Ardent ; h.s.

023

Harry

LOCATION: Paris, France

DESTINATION: nowhere (right now)

"I've never done this".

"Honestly?".

"Yeah", she nods her head, a cool breeze grazes the exposed skin of her face. Her arms wrap around mine, cuddling into my body for warmth. The feeling although makes me burst into flames of nervousness, a complete juxtaposition to how this feels almost normal, in a good way.

We walk into a small grocery store, just minutes away from the Eiffel Tower. You can see it in view from where we stand, it disappears as we enter the small vicinity.

I look towards my shoes once we enter, Anna guiding me until she stops in front of a wall of pastries.

"What do I get?".

"Whatever you feel like eating ma fleur (my flower)".

She smiles, and I just wish I could see her eyes through the sunglasses. She bumps her hip into mine before leaving me to stand around and look. If anyone happened to follow me in right now, no one would suspect a thing. I begin to slowly move up the aisle, hoping Anna finds all the snacks she wants in good time then coming back to find me.

I would much rather not be apart from her now, only because of her shitty French.

And maybe because this pull I have to her is magnetic, no matter how nervous I get, my steps lead into this infinite circle back towards her.

Placing back a case of cookies, I hear whispers, in my peripheral I see two girls. My attention is split between finding Anna between the spaces of the shelves and how fast or if the girls approach me. Through the spaces of the pastry shelves I spot Anna, she's holding a basket filled with only a couple items, standing between two decisions of snacks.

The second I appear to be leaving the aisle, I hear the accented voice.

"Can we get a picture plaire (please)?", I turn to face the two girls, both blonde and crystal like eyes. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to leave France, my eyes sensitive to a certain appearance after this morning.

"Oui, of course", I smile at the two girls, giddy that I agreed and am in fact, real. As they swap places taking a picture, I avert my eyes towards the magnetic pull I feel. Just by the beginning of the aisle stood Anna, her glasses perched over top her hair and a brown bag in arms.

She watches our interaction for just a few seconds longer, then she disappears outside of the small shop as I can't help but to carry on conversation with the two girls. My eyes dart to her ever so often, she sits right outside on a chair that shares an area with a small table and another metal chair.

Every passerby watching as she sits alone, probably admiring the beauty of a woman with a view that she tops right behind her. Anna is the person you fall in love with as you walk by her for a couple seconds and you are left with the permanent thought of her for the rest of your day.

I want to watch her, see her, experience with her.

My conversation ends with one last picture and a thank you from the girls. Filled with laughter as the girls walk away, I grab a bouquet of flowers that sat in a bucket of water, droplets running down my wrist as I shake it lightly.

Pink tulips. I think they're the prettiest flower by far.

"sont-ce pour la femme? (are these for the woman)", the cashier asks as I pull my wallet out, he turns his back to me, wrapping the blush colored tulips in brown paper, tying a white, thin rope around it.