by Sophie Love
They made it to the Boulevard St Germain, a long street awash with gift shops and touristy bistros mixed amongst fashion boutiques, bookstores, galleries and restaurants. The boulevard was broad, and had a youthful feel to it, with lots of college-aged people milling around amongst the tourists.
They followed the road until they reached the Saint-Germain-des-Prés, an adorable church building in the beige limestone they’d seen all over Paris.
“Shall we look inside?” Cristiano asked.
“It would be silly not to,” Keira replied.
Inside, the interior was Gothic and candlelit. A poster on the wall indicated that a classical concert was due to start any minute.
“It must be fate,” Keira said.
“You want to watch the concert?” Cristiano asked, sounding surprised.
She nodded. “Why not? It’s beautiful here, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” Cristiano said. “But a concert? Before lunch?”
Keira huffed then. “Fine. Never mind.”
Cristiano looked shocked by her little outburst. “We can watch the concert,” he said. “I was just joking around.”
But Keira just folded her arms. She knew he was messing about, like he usually did, but after yesterday’s fight she didn’t feel able to take it in quite the same way. She was still feeling touchy, and like she wasn’t standing on solid ground anymore.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Let’s just go.”
Cristiano didn’t challenge her, and they headed back outside, this time taking the rue Bonaparte, another road lined with restaurants and bars, as well as small art stores selling reprints of Matisse and Picasso along with black and white photographs of the Eiffel Tower. They turned down a small road and ended up at another church, Eglise Saint-Sulpice.
“Would you like to go inside here?” Cristiano asked, tentatively, as if he was worried Keira would bark his head off again. “There’s an organ.”
“Sure,” Keira replied, trying to sound normal but failing.
Inside, the church was very large, and exquisitely decorated. There were chairs instead of the usual pews, but that meant they could see more of the marble floor, and move easily around to look at the beautiful religious paintings. The organ only played during Sunday’s mass, but it was gorgeous to look at, an enormous structure in polished walnut wood that seemed just as much decoration as practical.
“Shall we stop for lunch now?” Cristiano asked.
He was still wearing his slightly wounded expression, using his careful voice.
She nodded, a little riled, and they headed to one of the busy side streets, passing creperies, bars and restaurants as they searched for somewhere to stop for food and coffee.
Unlike the rest of Paris, there were a lot of people trying to sipher tourists inside their establishments. Despite their inviting smiles, Keira found it disconcerting to have someone attempt to usher her inside. It was the first time she’d felt uncomfortable in Paris and the sensation was heightened by the vast number of street performers and buskers all competing for attention.
“Oh look,” she exclaimed then. “This is the oldest cafe in France!” She pointed at a sign that showed the date it was built: 1686. “And there’s no one trying to force us inside so that’s a good sign.”
“It’s very busy,” Cristiano said. “Must be very popular with the tourists.”
Still, they went inside. Keira didn’t feel like having one of their enormous, adventurous lunches. She ordered a crepe instead. Cristiano seemed to quietly understand and ordered an omelet and coffee. No complimentary wine this time.
“Are you okay, Keira?” Cristiano asked once their waitress had left them in peace. “Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?”
“I’m fine,” Keira replied. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
He reached out and held her hands. “You seem so sad.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sad. I’m just not bouncing around with excitement. I’m just normal. You probably haven’t seen me normal yet.”
Bryn’s words had clearly gotten under her skin. Now she couldn’t help but feel that Cristiano had only seen her best side, that this whole relationship was based on, essentially, a fabrication.
Cristiano looked a little bemused. “I have seen you, Keira,” he insisted. “And this isn’t your normal.”
She looked down at the table and sighed deeply. “I’m just, I don’t know, thinking about reality.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Are you having an existential crises?”
It was one of his light-hearted quips but she wasn’t in the mood for it. It was too close to the truth.
