by Glynis Astie
When he released me, I regarded him cautiously. “You seem very excited.”
“Is that a bad thing? I am looking forward to meeting the great Kate. You talk about her so much. She obviously means a lot to you.”
I grinned. “Yes, she does. I hope the two of you will like each other.”
He stared at me incredulously. “Who could possibly not like me?”
I laughed and felt some of my tension dissipate. “You always know what to say.”
He smiled and held out his arm for me. “Are you ready to go?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I grabbed my purse and we set off for his first encounter with Kate.
As I’ve mentioned before, Louis thinks of everything. Not only had he bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Kate, but he had also brought a bottle of wine from his home district in France. Kate was completely charmed from the get go. It didn’t hurt that he greeted her by kissing her on both cheeks.
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Louis. Sydney has told us so much about you. And you certainly don’t disappoint!” She was positively gushing.
Louis smiled. “Thank you for inviting me to your home. I am happy to finally meet you. Sydney talks about you both often.”
Nick smirked. “Don’t believe a word of it.”
Louis laughed. “She warned me about you, Nick. I am ready for your questions.”
Nick put his arm around Louis. “In that case, why don’t you come out back and help me grill the steaks. We have a lot to talk about.”
And before I knew it, they were gone. I turned to Kate with a panic stricken look. She instantly rolled her eyes at me.
“Will you relax, please? It’s going to be fine.” She finished dressing the salad and brought it into the dining room. “Why don’t you let me pour you a glass of wine? It’ll take the edge off.”
Kate definitely had the right idea with the wine. Once I finished my first glass, everything I had been worrying about seemed inconsequential. I appreciated that this could be my altered state of perception, but I didn’t care. Dinner was far more enjoyable this way.
Nick and Louis appeared to be getting along quite well and Kate was completely taken with Louis. She marveled to me about his impressive background and charming demeanor while we prepared dessert in the kitchen.
“You never told me he worked three jobs to pay for engineering college! Or that he was valedictorian of his high school class and at the top of his college class. Man! He was a paratrooper in the army, a national martial arts champion, a bodyguard and a volunteer firefighter. And he’s so charming! He’s amazing!”
Granted, Louis was amazing, but Kate’s long declaration of this had more to do with the amount of wine she had consumed than the conversations she had exchanged with Louis this evening. It was very cute. I was thrilled they had all taken so well to each other. This would make life much easier. And the bonus was Kate would have lots of wonderful things to say when she reported back to our parents and Charlie. Phew.
“I’m delighted you approve.” I grinned at her.
She smirked at me and pulled me into a hug. “I know you don’t need my approval. I’m just thrilled you’ve found such an incredible man. I think he actually deserves you.”
I felt a tightness in my chest and watering in my eyes. Kate had spent my entire life telling me how amazing I was and try as I might, I was never able to believe it the way she did. Her undying faith in me almost brought me to tears.
With a lump in my throat, I whispered, “Kate! Don’t make me cry now.”
She smoothed my hair away from my face. “I only wanted you to know how happy I am for you.” She shook her head. “Plus, I’m overjoyed we don’t have to hang out with a jackass. It’s such a relief that you’ve finally found a good man.” She broke into giggles.
Leave it to Kate to bring me out of tears and into laughter. I tapped her on the nose and said, “You’re too twisted for color TV.”
Kate laughed. “Thank you, Ouiser.” Uh oh. The Steel Magnolia references had made their entrance for the evening. This meant it was time to close things down.
Following that gem, we brought dessert into the dining room and enjoyed the rest of our evening. As far as I was concerned everything was far more than good enough; it was perfect.
Chapter Fifteen
True to my expectations, Kate had raved about Louis to my parents and Charlie. It was sweet how she was able to put their minds at ease by confirming I had a worthy man in my life. If I had taken a moment to think about the fact that no one trusted my opinion about the man I was dating, I might have been insulted. Actually, even if I had, I would have been able to understand. My judgment hadn’t been the best over the years.
Louis and I had now been together for five weeks and had settled into a comfortable routine. We spent most evenings together and took turns staying overnight at each other’s apartments. I was sure to an outsider, things seemed to be moving a bit quickly, but to me everything felt right. When you’ve spent as much time waiting for the right man as I had, you wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, just to soak it all up. In many ways I felt like I was playing catch up. My friends and family had all experienced love before in their lives. This was the first time in my life I was in love. Real love. Louis made me feel like the most extraordinary woman in the world. He made me feel like...someone who deserved him.
We usually spent the weekend at Louis’ place since Jean was off gallivanting with one of his many lady friends. It was the Sunday morning following our dinner with Kate and Nick, and Louis and I had just finished a delicious brunch of pancakes and bacon. Completely stuffed to the gills, we were lounging lazily on the couch. Louis was reading with his head in my lap, when he abruptly put the paper down and gazed up at me.
“Do you have something on your mind, Monsieur Durand?” I leaned down and kissed his nose.
