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Going home—and being with Dave—has its merits also. Maybe I can finish my last semester of college as well.
“I suppose it all depends on whether Brianna and I can get on the flight,” I say.
“Not a problem.” Brock taps on his phone. “I just secured your tickets. You leave on the same flight with Dave and me tonight, both of you.”
I don’t know whether to be happy or sad. I was so looking forward to seeing all of Europe, but it would be fun to return with just my siblings. And I’d like to see if anything can blossom between Dave and me.
I sigh and take a sip of my café au lait in front of me. “All right.”
“I hope you understand, Mads,” Brianna says. “You know I’d rather do almost anything than leave your brother or break a promise to you.”
I nod. “Trust me. I know. You made your feelings for my brother quite clear. Even before they were reciprocated.”
She blushes. “I was that transparent, huh?”
I nod. “Now that I’ve gotten over the shock of it, I’m truly happy for you two.”
Brianna smiles across the table from me. “That means a lot to me, Maddie. And once we figure out whatever’s going on with my family, you and I will be together in Snow Creek, and we can hang out. Spend time together.”
I force a smile. “I’d like that, Bree.”
The server brings our standard continental breakfast, and Dave and Brock order their standard American breakfast to supplement it. I’m good with the croissants. She brought baguettes today as well, which are surprisingly good slathered with butter and jam.
I’m loving French cuisine, and I’d love to explore more of it, but I guess Dave and I can have lunch today during our stroll on the Champs-Élysées.
Then we’ll both have to come back here, pack up our stuff, and leave.
I take a bite of croissant, enjoying the flakiness and buttery flavor.
And I wonder how I can be so happy and so sad at the same time.
And then something occurs to me that I’ve been trying like hell not to think about.
This afternoon… I’m going to have to set foot on a plane. I thought I had a couple of months to get used to the idea of flying again.
Turns out, I have a couple of hours.
My nerves do the chicken dance under my skin, and it’s not pleasant.
Chapter Thirteen
Dave
Maddie and I take the Métro to the Arc de Triomphe that stands proudly at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. It’s a monument honoring those who fought and died for France.
“Do you want to go to the top?” I ask Maddie.
She shakes her head. “Let’s just walk along the street. That was your original idea, and I like it. We can take in as much Paris as we can before we have to leave.”
“Good enough.” I grab her hand.
The Champs-Élysées is a wide boulevard lined by trees. I take in the beautiful Parisian architecture and the bustling energy of the locals and tourists who are on the same walk.
This famous avenue is renowned for its luxury shopping, and I want to buy Maddie something special. I don’t know if our relationship will continue once we arrive back in Colorado, but it means enough to me that I want her to remember it. We stroll by brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel, but I don’t take Maddie for a designer fashion girl. She’d consider such decadence a waste of money when her family is struggling.
The street is also dotted with cafés and brasseries. I suggest stopping for a coffee or a pastry, but then think better of it. She said she wanted to take in as much as possible, and we just had breakfast.
We walk by the Théâtre Marigny, and toward the eastern end, we find the Jardin des Champs-Élysées, which turns out to be a green space that offers a refreshing contrast to the urban surroundings. If we were staying in Paris longer, I’d arrange to have a picnic here and enjoy the tranquility amidst the bustling city. We stop to snap a few photos at the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and then we reach the Place de la Concorde at the end of the Champs-Élysées. It’s an expansive square dominated by the hieroglyph-laden Luxor Obelisk—I think back to that sphinx and its riddle back at the Louvre—and surrounded by extravagant statues and fountains.