“It’s just what happened yesterday with Calum dying, and Hannah calling, it’s reminded me that the real world is carrying on while we’re galavanting around Paris.” She took a breath. “And that things aren’t neat and perfect. They’re messy. I have an ex. It ended abruptly. And he’s not completely out of my life, not yet anyway. That’s how it is. That’s the truth of it. I come with baggage.”
“I know that,” Cristiano said. “I don’t know why you seem to think this comes as a shock to me?”
“Because of how you acted yesterday,” she said. “Because you seemed horrified that I’d ever speak to Shane, like I’m supposed to have been a nun before you found me or something.”
Cristiano laughed then. Keira shot him a look but he didn’t stop.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said, waving his hands. “It’s just such a crazy thing to say. I’m not expecting you to have no past. I just got jealous. You should take it as a compliment.”
Keira pursed her lips. “I don’t know about that.”
Their food arrived and they began to eat quietly.
“Keira,” Cristiano said then, “Do you remember when we were at my parents house?”
“Yes.”
“And you were asking them what their secrets were to a happy marriage?”
“Yes.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Jealousy was one of them. It’s, I don’t know, the Italian way. Fighting off the competition is part of the process. I’d expect you to do the same with me.”
“That just sounds like an excuse for flirting,” she said, coolly.
Cristiano exhaled. “I cannot win today,” he said, shaking his head slightly.
He was right about that, at least. Keira felt terrible. She didn’t mean to bring down the mood. It was just the ripple effects from their fight, and the worm Bryn had put in her ear.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just take a bit of time to get over things. Fights and stuff. They stay with me for a while. I never got to see two parents in healthy conflict, you know? Fights to me mean the end of everything.”
Cristiano looked at her sympathetically, squeezing her hand in his. “I promise you, this is definitely not the end of everything.”
She felt a little better, and they finished eating, then headed outside into the drizzle.
“We’re very close to the Luxembourg gardens,” Cristiano said. “Would you like to walk around them?”
She nodded and took his hand as they headed to yet another one of Paris’s remarkable palaces. The gardens consisted of wonderful lawns in vibrant green, perfectly groomed trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, and fountains. There was even an area for children with swings, a merry-go-round, and pony rides.
They reached the southeast end of the park, where there was another gorgeous fountain, this time covered in ivy. An abundance of signs seemed to be telling them not to touch, or sit, or throw in money. It seemed a shame to Keira, to see this slightly more restrictive side of Paris, which had so far seemed so free and open to her. But then again, she was in the sort of mood that noticed the empty half of the glass. For the first time she was allowing herself to see the darker side of Paris, the part she’d been wilfully blind to.
“You’re sad again,” Cristiano said beside her.
She looked at him, a little frustrated. “You don’t have to comment on
my mood constantly,” she said. “It won’t make me less sad any quicker.”
He looked glum at her snappy tone. But before Keira had a chance to apologize, her eyes fell to a figure behind Cristiano, staring at her like she was a ghost. She blinked too, shocked, stunned, before finally accepting the truth.
She was staring into the eyes of Zach.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“What are you doing here?” Keira stammered, her gaze fixed on Zachary. She was too stunned to produce the usual venom she would when speaking to him.
“Work,” he replied, breathlessly. “The conference I told you about. I decided to stick around after for a vacation, see the city for real rather than just through the windows of a conference hall.”
Keira couldn’t believe it. She’d known Zach would be in France for work but it was still a complete shock to see him here, in her Paris, her city. He’d intruded on her perfect world. Tainted it. She felt like a stubborn child who didn’t want to share.
Suddenly, she felt Cristiano beside her. He seemed to be extremely tense, and when she looked over she saw the tendons bulging in his arms.
“Who is this?” he said to Keira, though his gaze never left Zachary.
“Okay,” Keira began, gently, as though dealing with a wild animal that could pounce at any second. “Cristiano, this is Zachary.”
He spoke through gritted teeth. “Zachary your ex?”