“Yes, mon coeur, I do. I have a few apartments to look at today and I was wondering if you would come with me.” Louis had seen quite a few over the past week, but hadn’t found one to his liking yet. His company was getting antsy about his continued stay in the corporate apartment, so he had to make a decision quickly.
“Sure. I’d be happy to. Where are we heading?”
“There are a couple right down the street and a couple in the Belmont area.”
I stroked his hair. “OK. When do we need to leave?”
He glanced up at the clock. “About an hour or so.” He grinned and ran his hand up my thigh. “I can think of something we can do with an hour.”
“Really?” I feigned innocence. In the blink of an eye, he had jumped up and flipped me onto my back.
“Really,” he whispered and began slowly kissing his way down my neck while his hands explored my body. I ran my hands under his shirt and up his back, pulling his shirt over his head. And just like that, we had the most amazing sex on the couch.
I couldn’t believe the change Louis had affected in me in such a short time. If you had asked me two months ago, I couldn’t have imagined having sex in the living room of my boyfriend’s apartment - knowing his roommate might come home at any moment. Now, it didn’t seem to bother me in the least. Louis made me forget about my worries. I only focused on him. (In all fairness, it could also have been the fact that nothing fazed Jean. If he had come home while we were in flagrante delicto, he probably would have simply walked past us and shook his head.)
An hour and a half later, we were on our way to the first apartment. It was about two minutes away, in a cute little apartment building I always passed on the way to University Avenue. The rental agent met us in the lobby and whisked us upstairs to the apartment.
It was a beautiful one bedroom, one bath apartment with a totally redone kitchen, a separate dining room and a little nook which would be perfect for Louis’ office. There were hardwood floors, tons of windows, three closets and a huge fireplace. It was breathtaking.
“This is beautiful!” I stared in wonder. The hi
gh ceilings made the main room seem even bigger.
Louis smiled. “Do you really like it?”
“Are you kidding? I love it! It’s incredible.” I continued to gape.
Louis came over to me and held my hands. “There is room here for you too, you know.”
I regarded him curiously. “Well, I assumed I would stay here sometimes too.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean, you could move in here with me.”
What?!? Remember when I said Louis made me forget about things which worry me? I think his suggestion was a little too much...
I gawked at him with trepidation. “Have you thought this through?” My voice was shaky.
He held my face in his hands. “Yes, I have thought this through. I selected the apartments we are looking at today based on the two of us living in them.” He kissed me lightly on the lips. “I want to be with you, Sydney.”
My heart started to race. I took a few steps back. “I just, um, need a minute....” To what? To think? To bolt? What the hell was I going to do? I was dangerously close to a meltdown and I had no one there to stop the crazy. Louis was going to see exactly how messed up I was and then it would all be over.
“Mon coeur? Are you alright?” Louis seemed genuinely worried.
I frantically searched the room for some semblance of a rational thought. OK, slow down. Focus on breathing. You can do this. Do not unleash the freak. He’s not ready for that yet.
I gradually got my breathing under control and turned to Louis. “I’m sorry, Bluey. You caught me off guard.” I paused. “Have you honestly thought about what it would be like to live together?”
He walked over to me cautiously. “Yes, I have. And nothing would make me happier.” He gazed into my eyes and stroked the side of my face. “I hope you feel the same way.”
I peered up at him. “Louis...I’ve never felt for any man what I feel for you. You’re an incredible person and you make me very happy. I’m just scared because we’ve only known each other for five weeks and you have no idea what you would be getting yourself into.” I smiled weakly at him.
Louis pulled me into an embrace and kissed the top of my head. “You have no idea how you have changed my life, mon coeur. I have known many women and no one has ever touched my heart the way you have. I do not want to let that go.” He sighed. “I know we have known each other for a short time, but why wait? I am sure I want to be with you for a long, long time.”
Long, long time? This was getting weirder and weirder. Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out! Sydney! This is what you have always wanted. And it feels so REAL. I desperately wanted to believe this was it; I wanted to believe I had found the man I had been looking for...for what seemed like forever. But I couldn’t stop thinking that it had only been five weeks since I’d met him.
I exhaled what felt like the entire contents of my lungs and held Louis tight. “This is a bit overwhelming for me. Could we take a little time to think about it?”
It broke my heart to see Louis look so disappointed, but I desperately needed time to think. “Whatever you want, mon coeur.” He squeezed my hand and walked over to the rental agent.
Louis ended up taking the apartment and I wondered if it was only because he didn’t want to continue looking since our first experience became pretty uncomfortable. It would have been helpful had he not sprung this on me in such a spontaneous manner. I had made no secret of my love for planning. Maybe he was just trying to shake me out of my comfort zone. He had often told me how he thought my “reserved” personality was adorable, but maybe it was beginning to wear on him. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I was completely confused.
After Louis dropped me off at my apartment (I claimed to have a headache.), I called an emergency summit. Kate and Maya arrived at my apartment within the hour replete with understandably confused looks on their faces. I had given nothing away in my texts; only that they needed to hightail it to my place ASAP.
Kate was the first to speak. “What’s going on, Syd?”
