Page 12 of Rosé with My Fake Fiancé
Sara
He deserves it.
Jade
Sara has spoken.
I look up, realizing that we’ve stopped. Luc had guided me out of the elevator and to the hallway on my floor, waiting patiently with laughter in his eyes. When we were downstairs, he’d looked at me like that, too, warm and affectionate. This time, though, there’s no one to witness it, and it’s just for me.
“Sorry,” I say, waggling my phone in the air and talking in English. “My friends haveopinionsabout James’ new relationship status.”
“That is okay,” he responds.
“Thank you again. That was...” I was in such a high after the confrontation thatnowI remember leaping into Luc’s arms. “Oh my god, Luc! I kissed you!” I put my hands over my face, which flares hot with embarrassment, and of course, my phone is in one hand, so I whack my eyebrow with it and wince.
“It is fine, totally fine.” He pulls me in for a hug, and I remember why it’s so easy to be overly affectionate with him. He feels good.
My phone pings in my hand, and Luc pulls away. “We are engaged,” he teases me. “It’s a perk of the position. You can kiss me anytime you want.”
If my cheeks could get any redder, they would. I look at my phone and see another message in our group chat.
Jade
Are you going to bang the tour guide? He did rescue you.
A laugh bursts out of me, and I can’t help but channel Jade and flirt back. “Are there other perks?” I meant for it to land like a joke, but it’s breathy instead.
Luc’s smile widens and turns rakish. My laughter fades, and we look at each other in a heavy silence. Luc could make a joke or change the subject, but he doesn’t. “Let me take you to dinner.”
“Really?” I say, with more surprise in my voice than there should be. We went from flirting to actually going on a date?
Luc checks his phone. “It is early now, but people watching and a cold glass of Rosé was on your itinerary, and I have just the place in mind. But I do have to be at work in a few hours.”
Oh, right. It’s not a date, because Luc has to work and I’m just a job. Even if he hadn’t been my tour guide, I’m still just passing through.
Plus, the age difference.
Yeah. Not a date.
I realize Luc is still holding two heavy bags of books. “Oh, um.” I glance at the signs on the wall. “This way.”
Luc lingers inside the door of the hotel room while I put my books down and use the restroom to freshen up.
I hesitate, hand hovering over my purse, and decide to get this out of the way. I pick out a few bills. “Luc,” I say, and his attention moves from his phone to me. “Before dinner, I just wanted to say thank you for the tour.” I step toward him and hold out the money. “Here’s the deal. You take this money, and your tour guide job is over. We’ll go to dinner as...” It’s not a date, so I finish with, “friends.”
Luc thinks about it for a moment and then takes the well-earned money. “Deal. Though technically, I believe I’m your fiancé.” He winks.
I pretend to shake my head in annoyance, but the smile I can’t hide negates it. He insists I don’t need to change clothes, so in a few minutes, we’re headed back down in the elevator. In the lobby, I look around for James and Yumi, but thankfully they’re gone.
Luc leads the way, and soon we settle into a bistro with tables outside. My purse goes in the third chair, and Luc orders for us; a bottle of rosé and some canapés.
“You’ll miss your friends, won’t you? You won’t see them as often as you did back in the States,” Luc says, raising his chin at my purse and the phone inside.
“We won’t see each other as often, but we text and video chat almost every day. We all committed to getting together once a month for a weekend. This time it’s Paris, and before we leave here, we’ll pick a weekend and place for next month.”
Our wine comes, and the server pours our glasses. It’s crisp and light, so refreshing and perfect for a summer evening.
I groan in appreciation. “My third visit to Paris was with my grandmother,” I tell Luc. “I was twenty, and we went to Aix-en-Provence with a tour group, and we drank wine at every lunch and dinner. Even though I drank in college, I thought it was so cool and sophisticated. I drank alotof Rosé that trip.”