“Yes,” she squeaked meekly.
“The one who owes you thousands of dollars?”
Her voice was even more feeble now. “That’s the one…”
Had this been a cartoon, Cristiano would have started shooting steam from his ears. But unfortunately for Keira this was real life. His anger was real and palpable. The tension could be cut with a knife.
Zach frowned at Keira then. “What’s he talking about?” he said. “I don’t owe you thousands of dollars. Are you spreading lies about me?”
“The deposit,” Keira told him. “Remember? The thousands of dollars you’ve decided you won’t give back to me.”
“It’s not my decision,” Zach replied, defensively. “I already told you my cousin needed it to fix damage in the apartment. I’m losing out too.”
Keira shook her head. She didn’t believe it for a second. Zachary and his cousin had obviously come to some deal whereby he’d get his deposit money back and she wouldn’t. She folded her arms and glared at him.
“There’s no way we caused that much damage,” she said. “We kept that apartment in immaculate condition.”
Zach gave her an incredulous look. “Apart from the million glasses of red wine staining the back of the couch, which I’m assuming we have Bryn to thank for that. And the broken handle on the oven door which, if I recall, was caused by… let me think… Oh yeah, Bryn. Again. Sorry Keira, there was a ton of damage, whether you accept it or not.” He added, spitefully. “Maybe you should ask Bryn for your deposit money.”
Keira felt instantly furious. She could berate her sister but if anyone else did, she began fiercely protective.
“That’s one couch!” she replied. “And one broken handle! How could that warrant the entire deposit?”
Zachary looked as irate as Keira felt. “You really think I’m lying about the deposit? God, Keira, why do you always have to think the worse of me!”
“I don’t know, maybe because you cheated on me after throwing a hissy fit about my job?”
“Another lie!” Zach cried. “You’d broken up with me.”
“No I hadn’t! I thought we were still together!”
Cristiano stepped forward between them then. Keira knew it was nothing to do with him being uncomfortable about the public outpouring of rage that had drawn excited passersby to crane their necks to see what was going on. It was because of his jealousy. If Keira speaking to one of her exe’s on the phone for a mere five seconds could inflamed his Italian temper, then what on earth was it going to do to him to be face to face with one?
“Keira, let’s walk away,” Cristiano said, taking her arm.
Zach seemed to notice him for the first time. “Oh is this the lothario I’ve been reading about in your articles? I didn’t realize you had a thing for pretty boys. I thought you were smarter than that.”
“It’s none of your business,” Keira replied through gritted teeth.
But Zachary was ignoring her now, his attention focused solely on Cristiano. “I don’t know what she’s told you to get you all hot under the collar, but let me save you some time. Keira only cares about one thing, and that’s her job. She has no ability to understand anyone else’s needs or desires, only her own. The second you have any kind of inconvenient request, she’ll kick you to the curb.”
Keira scoffed, letting out a harsh noise from the back of her throat. “I knew you were low, but so low you’d try and ruin things for me even after we’re not together? Jeez, Zach, you’re such a jerk.”
“A jerk, huh?” Zach cried, throwing his arms out angrily. “Well, you’re a slut. Two lovers in as many months? Talk about rebound.”
Zach had barely gotten the last work off his tongue when Cristiano lunged at him. He smacked him square in the face. Blood spurted from his nose, and Zach tumbled backwards, out cold.
Keira grabbed her mouth in shock. “Oh my God.”
She ran to Zach, crouching beside him. His eyes were shut, his nose clearly broken.
“Cristiano,” she gasped, looking up at him with a horrified expression. “What the Hell?!”
Cristiano stood there fuming, his fist still clenched, looking down at Zach sprawled on the ground.
“Call an ambulance,” Keira told him. When Cristiano didn’t move, she yelled more loudly. “Call a goddamn ambulance!”
