by Mia Caldwell
The scenery leading out was just as beautiful to watch pass by as when I first came to the château. Even still, it was hard to keep my gaze on our surroundings when all I wanted to do was look at Julien.
Every time I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye it was like I was learning something new about him. I looked over and saw a small mole right on the underside of his jaw, and the next time I looked I noticed that a piece of his hair curled just so behind his ear, making me wonder if maybe he had curly hair that he kept trimmed back. It was all these little things that started to add up for me.
It was starting to add up to possible heartbreak.
I had to remind myself not to get too close, even though it would only be too easy with Julien. This was only a temporary thing, anyway. How silly would it be for me to fall for a guy I would never see again? I sighed, not wanting to think about actually leaving the château… or Julien.
“Is something the matter?” he asked me, without taking his eyes off the road.
I quickly shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I’m actually curious about where we’re going. Is it supposed to be a surprise or can you give me hints?”
The corner of his mouth quirked up as he glanced at me. “Would you like it to be a surprise?”
“I may be the only woman in history to is ever said this, but I don’t like surprises. Not anymore.” Dang it, did everything I say always have to come out so serious-sounding?
If he took notice of it, he didn’t say. “In that case, I was thinking we could start out at one of my favorite cafés in town. They have the best coffee around. And believe me, I’ve tried plenty of places. None better than theirs.”
Coffee sounded amazing…
After that I thought we could just walk around the city. It’s small, so it won’t take too long. If you get tired we can always catch one of the historical carriages they have going around every now and then.”
I smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on of my dress, wondering how he could be any more perfect. It sucked to have to admit it, but he was the exact type of guy I’d always looked for. And he was so out of my reach that it wasn’t even funny.
“That sounds like a good time to me. Sure beats scrubbing baseboards around the house,” I said, trying not to sound as hopeless as I felt.
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Chapter 14
I knew I was going to have a good day with him, but that was problem. Even just talking to him while dusting some of the furniture was a good day for me. What was this kind of day going to feel like? And how would it be any good for me?
The rest of the drive was pretty quiet, mostly because Julien turned on the radio so we could listen to some music. It was light and fun, a possible precursor for the rest of the day. At least I hoped so.
The road into town while it was beautiful, also curved a lot, and I had to close my eyes, trying not to get carsick. That certainly wouldn’t do. I think Julien sensed that I was feeling nauseous because he seemed to pick up the speed, and before I knew it we had made it to the café.
Looking around at the different French signs and older architecture was a truly unique experience. The café itself was still clinging to scraps of originality from the old building, probably put up in the mid to late eighteenth century. I brushed my hand along the outside wall, feeling the gritty texture of the stone work. It almost felt fragile even though I knew it wasn’t, given its standing against time.
Even though I didn’t see him I knew Julien was watching me, trying to make sense of me probably. Here I was this silly American girl trying to fit in among everyone else, but still petting the walls as if I had never been outside of a barn. Then again… I truly didn’t care what others thought of me anymore. After my life was pretty much taken away for me, I figured there was no point to that.
Julien ordered us his favorite roast of coffee, ordering it in the most fluid and beautiful French I had ever heard. Okay, so all French sounds the same pretty much, but coming out of Julien’s mouth… it was almost like art. It moved something inside of me.
Or maybe a few things, I thought, trying not to blush.
Julien handed me the coffee, and I could already smell the intense aroma wafting in the air. It smelled so good, I was surprised I didn’t start drooling. I wasn’t that much of a coffee fan, but this just smelled otherworldly. I took a tiny sip, braving the heat to test it out. It was bold, very rich, not at all like the regular dark roast that I was used to getting back home. I closed my eyes and took another small sip, licking my lips afterward.
When I looked up I saw Julien’s smug face, practically saying ‘I told you so.’ I rolled my eyes, glad to take another long draw from the drink.
He found us an open table outside in the front, underneath a large maroon umbrella that read ‘Nata Lisboa,’ in large, fancy lettering. I eyed the small brown paper bag he placed in the middle the table, wondering about its contents. I had totally forgotten to grab anything to eat, so of course by now I was starving.
“What’s in the bag?”
He held his finger up, tsking me and my impatience. “We’ll get to that in a moment. First, what do you think of the coffee?”
As if to make my point, I took a long drink from the toasty warm cup in my hand, giving him a thumbs up. “I haven’t been all over the world, so I don’t know any better . . . but it’s pretty damn good.”
He chuckled, nodding along with me and taking a sip of his own cup. “It is pretty damn good, isn’t it?”
