PARIS

Chapter 4

Paris is one hour ahead of London... The one-and-a-half-hour flight has given me enough time to sleep, while Ryan was constantly trying to wake me up but ended up playing a video game.

" You sure you don't want me to come?" Ryan asks for the tenth time in last 1 hour. We are waiting for the driver that Ryan's dad has sent to pick us up.

Our luggage has already reached our places before us, thankfully I don't have to carry much of the load myself!

" Yes, I am sure. Go home and I'll see you for dinner." I say giving him an assuring smile. I am invited to his place for dinner tonight.

It's 4pm in the evening and Paris is just what I imagined it to be... Stunning.

We sit in Ryan's SUV and drive off. The early evening sun rays over this beautiful city is just making it more appealing. Oh, I am so happy finally coming here!

The streets are small and narrow but nothing in comparison to the tall, elegant tower that's visible from in between the streets as we come close to my apartment. I had made it a point to have my place as close as the Eiffel tower as possible. Like, who would not love to see it each time they look outside their window!

Ryan drops me at my apartment, it's on the second floor of this Haussmann type building located in the 16th arrondissement. It is walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysées and the Seine.. The metro station Iéna is located alongside the apartment.

I am loving this place more and more as the time passes. The rooms are just perfect. It's larger than my last apartment, and now that I'll have it all to myself, I am going to be way too comfortable.

As I drop my bags and investigate each corner of my apartment, I open the balcony... And there I see the majestic beauty. The Eiffel tower!

I decide to visit it tomorrow as it's a Sunday and I'll be joining the work from Monday. I'm sure Ryan would like to accompany me.

It's almost 5pm now and I am supposed to be at Ryan's by 7pm, so I decide to start getting ready for my dinner.

Thinking about how it will be to meet Ryan's parents after almost 2 years, I decide to take a shower first.

After half an hour of jumping through dresses, I choose a black one piece. It reaches just above my knees with full sleeves and collar neck. I apply a little makeup, some eyeliner, mascara, and some lip gloss. I am impressed to see how good I look; my blond hairs are just a compliment to the dress I'm wearing. I decide on to leave them loose.

After taking a taxi and struggling with the little French I know, for communicating with the driver, I arrive at Ryan's. It's just 6:55pm. I like being punctual. I make a mental note of learning French as soon as possible.

"Hey Amara! Oh my god, look at you! You look beautiful!" Claire, Ryan's mom greets me.

" Hello Claire!" I say, blushing by the little shower of compliments I just got.

Claire lead me inside the house. It's bigger than it appears from outside. It's well beautifully furnished and comes with a feeling of warmth and love.

" Hello Amara!" calls out Ken, Ryan's dad, from the living room. I turn to see him sitting on the sofa watching a football match... Between Madrid and France I suppose. I support Barcelona anyways; I say to myself.

" Hi Ken. Nice to meet you!" I say, making my way towards Claire who just seeped into the kitchen. This is the most formal I have ever been.

I wonder were Ryan is. Maybe he is upstairs, in his room my subconscious says to me while I cross the staircase to enter the kitchen.

" I am making some pancakes and chicken for dinner. Hope you'll like it!" Claire says excitedly as we enter the kitchen. I remember Ryan speaking about how much Claire loves to cook.

" I love pancakes!" I say, and we both giggle as I help her with the chicken.

After a delicious dinner with Ryan and his family and me complimenting Claire on her cooking, Ryan drops me home.

" So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he says as I get out of the car in front of my apartment.

" Yeah sure!" I say, waving him goodbye. I am so tired today! As I make my way up to my apartment, I feel this little nervous feeling about how it would be here. With a new job, in a whole new city, with all new people, I start to question myself if I would be able to cope up here!

Ensuring myself that everything will be alright, I get in and go straight to the bedroom. Freeing myself from all my cloths, I get inside the soft cover of my new bed.

I look around the room and see all the mess of bags on the floor, " Tomorrow I'll clean you up" I say. And drift to sleep looking at the glittering lights of the Eiffel tower visible from my bedroom window.