The Choice (All Normani Ships)

7. City of Light

A/N: Some of you got on my nerves. I didn't mind people changing their minds, but several of you voted multiple times making it difficult for me to weed out duplicate votes. If I ever do something like this again, I'm putting up a poll somewhere. 

"Who are we waiting for again?" Jilly asked Normani as they stood in the airport.

"My friend, Dinah," answered Normani. "She could only get a ticket for a later flight."

"Is she the soccer player you dated in high school?" asked Jilly.

Normani corrected her, "She's a basketball player, and yes, we dated in high school."

"Really?" Jilly had a sneaky grin on her face. "I see what's going on. You've turned a business trip into a romantic vacation."

Normani huffed, "Why do you always have to give me a hard time?"

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I'm happy you've ended your three-year drought," said Jilly.

"I don't know where this is going. As of now, we're just friends," Normani added.

Jilly looked unconvinced, but she quietly waited with her friend for Dinah to arrive. About 40 minutes later, the basketball player could be seen approaching them with her luggage in hand. Dinah and Normani hugged, and Jilly introduced herself.

Jilly struck up a conversation with Dinah while they rode in a cab. "How were you able to book a room at the same hotel as ours? I was sure there would be no vacancies with the fashion show coming up."

"Uh, I didn't book my own room," replied Dinah.

A sneaky grin came across Jilly's face again. "Normani, you didn't tell me that Dinah was staying in your room."

"Because it was none of your business," Normani snapped.

Dinah placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her laughter. Just from the few minutes she had been around Normani and Jilly, she got the impression that they fought more like sisters than acted like friends. Dinah spent the rest of the ride conversing with Jilly while Normani sulked in her own little corner.

Normani let out a sigh of relief when she closed the door to their hotel room. "I'm so glad to be away from her."

Dinah chuckled, "She seems nice and funny."

"There is a reason why we're best friends, but I sometimes have to remind myself," said Normani.

The next morning, Dinah and Normani headed out for a bike tour of Versailles. They had invited Jilly to come along, but she said it sounded like too much work. So, the two of them left her behind and toured the city with a group of other tourists. They took in all the beautiful sights of historical buildings and the amazingly landscaped grounds of the Palace of Versailles. There was a market on the route where the group stopped and purchased food for a picnic by the Grand Canal.

"This is food is delicious, and these gardens are gorgeous. I'm so glad I came," Dinah piped. "The fashion show's tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, but I can guarantee you it won't be the best part of this trip. I mean, the whole atmosphere there will be like nothing you've ever experienced before, but nothing beats touring France and taking everything in."

This was Normani's second time walking down the runway in Paris. The first time, she was so nervous that she nearly vomited backstage. She was a little more comfortable this time, but still afraid of falling in front of everyone. It would have been nice to turn to Jilly for comfort, but she was even more of a nervous wreck.

For her first time down the runway, Normani strutted in a silk dress and four-inch heels. She wished she had gotten Dinah front row seats, but she could still see her cheering her on from the back. Knowing that Normani was nervous, Dinah gave her a thumbs up to let her know she was doing great. It was something small, but it was enough to give the model a confidence boost.

After the show, Normani and Jilly changed and met Dinah in the hallway where celebrities and designers were congregating. Dinah held out her arms for Normani and pulled her in for a tight hug. "You did great. You both did."

Both models thanked her. Jilly told them that she was going to hang out with a couple of other models. She wanted to leave the two of them alone. Normani grabbed Dinah's hand and walked her out the building.

"My modeling agency got me tickets to an intimate opera performance. The audience gets to eat dinner at tables while the singers perform," Normani informed Dinah.

"Wow!" Dinah exulted. "Can this trip get any better?"

Once the performance was over, Normani held Dinah's hand again as they walked back to their hotel.

"I can't thank you enough for inviting me," Dinah told Normani.

"Thank you for coming. You saved me from spending a whole week with Jilly," Normani joked.

"How far away is the Eiffel Tower?" asked Dinah.

Normani pulled a folded map out of her purse and examined it. She checked around for a street sign to verify their location and went back to inspecting the map. "It looks like we're only a few blocks away. Look up. You can see the top of it from here."

The basketball player jumped with glee. "Let's go!"

They practically raced along the sidewalks and across the streets laughing the whole way and almost managed to keep hold of each other's hands. But, Normani tripped and fell. She was good at doing a lot of things in heels, but she was no match for some of the cobblestone they encountered along the way. Dinah checked to see if she was okay, and Normani assured her that she ways, but she began walking with a limp. Buzzing with too much excitement to see the tower, Dinah picked up the model and carried her the rest of the way there.

There were couples sitting on the lawn area near the structure when the two women finally arrived. Dinah slowly placed Normani down on her feet, but held on to her to make sure she didn't fall off balance.

"Thank you, Dinah. But, I'm not sure if you did this for me or for yourself," Normani teased.

"Both," Dinah admitted as she giggled.

Realizing they had nothing to sit on, Dinah took off her jacket and placed it on the ground. Normani protested, "Dinah, no! Don't ruin your jacket."

"It's okay," Dinah reassured. "It only cost $16.99 at Ross."

Dinah helped Normani lower herself to the ground and wrapped her arms around her as they looked up at the lit Eiffel Tower.

"I missed you, Dinah," Normani revealed. "Imagine what things would have been like if we had stayed together these past 10 years."

"Well, you probably would have gone to dental school," Dinah jested.

Normani smacked Dinah on the thigh. "What a way to rub it in. To be honest, though, being a model has allowed me to do a lot of things I wouldn't have done otherwise. I've had a lot of fun."

Dinah pulled Normani in closer and squeezed. Normani wrapped her arms around Dinah's waist and nuzzled into her chest. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity until Dinah spoke again.

"Promise me that you'll come with me wherever I move or that you'll take me with you wherever you move...whatever we have to do to stay together," stated Dinah.

Normani lifted her head to look at the woman holding her. "I promise."

Then, the couple French kissed along with dozens of other couples in the City of Light.