College Fund

//Sage Really Needs That Ten Bucks//

By the time the bus pulled up at the stop closest to the Eiffel Tower, my breathing and heart rate were 100% back to normal. I stood up first and grabbed Eric's hand as we stepped off the bus.

"Are you feeling a bit better, Butterfly?" Eric asked me.

I squeezed his hand. "Much better. Thank you."

"Any time. Just promise me you won't ever let something like that stop you from doing what you want to do. It's like you said about my acting; I let my fear of what people would say or do stop me from doing what I truly wanted to do. So I don't want you to feel the same way and regret things."

"I really appreciate that Eric. It means a lot that you are looking out for me."

"Of course. You're my Butterfly." Eric squeezed my hand back.

I was about to thank him for comforting me, but both us had to stop and gasp at the sight of the Eiffel Tower. It was even taller than I had imagined, if that was possible, and when it was lit up, like it was right now, it was possible the most incredible sight I had ever seen.

"Wow," Eric breathed.

"This is-amazing."

Without exchanging a word, we walked hand in hand down the path to get a closer look. Eric began to swing our arms, and I laughed before pulling my hand away.

I didn't want Eric to get the wrong idea. Yeah, he sang to me on the bus, but that didn't change our relationship status at all. We were still just friends, nothing more, nothing less, and a few verses and a chorus wasn't going to change any of that.

Being friends with a boy was such a complicated thing. I had never really had many guy friends growing up, so I had never fully realized the complications. If Eric were Bria or Margaux, I would hold their hand for sure and skip all the way to the Eiffel Tower. But since this was Eric, and Eric was a big, scary boy, I couldn't do that. If I held his hand, it would immediately send a message to him and everyone else that we were together. But not together as in together as friends, together as in together in a relationship. But not a relationship as in a friendship, but a relationship as in boyfriend and girlfriend. As in, serious.

Serious committment.

All my 'boyfriends' that I had in the past had been nothing more than flings. None of them lasted longer than three weeks and most ended over text message with little more than a sad face emoji.

Eric was the first guy I had ever sort of cared about, and that scared me. That meant that if things ended, they would end with a whole lot of heartbreak and tears and sadness and I was not ready for that. I couldn't handle other people's tears let alone my own! Emotions were so not my thing. And Eric brought along way too many emotions, all of which I didn't want to deal with. Honestly, I just didn't understand myself. Although Dr. Saunders did his best to help me unlock my 'true self' I was still just as confused over my own thoughts and dreams as I was when my dad left for New York.

Eric's arm brushed against my arm, distracting me from my thoughts. I looked up and made eye contact with him before glancing back down at the ground. Eyes were weird. Sometimes I felt as though if I let someone look into my eyes they would be able to tell exactly what I was thinking about. Stupid, I know, but it was just the way my brain worked.

Silence had been between us for too long. I needed to think of something.

I pulled my sweater tighter around me to keep out the chilly air. "What song was that?"

"Hmmm?" I could tell I didn't have Eric's full attention considering his eyes were still locked on the magnificent view of the Tower.

"What was that song called, that you sang on the bus? I've never heard it before."

"Oh, right," he remembered. "It's called 'You're Still the One' by Shania Twain."

I couldn't help myself; I had to laugh. "You sang me a Shania Twain song?" I don't know why that seemed so funny to me, maybe it was the fact that Eric was the last person I would expect to be into Shania Twain.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "My mom used to play her songs all the time when I was growing up. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, of course not," I reassured him. "I thought it was very cute."

Eric nodded contentedly. He reached out to grab my hand, but I casually pulled it away. His shoulders stiffened, clearly insulted, but I pretended I didn't notice.

"Wow." The Tower rose up in front of us, and all the lights really added to the overall feeling. There were still quite a few tourists milling around, but to me Eric and I were the only people in the world.

We just stood there, side by side, gazing at the bright Tower illuminating the otherwise dark night. For years I had stared of pictures of this sight on postcards, images online and even in my geometry textbook, and I never in a million years I would ever see it in person, let alone with my ice cream store co-worker.

Eric reached over and grabbed both of my hands in his, turning me towards him. Slowly, almost as if he was afraid, he lowered his lips towards mine, his eyelids fluttering close. I was frozen in shock, unmoving, as his lips neared mine. Finally, when they were centimetres from my face, I got my senses together and turned my head so his lips landed on my cheek.

His head snapped back, his eyes clearly showcasing the hurt he felt.

"Sage really needs that ten bucks," I explained.