Maya chimed in. “Seriously, what’s the deal? I was in the middle of something important.” Judging by her appearance, it was more like someone important.
“Not as important as this, my friend.”
Kate couldn’t take it anymore. “Get to the point already.”
“I went with Louis to look at apartments today.” I suddenly found myself unsure of how to tell them.
“And?” Maya rolled her eyes at me. “They were too small? Too ugly? What?”
I exhaled loudly. “He wants me to move in with him.”
They both stared at me. Kate’s eyes were as big as saucers. Maya couldn’t seem to pick her jaw up off the floor.
I gave them a satisfied smirk. “See? I told you it was a big deal!”
“No shit.” Maya had such a way with words.
Kate regained her composure quickly. “You aren’t ready to do this, are you? I mean it’s only been, like, four weeks. It’s too soon, right?”
“It’s been five weeks and yes, I think it’s too soon. He’s not ready to see behind the curtain yet. The relationship would be over before I unpacked my boxes.” I put my head in my hands.
Maya snorted. “Take it down a notch, Drama Queen. You may be a little neurotic, but you’re predominantly awesome.” She crossed the room and put her arm around me. “The important thing is that you feel ready to do this. And if you don’t, then just tell Louis.”
Kate nodded her head. “Syd, he clearly cares for you very much. He won’t push you if you’re not ready. He’s a really good man.” She sounded pretty damn confident for someone who had met him once.
“What if I say no and he gets upset with me?” I wrung my hands together nervously.
Kate glared at me. “Let me get this straight. You plan to move in with him so he doesn’t get upset? That’s not the right reason for doing this and you know it, hon. You need to decide what’s right for you.”
I sighed. “I know, I know. He caught me completely off guard.”
Maya laughed. “He caught all of us off guard. No one was prepared for this! Louis really digs you.”
I frowned. “Thanks a lot, Maya.”
She smacked me on the butt. “You know what I mean.”
I glanced from one of them to the other. “So how do I tell him?”
Kate sighed. “Be honest with him. I’m sure he’ll understand. You’ll move in with him when you’re ready.”
I bit my lip. “If he still wants to...”
Maya smacked me on the butt again. “Why wouldn’t he want to? He’s unbelievably lucky. I can go over all your good points with him and show him how they greatly outweigh the bad points if you like. I have charts...”
Kate and Maya left an hour later, once I had regained most of my composure. I called Louis and asked if he would have dinner with me that evening. He agreed and came to pick me up shortly thereafter. I was too spent from the afternoon’s activities to care much about my appearance, so I threw on my favorite jeans, a black V-neck t-shirt and my favorite Converse. If Louis wanted to live with me someday, he was going to have to get used to Casual Sydney too.
We decided to walk down the street to the pub I took him to on our second date. The food was good and we both had fond memories of that night. When we sat down at the table, I decided to get right to the point.
“Louis, I’m sorry if I upset you earlier today.”
He smiled at me. “Don’t be silly, mon coeur. I thought I upset you.”
I shook my head. “No, not at all. I wasn’t expecting your…pro- I mean, idea. I got scared.”
“Scared? Am I scary?” He seemed perplexed.
“No, you’re not scary.” I paused. “You’ve heard about the men I’ve dated and what happened in the disastrous relationships I’ve had. All of that scared me.” I waved my arms around to emphasize my point.
“But I won’t treat you poorly, mon coeur. I care deeply for you.”
I took his hand.
“I know; I care deeply for you too. That’s why I got scared. I’ve never felt this way about a man before.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Everything is going so fast and I’m afraid if we move into together, you’ll see how crazy I am and won’t want to be with me anymore.”
Louis threw back his head and laughed. “That is what you are worried about?” He couldn’t stop laughing. After a few minutes, I started to get annoyed.
“Louis, why is this so funny?”
He wiped the tears from his eyes. “I thought you were not certain about how you felt about me. I thought perhaps you were changing your mind.” He continued to chuckle. “But you are only concerned I will think you are too crazy to be with?”
I must have appeared really annoyed because he finally stopped laughing. “Mon coeur, I KNOW you. You have to stop getting hung up on this sense of time; that it takes a certain amount of time to understand someone, to create a bond with this person. I have known some people for years and I have never felt close to them. But you! I fell in love with you the first night I met you.”
I momentarily forgot how to breathe. He loves me?
“Sydney! Breathe!” He examined me carefully.
“I...I’m at a loss for words.” I stared weakly back at him.
“I will do the talking then. If you are not ready to move in with me now, then it is fine. I do not want to rush you. I was so caught up in how I feel about you, I wanted to move our relationship forward. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you.” He took my hand and stroked it tenderly.
I gazed into those beautiful blue eyes I had come to know so well. “I’m in love with you too.” What?!? Where the hell did that come from??? Though even as I had this minor freak-out, I knew these words were true.
Louis leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips. “This is certainly something to celebrate.” He called our waiter over to the table and ordered a bottle of champagne.
I stared at him in disbelief. “I thought you didn’t like champagne...well, anything which comes from a vineyard.”
