LA VIE EN ROSE. gaten matarazzo.

twenty six;

de son point de vue; from her point of view.

It was a particularly sunny day, and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. It was twenty-three minutes past eleven.

The café was quiet, and I had sat at a table outside. The table was a dull white, as was the cup holding my drink. I had ordered a latte.

At twenty-seven minutes to noon, they arrived. There was at least fifteen of them. I recognised most from the show, but I could only focus on one. My phone was erupting with good luck messages, mainly from Lukas.

It took me six minutes to build up enough courage. I sipped on my coffee as a distraction. Gentle music played through my earbuds. It was the playlist I made for him.

I slipped the earphones into my pocket, swapping them to lift my ukulele. The woman sitting three tables to my left gave me a nod of encouragement. I abandoned my latte and slowly walked towards them.

All of their backs were facing mine. They were gazing up at the infamous landmark of Paris, They were laughing. 

I coughed. They continued to talk. I strummed my ukulele once. Nothing. I sighed.

'Hold me close and hold me fast,

This magic spell you cast, 

this is la vie en rose'

All of them turned to look at me. Millie took out her phone to record. I froze. Natalia smiled.

'When you kiss me , heaven sighs,

And though I close my eyes,

I see la vie en rose.'

He looked shocked. I continued.

'When you press me to your heart, 

I'm in a world apart,

a world where roses blow.'

He shook his head. But he laughed.

'And when you speak,

angels sing from above,

Everyday words seem to turn into love songs.'

He smiled. My heart sighed.

'Give your heart and soul to me,

And life will always be,

la vie en rose.'

Everything was silent. He stepped forward. Only slightly.

"Gaten." I sighed, "Gaten Matarazzo, you are beautiful. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for posting about Stranger Things. I'm sorry for replying to your message. I'm sorry for meeting up with you in New York. I'm sorry for not talking to you this past month. I'm sorry for putting both of our hearts in this position.'

He looked heartbroken. I felt my own crack.

"But I'm not. Not really. I'm the luckiest person to have found you and I only wish it could of happened sooner. I don't know what love is. The only boy I've ever had a crush on was Peter Pan."

He laughed. I was crying.

"I wish I could tell you what love was. I can't really put it into words. And even though we're only young, and many people probably think I'm too young to feel this, but it's there."

The tears were salty. I couldn't stop them.

"I'm not a love expert. I don't have an exact definition. I only know one thing. That I, Mimi Laurent, is completely and utterly in love with you."

He looked as though he could cry. So did Joe.

"I love you, Gaten Matarazzo, and there is nothing I can do about it. I can only hope you at least like me back, because if you don't, this would be a bit embarrassing."

He laughed again. I liked his laugh.

"I love you," I whispered.

He nodded to me like the first time we met in the hotel lobby. He opened his arms in the exact same way. It seemed so long ago, when we had first met, and I hugged him like my life depended on it.

I ran forward, but this time I didn't hug him. I kissed him.

It was a few seconds until we pulled apart. His arms were around my waist. I felt dizzy.

His forehead was pressed against mine, and he was smiling. I heard the others exclaiming with glee, but it was blurry.

A gentle hand wiped my tears away. It cupped my cheek. He whispered through my tears.

"I love you too."

la fin; the end