She couldn't help but admire how effortlessly attractive he was. The kind of guy who didn't even have to try. She let her eyes drift for just a second​​—okay, maybe a little longer than that—and noticed how his compression shirt clung to his frame, highlighting the muscles in his arms and shoulders. Honestly, it was doing him all kinds of favors.

She tore her eyes away quickly, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Great. Just great. Here she was, supposed to be cool and collected, and she was out here acting like a lovestruck teenager.

The scent of him drifted over—a mix of something earthy, maybe cedarwood, with just the faintest hint of something spicy, like pepper or ginger. It was ridiculously manly. Of course, he'd smell like that. Elena tried not to think about it, but the scent was grounding in a weird way. She was hyper-aware of everything, of how close he was, of the way his arm brushed hers whenever he shifted. It was making it nearly impossible to think straight.

Ryan must've felt her looking at him because he turned his head and caught her eye. That soft, distracted look he'd had moments before melted away, replaced by something lighter​​—more playful. He smiled, and damn it, that smile was dangerous.

"You okay?" he asked.

Elena swallowed hard and nodded, hoping he couldn't see right through her. "Yeah. Just... taking it all in."

But really, she wasn't sure what she was taking in more—the view of the garden or him. Honestly, he kind of outshined everything around them. She bit her lip, trying to refocus, but it was no use. Her mind kept looping back to the story he had just told her.

It caught her off guard, the way he opened up like that. She didn't expect it. Vulnerable wasn't the word she would have ever expected to associate with him—this confident, almost larger-than-life guy who could command a room without even trying.

But the way he talked about his mom, how much this place reminded him of her, how Tuileries Garden held this quiet piece of his heart... it made Elena see him differently. It wasn't just some pretty spot he brought her to because it was scenic. It meant something to him, something real.

And when he mentioned that he hadn't brought anyone here before, something inside her shifted. It was small, almost imperceptible, but she felt it. A twinge of something warm and soft that made her heart beat just a little faster. It wasn't something she could name—not yet. But it was there. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, creeping up to her chest.

Elena glanced at Ryan again. The silence was comfortable, but it felt heavy with something unsaid. And maybe it was the way he looked, or maybe it was the way her thoughts were spinning out of control, but she just had to say something to break the spell.