SZNS SERIES 1: Summer

by Maria Writes

  CHAPTER 12:

  I’ve Got a Dream

  12th day of September.

  They don't have classes today because of some electrical failures in the campus. It's her birthday tomorrow but it seems like no one even remembered. She's been living with the rest of her friends for a month now, she gets it if they might not remember it because one month is not long enough to truly know one another.

  But what about her parent? Or Caroline? Or Jesse? No one from them even remembered that tomorrow is her 21st birthday. It's making her feel sad. Not once in her life did her parents and her best friend forgot that it was her birthday.

  Usually, her birthday is a week-long celebration, but now, nothing is happening. And it soured her already soured mood.

  She got up from her bed and grabbed her mini bag sitting on her vanity then head out of the house. No one was there when she reached the bottom of the stairs so she didn't bother shouting she's going out. As she's walking out of the campus, she can feel a presence behind her.

  Chloe didn't bother to look back afraid that someone following her might attack her. The gate is opened, so she walks a bit faster to the gate and was thankful that she got out of the campus unscathed. She's starting to worry when she saw no guard by the gate. She took a look back and saw no one following her.

  A few minutes had passed before a cab stopped in front of her, but before she could open the car door, someone from behind her shoved a handkerchief in her face. It smelled like a very strong chemical that made her lose her balance, and lose her consciousness a little bit.

  The door opened and she was ushered to get it. She can still here what's happening to her surroundings but she cannot find the strength to open her eyes.

  "Is this even legal? I thought we're just going to drag her in the car. Why did you make her smell that?"

  The man with her on the backseat just shushed the man who she probably thinks was the one driving and with that, she was sucked into oblivion.

  Chloe felt her head throbbing so she forced herself get up. She was about to grab her phone on her right-side table only to find that there's no table beside her bed. She opened her eyes and an unfamiliar room welcomed her sight. The room is painted in pale cream. Her room is not. She felt herself and it felt normal. She doesn't feel anything weird except for her headache.

  She went off the bed then opened the window that will lead her to the balcony. And what she saw made her stop in her track.

  What the... Eiffel Tower?

  "I'm in Paris!?" she yelled. She cannot believe it. How did she get here? The last thing she remember is hailing a cab outside the campus then someone shoved a handkerchief on her face. She got kidnapped! And the culprit took me to Paris?

  A trip from L.A. to Paris will take 10 to 11 hours. So that means it's already by birthday in Los Angeles since I left the campus at 12 noon. But why will the kidnapper take her to Paris? Unless the kidnapper read my journal.

  She turned around and walked back to the bedroom. She looked for her bag and head out of the room. Chloe ran towards the elevator and was stunned to see Jesse stepping out of it. She blinked her eyes a few times to see if she's not hallucinating. It really was him. It's Jesse, standing right in front of her.

  Chloe rushed towards him and gave him a hug. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds until she realized what was Jesse doing here in Paris. She pushed him against the elevator door and grabbed his shirt collar.

  "What are you doing here? Why did you kidnap me? I will sue you. No. You know what? We're done."

  Chloe is now striking him on his chest for what he did. She's boiling mad for kidnapping her. How dare he? Yes, she got to admit that she loved the thought that she's in Paris. It's one of her dreams. It's okay for her if Jesse asked but not kidnap her. What will her parents think of this? They might think that she and Jesse eloped.

  Jesse held her by the shoulders maybe to calm her down, but it's not doing anything. Seeing his face just makes her get mad even more. "Hey, we're not breaking up. Okay? No. And besides I was forced to go here to. I didn't even know how I got here. Believe me. The last thing I remember was drinking with Blake and Max yesterday then when I woke up, I was in a hotel room."

  She's having a hard time believing him. She just shook her head and gritted her teeth to let him know that she's still mad.

  "Look, I know it's hard to believe. Can we just go to your room and I'll tell you everything? It's very awkward for us to shout here in the hall way."

  Jesse was giving her his puppy eyes and her anger melted. Just a bit. She led him to her room then she sat on the bed. Chloe is still glaring at Jesse who was sitting on the ottoman and is just looking at her intently. She still was known idea how they got here. And if Jesse was indeed telling the truth, then who took us here.

  "Ginger, please---"

  "Don't call me that."

  "Okay, Chloe, believe me. It's not me who kidnapped you. When I woke up earlier in my room, there was a note. 'Go to Room 905' was written there so I did. And I was surprised to see you here. I cannot call Blake and Max. They’re always unavailable."

  She took her phone from her bag and dialed the first number on her speed dial. It took a couple of seconds before the person pick up the phone.

  "Hello, honey. How's Paris? Having fun there?"

  What? "Mom, what do you mean 'How's Paris?' You have something to do with this?"

  Her mother just chuckled at her. "Yes, I did. I actually asked a little help from your father and your friends. It's our gift for you this year. Your father and I are here in Bordeaux looking for some wine. Tomorrow, we'll go there to pick you and Jesse up. Bye."

