If I live forever, I can live now

45

I hadn't noticed her sitting by the window with the fancy frame. I didn't understand the relationship David and I supposedly had at that moment. Was he just set on doing nice things for me, like his father, or did he actually care?

"What did he say?"

"He said they are all going to Notre Dame for a walk. He wanted to know if you will join them."

Who did "all" include? Was Luke going to hang out with the rest of us? I walked to the bathroom, and supported myself on the white marble countertop. There was a vase with white tulips on it, and an assortment of small white bottles on a crystal self in front of me; they contained soap, moisturizer, exfoliating gel, and perfume, and were all signed by Dior. To my right, on top of the white marble bath, there were more bottles that looked similar.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I definitely had a better aspect after sleeping for a while. I had grown so used to seeing my eyes puffed and surrounded by dark circles, that they looked surprisingly light. I turned to the augmentation mirror, and remembered I had to put on the dark contacts.

I used every Dior bottle in the bathroom, and genuinely enjoyed myself. Luxury was overrated, but it was always pleasurable. After I got out of the bath, not only my eyes, but my mood was lighter too.

David was waiting for me having a cup of tea in the lounge next to the garden restaurant. There were white columns on both sides, and the roof was arched. Crystal chandeliers hung from it every few meters.

He noticed me, and subtly raised his chin to greet me. I could tell he was not in a very friendly mood. He probably hadn't showered yet.

"Hey. Where are the others?"

"They left the hotel early, so they're meeting us there." he answered, without looking at me in the eye.

"All of them?"

I didn't want to ask about Luke directly, and I wasn't even sure of why I was so interested in his whereabouts.

"No, Luke's not coming. He said he's exhausted."

We walked down Avenue Montaigne, passing endless designer shops and limousines, until we arrived at the point where it converged with Avenue des Champs Élysées. I turned around, and found the Arc de Triomphe.

"This avenue is as wide as it appears on the Lindt chocolate box." I said, and I smiled at the lack of seriousness of the remark.

David smiled too, and the light that gesture irradiated made me feel closer to him immediately. We hadn't talked since we had left the hotel, and I had been wondering why he had invited me along until that smile. One of the things I loved most about him was that his expressions were always sincere. I knew he was smiling truthfully, so I relaxed straight away.

"I'm sorry for not having helped you yesterday." he said, and walked closer to me.

We resumed our stroll through Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, towards the Seine. A majestic sandstone building, decorated with statues and high columns, was on our left, and, looking at my map, I deduced it was the Grand Palais. There were trees on both sides of the street. The buildings on our right side were white and not very high, and there was a black iron, Parisian balcony on almost every window. This avenue was not as wide as Champs Élysées, but it was still ampler than many streets in London, and the sunlight glistened on the blossoming leaves of the trees, and made us frown.

"I went to London, too." he confessed.

"What? Why?"

He shook his head, and I understood he wanted to let me know he hadn't made that trip to take care of me, which had been my first guess. I was half relieved and half disappointed.