Idealisms

Chapter 12 - Summer's End

The next morning I woke up to hear loud music playing around me. "Huh?" I said groggily, sitting up.

"Good morning!! How'd you sleep last night? Oh, was my music too loud, did I wake you? I'm terribly sorry!"

I managed another confused "huh?" before I realized that it was Caroline. The girl really did talk a lot. "Uh, no, the music is fine". I'm just not used to sharing a room with another person.

I always found that once I'd gotten out of bed and eaten some breakfast I was in a much more functional state in the mornings. In fact, Caroline and I actually got to talking over the oatmeal she'd made – and you know what, she's not half bad. We actually have a lot more in common than I originally thought, like our favourite foods, hobbies and books to read. Not to mention our taste in boys, I muttered to myself.

"So, um, I don't mean to pry but just curious are you and Tom, like.."

She let out a guffaw. What the hell? "Oh that's a good one!! Please, I would never! He might be my best friend but–"

A loud knock at the door startled us both. "Good morning ladies!!" Tom said as he let himself in. "Sorry to barge in on you two, but I was just wondering if Harriet, you'd be up to a little tour of the city today?" He seemed nervous. "You know, just to introduce you to your home for the next year."

Caroline shot me a look that I couldn't make sense of, but the twinkle in her eye suggested she knew something I didn't. Huh? Guess that was my catchphrase of the day. "Yes, sounds like fun!"

--

And so, I found myself sitting at a rickety table outside a quaint little café on a bustling road–the first stop on Tom's 'tour'.

"I'm thinking Paris should take London's reputation as the world's rainiest city," I joked as Tom came outside, two steaming coffees in hand.

"What makes you say that?" He sat down across from me, and I noticed a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, I've only been here twice and it's rained both times! That's a rate of 100% rainy, if my maths are correct." I smiled and tried to sip my coffee smugly, forgetting how hot it was. I sputtered and narrowly avoided spitting it out, burning my tongue in the process. I mentally cursed myself. Great going, Harriet.

He laughed, "Well haven't you ever thought that maybe the rain follows you?"

I stuck my tongue out in response. I know, very mature of me. I liked the way our friendship came pretty naturally – there wasn't much awkwardness between us even after not having talked for months. In fact, looking down at the coffee in front of me and the boy sitting across from me, it almost felt like a date Suddenly I remembered something.

"Hey Tom, I don't mean to pry in your life or anything like that, I'm just wondering.."

So much for no awkwardness. It was too late to back out now, and I had to know.

"Hm? What's up?" His dark brown eyes mimicked the coffee swirling in his mug.

"Are you and Caroline, erm, together? Because I really don't want to be interfering with anything, like if she thinks we're like on on date right now or something and I'm trying to steal her guy, I mean she's my roommate and I don't want to have any reasons for her to dislike me –"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down there. Caro and I are best friends, yes, but didn't she tell you? She likes girls. Us hanging out wouldn't make her jealous at all, seeing as she wouldn't be interested in me anyways!" He let out a genuine laugh, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

I didn't let myself express my internal mix of relief and surprise at Caroline's news.

"Why're you asking, anyways?"

My eyes widened and I felt my face go red, but before I could sputter out an answer, Tom cut me off. The playful twinkle in his eyes was back.

"Is it because you have a crush on her?" 

--

"Oh my goodness, Tom, for the last time, I'm NOT in love with Caroline!" I couldn't even bring myself to sound believably exasperated; I was laughing too much. He would not stop teasing me about liking Caroline, and while part of me was actually exasperated, another part of me was relieved he wasn't teasing me about liking him.

We walked through some parks, shoved through some crowded streets, stopped to grab ice cream and somehow Tom knew some anecdote about each corner of the city. I was honestly a bit overwhelmed by it all, but I was having the time of my life.

"This is it." Tom threw his hands up, gesturing around us, but his dramatic flair was dampened by the ice cream he was still holding.

I looked around us, taking in the surroundings. We were on one of the many bridges over the Seine - forgive me, I really don't remember which –and we could see the Parisian buildings lining the riverside, the Eiffel tower poking u amongst them. It was really late afternoon, meaning the setting sun washed the whole city in a beautiful golden light. It was almost ethereal.

After a moment I spoke. "This is what?"

"The last stop on the tour!' He hopped up so he was sitting on the ledge and patted the spot next to him. I followed suit, albeit a little more clumsily. I was well aware that one wrong move and I'd fall in the river.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he continued, saying a bunch of other stuff that I didn't even pay any attention to. I was just staring at the side of his face, the entire time he was talking. I remembered how I felt so so long ago, here in Paris, when I'd watchedthe sunset off one of these bridges, thinking I might not get the chance again.How much had changed in, not even one whole year! I don't know if I was just mesmerized by his face, illuminated by the now-orange glow of the sun. That solidified it. I was in love with him. Or, maybe not love, but certainly infatuation.

The feeling made my heart swell and my head feel lighter. It was like I was in a permanently good mood.

Tom dropped me off at my door, and so my summer came to a close.