Spaces in between (Stockholm Syndrome: Extended chapters)

June 2019 (2)

France

Felix is so going to hate me, I'd thought as I planned our trip. I had been obsessed with France since I was a freshman in high school and so I planned to tour all of it. Felix had said a week, but caved when I told him there was just no way I was going to see all I wanted to see in a week. We compromised on two weeks. He had to be in the country to supervise the development of his gallery. He could only give me two weeks of uninterrupted fun and I jumped at that.

I was excited. I planned to the last detail. We arrived in Paris on a Monday morning and spent the morning sleeping in one of the expensive hotels, Grand hôtel de palais royal. The hotel was so lovely I for a few minutes didn't want to go anywhere else. I forced myself to go sightseeing and I truly enjoyed it. We saw arc du triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, visited the Louvre, palace of Versailles and took a walk through Jardin des tuileries. We even got on a cruise of the Seine in sunset and enjoyed dinner in a restaurant in the Eiffel tower as the bright lights of Paris flashed. We spent 4 days in Paris and moved on.

Our next stop was the Normandy region. We drove to Caen, intent on seeing the dramatic landscape and fertile green hills. We delved into Norman, Medieval and War time history. Felix even had a taste of camembert cheese.

On day 7 we set for the Loire valley. The scenery was beautiful and having the man I loved with me made it even more beautiful. We strolled through the vineyards and drank wine. Felix seemed to be enjoying the trip so I didn't feel bad about my crazy planning.

We spent day 9 and 10 in Lyon. I'd thought Felix was at home in the Loire Valley, but he was like a fat person with a cheeseburger in Lyon. He hadn't just fallen into art dealing, he loved art. That was evident from the amount of time we spent at the museum of fine art and the old theatres there. I enjoyed it too.

We set out for Aix-en-Provence on day 11 and took a lot of pictures at the Arles amphitheatre.

And finally on day 13 we drove to Nice, the heart of the French Riviera. We walked through the town and soaked up some sun by the beach. We visited the museum of modern and contemporary art and took a bus to Monaco to explore Le Palais des Princes de Monaco. We took the bus back to Nice and our hotel. We were both tired but decided having dinner overlooking the Côte d'Azur was a must. We were returning to the states first thing in the morning.

Felix had chosen the restaurant; Le Marie Durand Grande cuisine. It was opulent and elegant, yet had the old feel of Nice. We walked along cobblestones to get there. We sat and had our dinner. Everything was just beautiful, and I didn't know it was about to get even more beautiful.

After dessert Felix said he had a question. I thought it would be a silly question about one of the people around us, the type of question I'd been asked a lot throughout the trip.

I was about to say something when he stood up from his seat and got down on one knee before me. My mouth opened slightly, and only then did I realize a violin was playing in the background.

Felix removed a ring box from his jacket and opened it for my eyes. I could only stare.

"Pancakes, I love you. I didn't know I could love anyone the way I love you, let alone love anyone at all. But I met you. We...met in an unconventional way and have gone through a lot together. From getting stabbed saving your life to you lying there with me and putting your finger on my heart to stop the bleeding when you could have left, I've realized I don't want to spend my life without you. I want you to continue to be by my side. I want to tease you, to make you laugh. I want to have the 70 year old you roll your eyes when I make inappropriate comments with that hidden grin you always have. I want to love you the best way I can, to grow old with you. I love you so much. Archer Pancakes Christensen, will you marry me?"

My heart fluttered and did a thousand somersaults. A million birds of happiness took flight. Looking at Felix on one knee, there was only one answer. This was the man I loved with my whole heart. He didn't have to take me to France to ask me if I would marry him. I'd marry him at the bottom of a cave.

I smiled. "Yes!" I said clearly. "Of course I'll marry you Felix".

He gave me a nervous smile filled with relief. "I hoped you'd say yes".

"You didn't have to worry about my answer", I said shaking my head.

He placed the ring on my finger. It was a simple platinum infinite braid ring with well-placed diamond accents. We both stood up and he embraced me in a love-filled kiss. I heard the sound of clapping before the restaurant and all its patrons disappeared. Felix- My fiancé and I existed.

"Did you have to say Pancakes?" I whispered when we resumed our seats.

He chuckled. "Of course I did. It's your name".

"Well thanks to you, now everybody here thinks it is", I said.

He only smiled at me as some people congratulated us. There were a lot of "awws". We may have not all spoken the same language, but we understood love. And Felix and I had it in abundance.

"You know, when you said you wanted to ask my mom's permission for something, I thought you were going to propose", I said sheepishly.

"Sorry I disappointed you", he said.

I shook my head. "This is perfect. I would have said yes even if you'd asked then but it would have been really unromantic", I said.

"Guess I'm moving up the romance ladder?" he said winking.

"You sure are. I'll never be able to match this", I said.

"Good! I hate surprises. Don't pull anything like this off on me", he said.

"And just like that you've gone down the ladder", I joked.

Felix's proposal capped our time in France. A few hours later we were on our way back to the States. I snuggled closer to him the entire flight, to a point where he said, "You might as well just sit on my lap". I blushed and put my head on his shoulder.

==========