But instead of reaching for his cellphone, Cristiano turned on the spot and marched away. Completely stunned by the turn of events, Keira stared at his retreating figure, her mouth agape, while the teenage onlookers filmed the whole thing on their cellphones.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Keira had no choice but to wait with Zach until the paramedics arrived. He didn’t stay passed out for long, which was a huge relief, but his nose was in a really bad way and would definitely need medical attention.
They sat on the fountain edge, Zach’s nose stuffed with tissues that were quickly turning red.
“Nice guy,” he said sarcastically. “Not hard to see why you’d want him over me.”
She just shook her head, not in the mood to speak to him. She couldn’t believe what had just transpired. Seeing that side of Cristiano shook her to the core. She knew he could be jealous, but violent was a whole different thing.
Finally, the ambulance arrived, along with a police car. Keira felt awful as an officer came towards her, leading her away from Zach.
“Can you tell us what happened?” the officer asked her, speaking in perfect English with only a hint of a French accent.
Keira chewed her lip. She didn’t want Cristiano to get into trouble but she couldn’t lie. There were a ton of witnesses and video evidence. It would be worse for all of them if she didn’t tell the truth.
“My boyfriend had a run-in with my ex,” she said. She pointed at Zach. “The ex came off worse.”
The officer nodded, taking notes. “Where is your boyfriend now?”
Keira shrugged and pointed down the path. “He went that way.”
She realized that, once again, Cristiano had left her alone, storming off like a stroppy child who hadn’t got their way. Only this time, he’d abandoned her in the middle of Paris rather than in the safety of their hotel room. She was furious at him; for hitting Zach in the first place, then for stamping away like a brat leaving her to face the music. Bryn’s warning came back into her mind, sharply and painfully. Maybe this whole thing had been a stupid fantasy after all.
“Let me take your details,” the officer said. He wrote down all the information Keira gave him — her name and date of birth, Cristiano’s name, their hotel address and mo
bile numbers — then nodded. “If Zachary wants to press charges we’ll be back in touch.” Then he went off to speak to Zach.
Keira prayed he wouldn’t take this any further. But she also knew Zach had a vindictive streak. She wouldn’t put it past him to do it just to hurt her.
She watched as he spoke to the police, then get into the back of the ambulance. The doors shut, and the hubbub of the drama she’d been at the center of began to die down.
Once the ambulance left and the police drove away, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Everyone went back to their days, leaving Keira sat on the fountain, numb.
She grabbed her phone and called Cristiano. It went straight to voicemail; he’d turned it off. Then she called Bryn.
She listened to the phone ring and ring and ring, but Bryn didn’t answer. When she finally hung up, it was only a second or two before her phone vibrated with a text message.
I’m not speaking to u.
The message was from Bryn. Shocked, Keira typed back quickly.
Why?
Bryn’s reply came instantly.
U were so rude last time.
Keira sighed. Bryn was right. She had been pretty mean last time they spoke. She felt even more guilty about it now that it seemed like perhaps Bryn had had a point.
Desperate to speak to someone, Keira scrolled through her contacts. Nina was always a great source of comfort, but she’d been so wrapped up in the article recently Keira was sure she’d accidentally be thrilled by the amount of drama. Her mom never gave good advice when it came to relationships, and Shelby was far too happily engaged to be of any use. That left Maxine. Keira dialled her number.
“Mon petit pois!” Maxine cried when she answered. “How is Paris?”
Suddenly, all the emotion Keira had been holding in came out, like a dam breaking. “The worst thing ever just happened.”
Maxine’s usually upbeat tone immediately vanished. “Hun, are you okay?”
Keira sobbed as she relayed the story. “We ran into Zach and we started fighting about the deposit and then he called me a slut and Cristiano just lost it. Punched him right in the face. Knocked him out cold. Then of course he storms off in a mood and leaves me to pick up the pieces. I’m so shaken up. Like, I’m literally shaking still. And seeing that side of Cristiano was awful.”