  The called died and she let herself flop on the bed. "So, it was my mother's idea. And she involved Max and Blake to this thing." she let out a sigh and get up from the bed. "Let's go out. Grab some breakfast. It's my birthday, your treat."

  "Today is you're birthday?" Jesse asked.

  "You didn't know?"

  Jesse smiled at her then drape his arm over her shoulder "Of course I know. Care told me."

  Liar.

  They found a small café near the hotel and that's where they ate breakfast. They both ordered chocolate French toast and coffee. It was a fine morning for the two of them. They chat animatedly while enjoying their light breakfast. The Paris morning is way different to the mornings she had in L.A. It's more quiet here and it's much more enjoyable to roam around the streets because of the different attractions you'll see left and right. And the scent of coffee and pastries will never leave your senses.

  After breakfast, Jesse and Chloe went back to the hotel to change their clothes and after that they walk through the streets of Paris.

  "So where do you want to go first? We could do a lot today until tomorrow morning." Jesse asked.

  Chloe took a look on her wrist watch to check the time, it was indeed too early so they have a lot of things to do today. If only she knew about this trip, she should have brought her journal. "Maybe Louvre is cool. I wanna visit that."

  "Okay."

  Hand in hand, they both walk to the bike rental near their hotel. They took one double bike and rode that on their way to the Louvre Museum. It took them 12 minutes to reach their destination. It was a bit tiring but when she saw the glass pyramid structure of the museum her exhaustion melted away.

  When they went inside, they were welcomed by different artforms made in different eras. She enjoyed looking at different paintings and sculpture. And so is Jesse. They spent hours walking around the museum and appreciating all the art displayed inside.

  Chloe enjoyed every second of it. When it's time for lunch, they finally head out of the museum and look for a place to eat. They found a small restaurant near their hotel and settled themselves in. The moment they took their seat, a waiter asked for their orders.

  "Je vais avoir Confit byaldi et juste de l'eau s'il vous plaît." she told the waiter and handed him the menu. Jesse had some lobster bisque. While waiting for their orders
to arrive, they both make plans for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning.

  "I didn't know you could speak French." Jesse said while looking at her with amusement in his eyes.

  She smiled at him and she showed him her phone. "Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me yet. And besides, translator is free on the internet. I know a bit of French but I'm not yet fluent."

  He just nodded at her but he's still looking at her. He's been like that for a while before talking again. "Maybe we should visit Eiffel Tower tonight, then maybe do shopping after lunch. Whatever you want to do."

  "Yes, maybe we should do that, then let's just rest in the hotel after that. My feet hurt with all that walking in the museum."

  Finally, the waiter already arrived with their food which the immediately dig in. They’re both starving so they finished eating in just a few minutes. Then after eating, they stayed inside the restaurant for a while to have a little rest before going out to go shopping.

  They were riding the bike they rented and just pedaled it around the Paris streets. Both of them paddle the bike, but when her legs got tired, she just lets Jesse do all the work while she just looks from left to right to see if something will catch her attention. So, she pulled on Jesse's shirt to get his attention.

  "Hey, stop over there." She pointed at the Voodoo shop she saw. Jesse gave her a weird look before making their way to the shop. Yes, it's weird but ever since she was a little kid, witchcraft and theater are always the things that fascinates her.

  She pulls Jesse inside the shop and they were welcomed by the shop’s sandalwood scent.

  "What are we doing here? Tell me you're not a witch." Jesse said while looking around the place. The store is quiet. She searches every shelfs it has and look for something that will appeal her. After a few minutes, she came across an old set of tarot card. She grabbed it and went to pay for it. It was a bit pricey unlike the card she bought in L.A.

  But it was worth it. Another piece to add on her collection. She was still looking around the shop to see if there’s still something she can buy but she saw Jesse feeling uncomfortable so she decided to head out of the store and went to their bike.

  After settling herself on the double bike she talked to Jesse who's still looking at her weirdly. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's just a voodoo shop. I don't even know if this thing works, I just collect them. I have tons at home."

  At last, Jesse finally rode the bike. "I can't believe my girlfriend is a witch." He mumbled to himself and she heard it clearly. But she decided not to reply to him. She knows it is weird buying and collecting stuff like that.

  The day passed by in a blur. They enjoyed their time in the mall, buying everything they see. That's where she knows her mother sent her tons of money to use for this trip. Now, she's on her hotel room arranging everything she bought. Her luggage is filled with clothes she bought in some designer boutique she saw.

  Then three of her bags are filled with books, perfumes, shoes, and souvenirs for her friends. After putting everything in her bag, she prepared the dress she'll wear tonight for the dinner. She'll be wearing a dark green knee-length dress and just clip her hair to the back. When everything is prepared. She took her box of macarons and head out of her room and went to Jesse's.

