Sweet Pleasures ✔︎

[27] 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 : 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓

Status : Unedited

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"Non, Jupiter, too much mixing." Pierre Lacroix poked at one of the flat macaroons Jupiter had just pulled out of the oven. His bushy eyebrows drew together in displeasure. "You overwork the dough. Recommencez." [Translates to : Start again]

He strode away. Jupiter pushed a lock of hair away from her forehead and sighed. Recommencez was a refrain she'd heard multiple times in the week since classes started. She scraped the macaroons into the trash, catching the sympathetic eye of Hanna, the student at the adjoining workstation.

At least Jupiter and her fellow students were all in the same boat, trying to meet the high expectations of the renowned pastry chefs by working on their recipes over and over. She was happy to keep trying as long as it took to please the chefs, but she had yet to become accustomed to their demands for perfection. However, by the end of class, she'd managed to produce a sheet of macaroons that, if they didn't earn a Lacroix smile, didn't provoke a frown either.

She cleaned her station, said goodbye to her classmates, and headed outside. She took the long walk back to her apartment, stopping on the Pont des Arts.

The gray waters of Seine flowed around the cuvre of the île de la Citè. The bell towers of Notre adame sat against the cloudy sky like building blocks, the banks of the River lined with elegant quays and buildings that resonated with beauty and history.

She slipped her hand into her satchel for her phone. She wanted - no she longed to call Josh and tell him all about her first two weeks in Paris.

She wanted to talk about the challenging classes and confess that she was still finding her footing in this brilliant city. She wanted him to assure her in his deep, warm voice that it would get easier, and that he'd always be there when she was feeling homesick and in need of a friend.

But he wouldn't be. And though she could find her way without him, there was no denying that she outright missed him. She was even starting to regret not agreeing to his ridiculous idea of a schedule.

She let go of the phone and crossed the bridge. She'd get over him...eventually.

As she walked alongside the Seine, she wondered why she'd ever wanted to be a different version of herself. She'd always been brave, resourceful, scrappy. The only thing she had to find was the courage to realize that she didn't have to deny her own dreams to follow one's that weren't hers to begin with. To remember that she had dreams of her own.

Outside of classes, she spent most of her days learning French and exploring the city - watching tourists and Parisians, visiting museums, local markets, restaurants, and shop. She send emails and photos to Freya, Clementine, and Isabelle, all of whom updated her regularly with assurances that the Rainbow Palace was just fine, thank you, and even had a bit of internal aplomb now that they were telling everyone owner Jupiter Rhoades was off studying pastry-making in Paris..

Jupiter stopped alongside the quay when her phone buzzed with a text. She tugged it out of her satchel.

JULIA : 𝖨𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝖯𝗂𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗇 𝖠𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗂𝗇𝖾, 𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎.

JUPITER : 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞.

JULIA : 𝖳𝗋𝗎𝖾. 𝖡𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗍. 𝖭𝗈 𝖥𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗁𝗆𝖾𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖠𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗍, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗅 𝖨'𝗆 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗎𝗉.