It Started in Paris

Chapter Thirteen: It's The Little Things He Does That Count

We rode the Segway around Paris.  We barely spoke to each other.  Leila took photos as we passed by breathtaking sights.  There were times when I took a chance and peeked at Jack.  At the end of the night, we greeted each other goodnight without any more words to each other.

Leila showered first and changed into her pink PJs.  I got out of the bathroom as I dried my hair with my towel.

Leila flashed a bright smile.  "Report sent!"

"Thanks, Leila, but," I wondered.  "How were you able to access  my e-mail?"

Leila smirked cleverly.  "You don't log your account out in your laptop, remember?"

I nodded once in realization.  "Right."

Leila shook her head once with a giggle.  "Jack," I heard her mutter.

I rolled my eyes with an inevitable smile on my face then, sat in the middle of the bed and continued to dry my hair with my legs crossed in a yoga position.

"What did you talk about when I left you two alone at the park bench?" Leila asked.

I told her everything that we talked about until we finally fell asleep.

The next morning felt even more exciting.  I don't know if it's because I'll be able to see him again or it's because I'll be seeing new parts of Paris.  Either way, I'll be having the best of both worlds.

This time, I woke up earlier than Leila.  I tied my hair in a high ponytail.  I put on a beige sleeveless ruffled top, black skinny jeans and my dark blue Converse sneakers.

The soft ringing of the doorbell echoed inside the apartment.  I opened the door, and there he was, standing in his black v-neck shirt, dark blue jeans and his ever-reliable black Converse sneakers.  "Hey."

I smiled at the sight of him.  "Come in."

He sat by the designer dining table and made the same waiting position yesterday.

"I'll be making waffles today," I said as I headed to the kitchen.  "Want some?"

He turned and shifted his expression into a teasing one.  "Well, this is a little thrill."

I raised a brow and waited for his explanation.

He chuckled.  "Sure.  I would like to give your waffles a try."

I put my hand on my hip.  ""A try"?"  I echoed his words.  "What does that supposed to mean?"

He motioned carelessly.  "Well, I want to know if you can cook."

I squinted my eyes, sensing a challenge.  "Oh,  it's on."  I turned back and smiled as my heart skipped a beat.

I worked confidently around the kitchen.  I could feel his eyes on me as I moved which made it quite uncomfortable but after fifteen minutes, I have come up with six waffles. I served them up on ceramic plates that were stocked up in the cupboard and placed them on the table.  I found a chocolate syrup that Leila bought last night while we were having our Segway tour.

I handed Jack his fork and waited for his comment as he took his first bite.

"Mmm..." his eyes widened until he swallowed.  He leaned a little closer across me and slammed the table, "Can I just say that so far, these are the best-tasting waffles I've ever tasted."

I giggled and felt my whole face heat up.  "Thank you."

I heard the bedroom door close.  A second later, Leila came to the table in her PJs and sat on the empty seat with the waffles on the table.

"Hi Jack."  She smiled.

Jack forced a smile.  "Hi."

Leila grabed the fork on the side of her plate.  She sliced a tiny part of the waffle and shoved it in her mouth.  She spoke in between chews.  "So, where are we going today?--God!  Lauren, these are the most delicious waffles I've had in my entire existence," she added.

"Thank you very much," I said politely. 

"We're going to take a long walk through Paris' many neighborhoods.  We're going to get lost and find our way back."

"Are you crazy?" Leila said outrageously.

"I think it's fun," I accidentally uttered my thoughts out loud.

Jack looked amazed.  "Yeah," he said as though in a daze, like he didn't hear me right.  "It is."

Leila rolled her eyes.  "Whatever."

We finished breakfast.  Leila got changed as I washed the dishes in the sink.

Leila appeared out of the hall in a casual street fashion.  Her hair pulled up in a loose bun like an off-duty professional photographer, dark blue off-shoulder top, paired with white shorts and gladiator sandals plus, her SLR camera hanging around her neck.  "Let's go!" she beamed.

We got out of the apartment building and didn't take any public transportation to get to our destination: nowhere.  To be precise, we're not heading nowhere, actually, we're heading anywhere.

We went straight, crossed the street, turned to the left, then to a right around a corner, then we crossed another street, turned to the left and went right after the next street...so, if we're going to head back, we're going to turn left before the next street, turn right, cross a street, then...oh, what the hell.

And so we got lost in Paris as Leila took shots of different residential apartments and hotels.  There were remarkable fountains that I couldn't have imagined.  In the long walk, my feet got really tired but I didn't want to tell him.  I was afraid that he might get pissed off at me for being such a girl.

Everything was actually going fine when my foot started to cramp really bad.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" I skipped to the sidewalk and sat at the edge of the footpath.

"Are you alright?" Leila asked.

"What's wrong?" Jack said as he squatted in front of me.

"I think I've got a cramp."

"Let me."  He shoved my hand off my foot and untied my shoe lace.  He removed my shoe and my socks and--don't worry, my feet doesn't smell--stretched it out and gave an amazing massage.  After a little while, he looked up at me.  I almost jumped in panic and thought that he caught me staring at him but I remembered that I have the right to do that since he's got my foot.  "Does it feel better?"

 I nodded in silence.

He placed one pair of my shoe and my ankle socks near me.  I silently put them on and tied my shoelace.

"Come on," he offered a hand and pulled me up.  Without any more words, he turned and pulled two of my hands around his neck and said, "Hop on."

I obediently did what he said.

His hands swiped my feet off the ground and in less than a second, he's carrying me behind his back.  I smiled widely and felt my whole body warm up.  I wanted to see what's his expression was. I tried to peek.  I caught sight of a sideways smile that showed his small dimple and it looked as if he's trying to stop himself from making a wide grin.  I suddenly noticed Leila taking a photo of us upfront from afar that Jack probably didn't notice.  Leila put down her camera.  She gave me a wink and a thumbs up.

Gosh, I love Leila!