  His room is on the 8th floor while hers is above it. When she reached his room, she knocked on the door and waited for it to open. Jesse opened the door after a few seconds of knocking. She went inside and laid on the bed, still eating her macarons.

  Jesse was watching a movie. It just ended but she saw tons of DVDs on his backpack. There was a lot of movie to choose from on those DVDs. She grabbed the bag and see something good to watch. Jesse just came out of the bathroom and sat on the bed beside her then took some macarons on the box.

  "Where did you get all of these? I thought you have no idea about this trip?"

  "Blake and Max must have brought that together with my luggage. I mentioned to them one time that I love to travel with my DVDs, I have a portable player that I used to bring with that, but looks like they left it at home. They just brought the DVDs not the player."

  So, he likes movies a lot, huh? She continued looking for movies until she saw her favorite. I knew he had one of this. She gave it to Jesse.

  "Really? Burlesque? But I thought you already watched this for like a thousand times?" Jesse inserted the DVD on the player and went back to lay beside her on the bed.

  "Shh, it's my favorite movie, ever. So, don't speak." The movie finally started with Ali sitting on the counter. She's getting more excited as the movie went on, and every time Ali sings a song, she sings along with her.

  She laughs, then she cried, then she laughed again until the movie end. It was indeed a very fantastic movie. A classic. And she cannot believe it was released just four years ago.

  She looked at her side and saw Jesse sleeping. He must be very tired because he's the one who carried all the bags, they had on the mall earlier, not to mention balancing all of them on the bike then rode it for more than half an hour to get back to the hotel.

  Chloe went up to turn off the lights and the television then laid beside him. This is the first time she'll sleep beside him. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into a slumber. After all the walk they did all they, she needs some rest.

  Tonight, one of her wishes will come true. To finally have someone by her side in her favorite place. Enjoying the scenery. Just the two of them. It'll surely be magical as she has Jesse by her side.

  CHAPTER 13:

  Oh, Paris!

  Her dreams suddenly were stopped when she felt her body lightly shaking. She waited for it to stop but it never did. It just continued until it's impossible for her to get back to sleep. Chloe forced herself to open her eyes and her sight was welcomed by Jesse whose face is so close to hers.

  "Hey, wake up. Let's have dinner outside." Jesse smiled at her then helped her get up the bed, she saw her dress and a pair of flat shoes on the couch by on the corner of the room. "I took your clothes from your room so you don't have to go up there."

  She nodded. Chloe took her clothes and head inside the bathroom. It didn't took her a while to get ready. She's excited. Jesse told her earlier that they'll go see the Eiffel Tower. Then maybe they'll eat somewhere near by the tower. Her heart is pumping. It's her ultimate dream to see the Eiffel Tower up close, and know she's just a few minutes away from making her dreams come true.

  Chloe head out of the bathroom and saw Jesse laying on the bed with his camera in hand. He's laughing while looking something at the camera but she didn't dare to ask. He's been holding that camera all day since they went to the Louvre and he just snaps thousands of pictures. Sometimes, he's telling her to pose somewhere and he'll take a picture, and she finds it really cute. They looked like lost pups in Paris the whole day but at least they enjoyed their trip.

  She continued to dry her hair with the towel and styled it. She clipped it on the back then grab her purse. "Come on, let's go."

  They walked out of Jesse's room and head towards the elevator with their hands intertwined. It didn't take long for the elevator to open and when it did, they went inside and waited for it to bring them to the lobby.

  Outside the hotel, there was a car waiting for them and she looked at Jesse who opened the door for her. So, without asking, she went in and sit comfortably beside him. "When did you get this rental car?"

  "Earlier, when you were sleeping." was just what he said so she just looked outside.

  The ride was just short, they head out of the car a few distance away from the tower. From afar, she can clearly see that it was crowded. There were some who are just strolling, others are taking pictures. It was a cold summer night. It was a great night for strolling and just relaxing underneath the stars.

  "You wanna eat?"

  "Yeah, sure, where?" she asked. She thought they'll see the Eiffel Tower first, but it looks like Jesse is already hungry. It'll not hurt to wait for a while, right?
Jesse was looking around as if looking for a place to eat.

  Then suddenly, he pointed at the tower "What about there? 58 Tour Eiffel, huh?" he asked her. What? Like the restaurant in the tower? She cannot believe what Jesse is asking her. She knows how expensive the restaurants in the Eiffel Tower are. So, she doesn't get why Jesse would ask her to dine there.

  "Aren't we supposed to have reservation in there? And Jesse, that's very expensive. We can just dine somewhere budget friendly." It's not like she doesn't want to eat there and reject Jesse's offer, but she doesn't want to burden him with all the luxurious things she wants in life.

  Jesse looked at her and held her hand. They both started walking towards the tower. Well, it looks like she doesn't have any choice. She got to admit that she's kinda excited for this but she still doesn't like the fact that Jesse is spending all his money on her.