We sat there for a few minutes, drinking more of the coffee and people-watching. Julien looked so at ease here, around other people. Even though I was with him and I had already told myself that I should feel safer in his presence, it was hard for me to feel as comfortable as he was.
Julien reached for the bag on the table, slowly opening it, his eyes on me.
I pouted. “Are you trying to openly tease me or something? What’s in the bag?”
He wiggled his eyebrows at me, slowly pulling out something inside. “Why, it’s only the most delicious croissants you’ll have ever tasted.” He almost sounded like one of those guys you see on infomercials trying to sell you a weird heat-less oven.
“I’m not sure how delicious a croissant could really get, but what the heck, I’ll try it. You were pretty on point about the coffee,” I admitted, taking the small piece of baked bread from him.
I bit into it cautiously, surprised to see that it was actually pretty good. Usually bland foods like plain bread did nothing for me, but the croissant had a slight, buttery taste behind it. Not like the large waxy kinds I had tasted over the years back at the hotel. This was fresh-made.
“See? I am never wrong about the food. You’ll learn that,” Julien said, making me laugh around the food in my mouth.
We finished off the croissants, and began the short walk around the town. He noticed my fascination for the architecture of the town, and even threw out some tidbits of historical facts, clearly trying to impress me. At least I hoped so.
While Julien went off to find a bathroom, I walked past a small window display of beautifully handcrafted jewelry. I was used to seeing the large glitzy diamonds already in place, but these pieces were different. There were more unique pieces, more brilliantly colored stones set in the jewelry, and I had to stop myself from going inside to get a better look. What was the point anyway? I was never a fan of the idea of window-shopping… but now I could definitely see the appeal of it.
“Holy crap. What. Is. That?” I asked Julien once he was back, pointing to the man standing on the corner across from us. “And why is he covered in glitter?”
Julien shrugged, leading the both of us over to get a better look.
The man in question was about six and a half feet tall, with long hair pulled back into a bun on top of his head, but that wasn’t the weirdest part. He was only wearing a pair of small silver Speedos and was covered from head to toe in shimmery silver glitter. He was currently leaning over to turn on a small radio by h
is feet.
I practically squealed when Billie Jean came on through the speakers, immediately making me tap my foot to beat. The man froze in place, before starting to moonwalk down the curb. I was completely entranced, watching him move. He went from one dance to the next, totally fluid with his motions. I hadn’t seen someone dance like that since I was teenager, hanging out with my friends on the stoops.
I nudged Julien, making sure that he was paying attention to the guy. Anybody that moved like that definitely needed to be seen. Julien pulled out something from his wallet, before walking up to the man and putting what must’ve been cash into the small jar by the radio. The man did some sort of cool move with his arms, sort of like the robot, and gave Julien a wink.
I grinned at him and gave him a little wave, to thank him for his performance. When the song ended he sat down, and Julien I continued our stroll down the street.
Julien paused for a moment, in mid step. His eyes widened, lighting up the rest of his face. “I just thought of something. It’s not far from here, and I think you’ll enjoy it. Let me see… I believe it is down this street. . .” his voice trailed off as he shaded his eyes from the sun, looking this way and that, before finally settling on a road to our left.
“That sounds suspiciously like a surprise,” I said.
He shrugged his shoulders again, trying to hide a smile. I crossed my arms but continued to follow him anyway. Surprise or not, I was still curious to see where we were going.
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Chapter 15
“You know… I have told you quite a bit about myself. And while I do have that mysterious file about you, I still don’t know much about you,” Julien began, pointing to me as we walked.
I could already feel myself freezing up at the thought of trying to relive my past. It’s not like I had a super traumatic childhood or anything, but there are a lot of things that I simply tried to block out the best I could. And dredging them back up is not my idea of a good time.
“I don’t really like talking about myself, in case you haven’t noticed. If you asked me a specific question, then maybe I’ll answer it. That’s the best I can do for now.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, not menacingly, but more in a disappointed way. I felt bad because it was like I was trying to keep things from him. I just honestly prefer it to stay out of that part of my head.
“Fair enough. I know what happened to your family. I was just wondering what it was like for you as a child. What were you like?”
I laughed at that, memories already beginning to form in my mind’s eye. “I was stubborn. My daddy used to call me his little mule, believe it or not. He said I was nearly as hard-headed as my mama, and that’s saying a lot.”
Julien smiled, and my breath caught for just a moment.
“I was also pretty shy, not to where I would only keep to myself, but more along the lines of not wanting to be around a whole bunch of people at once. I guess I’m still that way…”
“You seem to be handling it well,” Julien replied, waving at the people walking along with us.
