Paris En Tu Invierno (ChuuVes FF)

vii. paris, france.

Jiwoo.

My classes were filled with applause and standing ovations that I didn't want to receive. I felt incredible waves of discomfort as soon as I walked into a class. All eyes were on me. The last student who got admitted...from a foreign country. Another thing is that I was the star student already. No one liked that. I had older women in my class who looked at me coldly when I had to harmonize with them. I had a lighter voice than most of my classmates. Teachers ate that up though. Once I got out of my class, Max was waiting up against a lamp post in their expensive backpack against their shoulder. They gave me a smile. I felt a little relaxed and at ease. They agreed to take me out for lunch at their mother's restaurant.

Their hands tried to weave into mine, but I shyed away. I'm still not open to trusting anyone. Romance seemed so simple for Max. But I wasn't in the mood for it. I wanted to be alone more than anything. Max made me feel nervous as their eyes remained on me the entire time. I never seen anyone this intense before. Max grabbed my hand assertively. "Pourquoi êtes-vous si effrayés de moi?" (why are you so frightened?) They looked at me with concern.

"Je ne suis pas habitué à ceci." (I'm not used to this.)

"Je suis désolé. Je suis d'habitude très direct." (I'm sorry I'm usually straightforward.)

I stepped back. "Attendez."

Max looks at me, confused.

I felt nervous. That was mostly why I was not sure on how to hold hands right now. I had to gather my thoughts together. Max wasn't Sooyoung. They were Max. They wanted to be good to me. They really wanted to get to know me. I took their hand and just went with the flow. Maybe this person could be the key to change. Maybe this person is it for me. We went to the restaurant and ate. I finally engaged in more conversation with Max. I told them about my life in general. How out of place I felt. How scared I was to be here. Their mother wasn't very responsive to my existence. Max excused it off as just something they didn't feel the need to discuss. I didn't want them to leave me just yet so, we went to their apartment which was a few mintues away from the school.

I was alone with them for the first time in a place. They turned on the news. "Je regarde les nouvelles." (I watch the news). They sat beside me on their sofa. Their apartment was filled with memorablia from the 1980s. There was a Bohemian Rhapsody poster hanging above their plants. A cat was snoozing on the carpet next to the flat screen television. Max raised their eyebrows at me. "Tu vas bien?"

"Oui." I turn my gaze to them entirely. Their hair was a warm color of brown. Their skin was slightly ghastly. Their eyes sparkled like green pools of emerald and they had their arm around my shoulder. They looked at me too. I felt my cheeks turning red. Max grinned at me and leaned in. It had only been a few days of me knowing them but I feel so attracted to them already. They kiss my lips gently, until they got more excited. They kindly asked to open the kiss and I allowed them to. They pulled me onto their lap and their hands held onto my sides. I felt like I was free finally. Free to make my own decisions. Finally I was into someone different and they were into me as well. Their phone began buzzing in their pocket.

"Ugh." Max takes their phone out of their pocket. "Shit. It's Yves." They flash me a seductive grin and pick up the call, holding their finger up to their lips that I had stained with my red lipstick. "Hey you. I'm kind of busy," they say in English.

I crawl to sit by their side on the couch. I listen in on their conversation.

"Yes. I'm with the girl....Oh. A party? At where?....Ah. Your father's banquet is here in Paris," they sound excited. "Sure. Well...Let me ask..." They take a good look at me and then says : "We're going to the party."

I didn't even say yes, but I didn't mind it at all. The time we were going was 7:30, so Max hurriedly drops me off at my apartment. They say that they will be back within an hour to come get me. Heejin is home in their slippers and sipping on a glass of juice, watching a film in French. I look at their computer and furrow my brow. "You don't even understand what they're saying."

"Shhh....Jody told me that this will give me all the information I need to be fluent."

"Who is Jody?"

"A classmate of mine. She's half Korean and half French. She said that her father forced her to watch this movie every day before they moved here."

I facepalmed and then went to the bathroom. "Well, Max and I are going out on a date tonight to some friend of their's banquet."

"Didn't I tell you I didn't like that Max fellow? And it's not because of who they are but....I can see them taking advantage of you. I have a good sense of character." Heejin walked into the bathroom. "Haseul-unnie told us that you can tell a lot about the person just by looking into their eyes.That Max isn't good news to me."

"Is it because they're a foreigner?" I ask. I frowned. I didn't see anything wrong with Max. They seemed like they genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person. They wanted me to break out of my shell. "Or is it because you like me?"

"Me? Like you?!" Heejin bursted out into laughter. "You already know where my heart lies..." Their expression changed. Of course I knew how they felt. They had a one-sided love for our friend Kim Hyunjin for the longest time. Immediately, they wanted to change the subject and I respected that. "But, I'm just saying. I think you ought to be careful with Max. I can see that person taking advantage of you already. Jiwoo, you're broken. And they're gonna eat that part of you up if you don't watch out..."

"I know Max. They won't do that."

"Or do you?" Heejin shrugged. "Do you want to borrow my dress?"

"Gladly," I reply sharply as I prepare to hop into the shower.