Page 82 of A Win-Win Situation
Lucas notices my sudden movement and his expression falls a little. "You okay?"
I nod quickly, avoiding his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I don't know how I ended up close to you during the night." I look around the room and ask, "Where are the damn pillows?"
Lucas sits up, his brow cocked up. "I threw them away during the night."
"You did what?"
"I threw them away," Lucas repeats, a small smile forming on his lips. "I couldn't sleep with all those pillows between us."
I look at him incredulously. "Why on earth would you do that?"
"I told you, I couldn’t sleep." He smiles. "Are you going to make me repeat everything today?"
I can't help but roll my eyes at his teasing. "No," I say, a small smile playing at the corners of my lips.
A knock startles us. "I heard some voices. Are you decent?" Amélies voice sounds through the door.
"Yes!" Lucas calls out.
"Hey, what are you—" My attempt to protest is cut off as Lucas pulls me to him, causing me to laugh.
Amélie walks in, a grin on her face. "Well, well, well, it looks like someone had a good night," she teases, raising an eyebrow at us.
Lucas chuckles and wraps his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. "What can we do for you, Amélie?" he asks, his tone light and playful.
Amélie shakes her head, still grinning. "Just wanted to see if you guys were up for breakfast. I thought we should eat before we leave for the Louvre."
"Yes, we are," I reply, untangling myself from Lucas and sitting up in bed. "Let me just freshen up and get dressed." I jump out of bed, excitement overriding any feelings from waking up next to Lucas. "I’m so excited. I’m finally going to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo with my own eyes."
Amélie beams at my excitement before exiting the room. I turn to Lucas, feeling a sudden awkwardness between us.
"Don’t get too excited about the Mona Lisa. She’s tiny."
"What do you mean?"
The Mona Lisa is,in fact, tiny. I mean, come on, who made the Mona Lisa queen of the art world anyway? I've seen bigger paintings on the back of a cereal box. But hey, at least now I can cross"See the Mona Lisa"off my bucket list, even if she is a little underwhelming.
The look on Thomas and Lucas's faces when I finally reached her after that endless line was truly pitiful, and they reveled in my disappointment, but thankfully, Amélie had my back. She scolded them on the spot, reminding them how uncivilized it is to dampen someone's excitement, and they fell silent.
I must say, I quite like her. Whenever she walks into a room, she commands it. It’s the way she carries herself, demanding respect. I could definitely learn a thing or two from her on how to wield that kind of power.
We make our way through the crowded galleries of the Louvre and I can feel my excitement building. The grandeur of the museum is awe-inspiring, and I'm grateful to beexperiencing it with Lucas by my side. When we finally reach the Greek section, I can hardly contain my anticipation. The moment I see the statue of Venus in the other room, my heart swells with emotion, and a little shriek escapes my throat.
Lost in my own thoughts, I don’t pay attention to where I'm walking, which is unfortunate because I don’t realize there’s a breeze flowing through this section of the museum floor, which, of course, lifts my dress up, exposing my underwear.
Mortified, I yank my dress down as quickly as possible.
Please say everybody missed that.
Lucas is behind me in an instant, his arm tightly circled around me as he guides me away from the air conditioning unit on the floor.
"Are you laughing?" I turn my face to him, my face burning with embarrassment.
"I’m sorry," he says, but I can tell by the teasing sparkle in his eyes that he finds the situation amusing.
"Did many people see my . . ." I trail off, unable to finish my sentence.
"No, not many people saw." He reassures me, but his tone shifts as he stops at a corner. Holding me close, he leans in until his lips hover near my ear, "But I did, and I have to say, I knew red would look good on you."