“Maybe I’m just faking it… You know? My mama was a really strong woman, and I don’t want her to look down and see a scared little girl…”
It felt like I had almost given up a part of myself, admitting all of that. Julien was silent. He quickly cleared his throat.
“So this place I’m taking you, don’t laugh. But there’s a place just like it where my mother grew up, and she used to always tell me about it when I was a child. It’s right around the corner, I think.”
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Chapter 16
As we turned around the bend, I saw a small cluster of houses. Off to the side of the homes was a well that looked like it was straight out of Snow White. It was wooden, with a small bucket and crank to go with it, brilliant green ivy having taken over most of the sides and top of it.
I definitely hadn’t been expecting that, but as I had learned since I got to France, not everything in life is to be expected.
I found myself smiling as we walked up to it, holding my hand out to test the crank. It wouldn’t budge, but that didn’t take away from the magic of it. It just looked like it was something that belonged in a fairytale, and those kinds of things are not something you see every day.
“You don’t see things like this growing up in a big city,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head. It wasn’t that I was bitter, I was just glad that I was here.
“I suppose not, but we are here now. They say that this is l’eau de puits qui souhaitent. A real wishing well.”
I really wished I had pockets right about then. “Really? That’s pretty cool.”
He nodded, pulling out something from his pocket. “I only have one coin, but you can have it. Maybe you’ll get your wish,” he said, his voice light and cheerful.
I smiled in return, thinking about the little girl I used to be… The one that believed in wishing wells.
I took the coin from his hand and lifted in over the well, closing my eyes for added effect.
I wished for a better life…
I didn’t want to be a downer, but the idea was sort of a novelty to me at this point. After narrowly escaping death at the end of a gun barrel, I was just happy to make it alive to the next day. Being here in France was wonderful, but at the end of the day, I was still nothing but a maid cleaning rooms for a living…
“Did you make your wish? What did you wish for?”
I rolled my eyes at him, my hands on my hips. “Really, Julien? Don’t you know it’s bad luck to tell someone your wish? Then it might never come true!”
“Ah, I forgot about that part. I hope it was a good one. You wouldn’t want to waste a perfectly good wish on something like a new pair of earrings, or something,” he replied.
“I think a pair new earrings is a perfectly good thing to wish for, actually. I can’t remember the last time I actually bought myself jewelry. Or anything, really,” my voice trailed off.
He nodded, almost looking guilty. I raised my brow, wondering what he was up to. He slowly reached into his pocket again, pulling out a small, white, squared box. I had no idea what it was, but for some reason it put me on edge.
“What’s that?” I tried to sound casual, wincing when I realized my voice sounded much too high.
Julien shifted the weight on his feet, quickly wetting his lips as he did. I hadn’t known him for entirely that long yet, but I already knew that this was something he did when he was nervous. What would possibly make him feel nervous?
“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t wish for a new bracelet,” he mused, placing the box in my hand. “Because I already got you one of those...”
I didn’t want to take the top off of the box. I didn’t want to see what was inside, because if it was what I thought it was then things were about to get dramatically different. And I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
I bit my lip, slowly pulling the lid back to reveal the beautiful handcrafted bracelet that I had been ogling over back at the jewelry store. It was a dainty silver charm bracelet, with different colored stones set in tiny heart-shaped charms. How did he know? Was he in the bathroom when I had been staring at the store’s window? But more importantly… why did he give me this?
I quickly tried to suck in the air around me, feeling as though I was going to hyperventilate. It was an odd reaction, sure, but I had honestly never been given something so beautiful, or so expensive, in my whole life. I didn’t exactly know how to react to such a gift. And then… there was the underlying suspicion I had before. What was all this about really?
“Don’t you like it? You don’t seem too… happy about it,” Julien observed, frowning.
I knew the filter was turned way off, before he even said anything. “No, I’m not exactly happy about it. Why would you get me something this? It’s too much. I just, I just don’t understand.”
Julien looked alarmed, clearly not expecting my
reaction. “I apologize if I offended you Amira. I just saw you standing there looking at it from the street, and I thought it would look nice on your wrist. I don’t really have a specific reason other than that,” he said slowly, trying to work through what had just transpired. “I can take it back, if you’d like… But I’d really like you to keep it. You’ve lost so much. You deserve a little beauty and grace.”
I just stood there, my jaw dropped, unable to figure his motive out. Who just goes and buys something like this for their maid? I had learned to trust him, learn to feel safe with him even… But now I was second-guessing myself again.
Julien's face softened. "You had something terrible happened to you, and it's left you with no one to trust. But Amira, please know that you can trust me. I will never let anything happen to you."