One Day At A Time

Chapter 35

Alicia's POV

The flight to Paris was short, sweet and awkward. Landon was respectful to his step-father when they communicated, yet he was trying his hardest to avoid him in every way possible. I was proud of him for trying, I just wished I could take him out of this situation.

The cabs in Paris drove like madmen, swerving in and out of traffic, corners that knocked you over like a row of dominoes, and stops that gave you whiplash. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it still was crazy.

The InterContinental Paris le Grand, the hotel we were booked into, was a sight I'd never forget. I couldn't understand how someone could afford something so grand, it practically was made of money. It was in the direct centre of Paris, and it's lobby was enormous, built with pillars, fireplaces, marble floors, and staircases every which way. The elevators were like polished brass. I couldn't even speak as we walked in, only gaped at Mrs. Ingram and Mr. Lewis.

“Close your mouth,” Landon nudged me and I followed his order immediately. He gave a soft laugh.

“Your mouth would be hanging open too if you had never seen anything like this,” I retorted.

Mr. Lewis turned from the desk and handed us a room key. I could see the mischief in his eyes. “This is for you two. You'll be sharing a room.”

I frowned slightly but I knew there was no way I could expect a room for myself and I would never dream of making my boyfriend stay with his wicked step-father.

When we got to our room, I dropped my bag with a thud on the floor and blinked a couple times. The next few minutes I spent running around the hotel room, letting my fingers touch everything from the mahogany furniture, to the bathroom with stone, granite and a jacuzzi, and the king-sized bed with curtains. I was too busy to notice Landon watching me intently. The view from the veranda was lofty and the Eiffel tower could be seen. I had never dreamt of coming here.

“I'm actually here,” I breathed, sinking down on the bed.

Landon wrapped his arms around me and pressed kisses down my exposed shoulder. “It's so cute,” he cooed.

“What is?” I giggled.

“Watching you run around with these wide eyes of curiosity.”

I laughed again and leaned into him further.

“Do we have to go down?” he whined, and I fiddled with his fingers that were on my stomach.

“Sorry babe, but yes. Your mom told us to come down to the restaurant, dressed nicely,” I added.

“How nice?” he kissed me again.

“Really nice,” I confirmed.

I stood up, forcing myself to pull away from his embrace, turning to catch one last glimpse of him before going into the bathroom.

“You could come back,” he called, “I could see the look of longing you had.”

I tried to suppress a giggle but failed and ended up snorting, before yelling a “Shut up!”

I pulled my hair up into a bun, seeing as the travel had done nothing good to my image and fixed my makeup. I wasn't too concerned, so I came out of the bathroom fairly soon. Landon was dressed in a plaid button up and dark jeans. I flushed almost instantly at how good he looked and saw him smirk a bit.

“It's okay. I'm feeling the same way looking at you right now.”

I coughed to hide my embarrassment, and pulled my pencil skirt down along with my blue blouse. He walked over and gave me an eager kiss, brushing his finger against my cheek before slowly pulling away.

“I just want to stay here now, but we best go down.”

I took his hand tightly and we left the room, heading back down to the lobby. As we neared the restaurant entrance, I spotted Mrs. Ingram and Mr. Lewis quickly. I felt Landon squeeze my hand tighter.

“Relax,” I whispered, “I'm proud of you.”

I saw a flicker of a smile that he tried to hide from me. Mr. Lewis stepped forward.

“Ah how nice of you two to join us at long last.” The smile on his face was fake, and it made me shiver.

“We were as fast as possible,” Landon said shortly.

“Sure, I can imagine what has gone on in that room already.”

Landon's eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. “That's none of your business,” he spat between clenched teeth.

I squeezed his hand again and stepped in between them both.

“I believe we came down here for dinner,” I said, smartly.

Mr. Lewis eyed me up and down for a moment, then his lips tugged into a smirk. “Feisty woman you've got, Landon.”

I didn't let him say anymore, because I saw Mrs. Ingram already sitting and tugged Landon in that direction.

“There you two are!” she exclaimed. “Good, now we can eat.”

I smiled and slid into a seat. The waiter came soon to take our orders. As I sipped on my drink, I could feel Landon's hand quite high on my leg. I frowned and pushed it down, earning a look from him as he raised his eyebrow questioningly.

“So Landon, what do you plan on doing with your life?”

If one wasn't paying attention, they would have thought it was a normal question, but his entire tone was laced with sarcasm and insult. I saw Landon swallow hard.

“I'm not too sure yet,” he responded thoughtfully, “but I've been thinking about aiming towards a pilot.”

Mr. Lewis seemed surprised by his answer but it soon disappeared. “Hmm well I'm surprised you've actually given it some thought.”

Mrs. Ingram picked at her food with her fork in silence and I slowly brought my and Landon's entwined hands up onto the table, pressing circles into his with my thumb. Landon pushed his plate aside and I could immediately tell he was upset and had a loss of appetite. The conversation had gone well up until this point, and I was disappointed at the change in mood. He sucked the last drops from his glass and looked to his mother.

“I think Ali and I will be off to the room now. It's been a long day. We're tired.”

Mrs. Ingram nodded, giving him a soft smile. “Thanks for the dinner, honey,” she gave him a quick hug, and we bid the two a goodnight before making our way back to our room.

“I don't know how to do this,” Landon rubbed his face roughly with his hands.

His blue eyes were dull, worried and discouraged.

“I'm sorry, babe,” I said, coming to sit on his lap and pull his hands away from his face. “You're going to rub all your skin off if you keep going.”

He gave a soft hum, but rested his head on my shoulder. His silence bothered me; I was genuinely worried about him.

“I'm always here. Remember, I promised.”

He lifted his head and kissed down my jaw. “Go change, then come to bed, love.”

He helped me out of his lap and I rummaged through my bag to find some pyjamas. I slipped into the bathroom, realizing just how tired I was.

Landon was a part of me now, and naturally I would feel his pain. I wanted to make it stop and for the first time I realized that in helping him, he was helping me to forget my pain, my heartache. How little I had thought about my past after he seemed to take control of me. I loved him for it. But I knew it was my duty to now help him forget.