Love In Unexpected Places ✓

Chapter Ten

After a very long work week, Saturday rolled back around. I spent a big part of the evening sleeping in as I usually have to get up around six-thirty to seven AM every weekday morning to get up and get ready for work. I decided to have a lazy day for once.

I walked over to my bookshelf, pulling a book from my unread books section on my bookshelf. I had settled on a princess fairytale book. I wasn't sure if the book of choice was a good fit for my life currently, but I decided to dive right into the world that is awaiting me. The sad reality is too many young girls believe in fairytales and happy endings. That may be true for a few, but it isn't how every young woman's life will turn out.

The book I had chosen to read was about a girl named Rieka who discovered that she was a princess by chance on the eve of her sixteenth birthday when a portal opened up and sucked her through to another world. A world where there are demon kings and warlords with castles, dungeons, and handsome princes.

The young girl has to do a series of tests to prove herself to the king that she is worthy of his son, the prince. When she finally is approved worthy by the king, she charms the young prince with her beauty and grace. The young prince gives her a necklace. When it finds the heart of the true princess gives her an abundance of magic to defeat the demon kings and warlords and also summon up knights to help take back the land. The girl becomes a true warrior and saves a land from evil.

The book sucked me in from the first page, and before I knew it, I was more than halfway done with the book. It was a better book than I had expected it to be. I was finally so glad I read the book. I bet in the end the prince ends up with the princess and they get married and live happily ever after. That's usually how books seem to end.

After reading for a great deal of the evening, I made my way through the kitchen looking for something to feed my empty, growling stomach. I realize that I had been so consumed with work that I forgot to go grocery shopping. I changed into something more publicly appealing than pajamas, grabbed my keys, and headed out of the apartment and to my car.

I decided to go to the coffee shop to grab a tea-infused refresher and a ham and cheese croissant before going to the grocery store.

When I walked into the coffee shop I walked up to the register to order. I sat down at a nearby table to wait for my name to be called letting me know that my order was ready.

I heard the bell ring from the door behind me, but I was too busy looking through my emails on my phone to see who it was. When the person walked up to order, my hand immediately stopped scrolling; I would recognize that voice anywhere.

After he ordered he came through looking for a place to sit down and wait.

"It's nice seeing you again. May I sit?" he asked as I looked up from my phone and motioned for him to take a seat.

I put my phone in my purse and just stared at him like a little girl who was looking straight in the eyes of her crush.

"I didn't think I would actually see you again," I managed to say as he cocked one eyebrow up and gave me a mysteriously handsome smile. His teeth were as white as white could be, and his green eyes had a twinkle in them.

I began to study him up close. I traced every feature of his face within my mind. He had flawless skin and a great complexion. His stubbles of light brown facial hair on his cheeks and around his lips and nose were more noticeable in this proximity. His dark brown hair was longer on top and faded into a closer shave in the back. The more I stared at him the harder my heart thumped and my stomach fluttered.

My name was called from the register which broke me from my trance. I walked up to the counter and grabbed my stuff before walking back to the table that I was just sitting at. I was going to bid Jean-Paul a farewell, but then he asked me if I could wait for him to get his order. So I sat back down into the chair waiting for him.

When he finally got his order, I invited him to come back to my apartment to have lunch with me. Even though we exchanged some words in conversation a week prior, some part of me wanted to know more about him.

He accepted the invitation so I got into my car and told him that he could ride over with me.

When the car finally pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex I had him to follow me up to my apartment.

I walked inside and put my keys on the key wall hanger beside my door and made my way to the dinner table in the kitchen to eat. Jean-Paul followed suit.

We sat down and began to eat quietly. My eyes quickly scanned his hands and then his arms. His arms were muscular. The man must also work out. The words "remind me to not make him mad" went through my mind and I let out a small chuckle, unaware that I had done so. I cleared my throat before starting a new conversation with him.

"So, how long are you visiting America for?" I found myself asking as curiosity got the best of me. I looked down as heat began to creep up my face. I found myself crushing over a man I hardly knew a week after breaking off an engagement with a man that I was madly in love with. I felt bad about having feelings for someone else but I realized that I can't live in sadness all of my life. You only live once so today I am living.

"Well, I applied for an ESTA visa waiver to travel the US which grants me up to ninety days in the country without a visa. I came here for tourism so I plan on traveling and seeing all I can before I have to go back home to Paris," he said with a smile as he finished off his sandwich and I finished off my croissant.

"You want to travel and see the US? Then let's do some traveling. Meet me here tomorrow around noon. We can take a day trip up to Jersey shore. There is a beach up there that we can visit. That will be two states you can cross off of your US travel list," I said as I smiled back at him.

"Let's do it!" He agreed.

It was beginning to get late so I bid Jean-Paul a goodnight as I called him a cab and he left for the night to go back to his hotel room.

I shut the door to my apartment behind him and felt a strong connection to this man. My heart was falling head over heels for him while my brain was telling me that it was a bad idea.

I hadn't felt this sensation in a long time. The last time I had felt this way was the first time I ever laid my eyes on Max. And I remember where that got me. Temporarily engaged which ended in a sad way.

I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I got to the bathroom and looked in the mirror I smiled as I grabbed my toothbrush and the tube of toothpaste. I lined my brush with the paste.

Before brushing my teeth my eyes widened in horror. I saw a piece of ham stuck in between my front teeth, just hanging down enough to be noticed. I must have been too star-struck to notice it. I can only imagine what Jean-Paul must have thought if he saw it.

Some part of me was embarrassed enough to cancel the plans that I made with him the next day, but the other part of me was glad to be getting out of the house and doing something with someone other than myself.

I brushed and flossed my teeth and climbed into bed, turning on my bedside lamp before turning off the light to my bedroom.

I grabbed the book that I had been reading earlier in the day and went right back to reading. Finally, I was sucked right back into the novel almost as if I hadn't ever stopped to take a break.

I was at the part in the book where the young woman realizes that she's the true princess and has the power to save the entire land.  She summons up the knights of the round table, and together her magic and the knights with their swords, takes back the land of Awiotha.

Just as I predicted, at the ending of the book, the land of Awiotha comes out of the demon king's spell, and they reunite once again as a kingdom. Princess Rieka marries Prince Donovan and they live happily ever after.

I looked at the clock which read twelve o'clock midnight. I finished the other half of the book which took two hours to do. So, all in all, I spent four hours indulged between the covers of a book.

My eyes began to get heavy as I placed the book on the nightstand and turned off my lamp. I turned over and smiled before going to sleep.