France was shorter than I expected. Maybe it was because we're from America and from there the flights are like 7-8 hours. But then I remember that we're traveling from Spain to France which cuts the flight down to a 1-2 hour flight.

During the whole trip, Dawson and I played Uno and fought the whole time about whether you can put a draw 2 on top of a draw 4. He said no and I kept telling him that he was wrong. When we asked Julia she said that she wasn't going to fuel the argument. The other agreed and we continued to bicker the whole way. Eventually, we settled on playing hangman and when he thought he was about to lose, he started adding toes and fingers to his hanging man.

To say I was glad we finally landed would be an understatement.

As I was scooting my way down the cramped aisle, I let out a frustrated groan as an elderly lady stepped in front of me. As she stepped on my toes and muttered an excuse me, she walked slower than a turtle.

I raised my hands and fisted my hands in frustration. As I huffed and placed my hands down, I felt a hand on the small of my back. A jolt ran up my spine and I looked back and realized that it was Atlas. On his lips rested a small taunting smile.

"What?" I bit out, an unamused look on my face.

"Nothing, firecracker." He breathed, his hands falling slightly and lifting off my back. Then just like that, that spot on my back would do nothing but yearn for his hand to be placed there again. I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

When we finally made our way out of the plane, I let out a breath. I looked around and let out a sigh as I watched people walking up and down the hallways, to and from their destinations. Some lady was announcing something in french over the intercoms and I only picked up two words that translated to Orly Airport.

I turned to Atlas who was standing a few feet away from me. He looked down at me, a questioning look on his face.

"Do you speak French too?" I asked, to which he laughed.

"Why do you ask?" He smirked and I frowned.

"Because we're in France and it seems like a logical question, right?" I said to which he shrugged. As he ran his hand through his hair, I let out a breath.

It was incredibly unfair that someone who just came from a 2-hour flight looked this good. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a coffee-colored button-up tee. His hair was slightly messy from his brief sleep during the flight, but he still looked so tired.

I blinked as he said, "Yes,"

"You do?" I breathed, my cheeks tinting pink at the small smirk stretching his pink lips. He nodded.

"Oh, cool," I said, my voice coming out lighter than I wanted it to be. He chuckled and before I could embarrass myself further, I stepped back to turn around. But as I blindly took a step forward, I bumped into someone almost causing me to fly backward.

As I landed on my butt on the ground, I heard Julia let out a gasp and the guy in front of me winced.

"Shit, I'm so sorry." He said and I looked up, frowning to myself.

"It's okay," I said, helping myself up, but he grabbed my hand, pulling me up to my feet. I blinked at him as he was now barely three inches away from me.

The first thing I noticed about him was the beauty marks that decorated his face at random. His brown hair was light brown like Julia's but straight and fluffy like Dawson's, but also softly curled. His eyes were brown, but a nice brown, like honey and coffee. He challenged Atlas's height and rivaled Jude's beauty.

"Um... Hi," I breathed to which he laughed. A light and breathy chuckle. His voice was slightly raspy.

"Hey," He said and I found myself burning under his unwavering gaze. I hated eye contact so much, but goddamn, I couldn't look away right now.

"I'm Eden," I said, jutting my hand out for him to shake and immediately dying inside from embarrassment. Behind me, Julia laughed and Atlas sighed. They both walked away, Julia muttered something to Atlas and he nodded.

The guy in front of me took my hand, shaking it softly. His hands were warm and soft and I wanted to keep my hand in his for a very long time. "I'm Elijah,"

I nodded, taking my hand back before it got awkward, "Cool,"

He, once again, laughed at those words, tucking his hands back into his pocket. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing in France?"

I laughed, "Oh, you know, I'm thinking of becoming a French stripper, the usual."

Elijah barked out a laugh, causing me to smile, "That's good to know. Not bad business here."

My cheeks flamed red, "You come here a lot?"

He nodded, "Every summer for the past 11 years,"

My eyes widened, "Woah,"

He nodded, laughing slightly, "Yeah, my grandmother lives here and I absolutely adore the opera and dinners here."

My eyebrows rose, "You listen to the opera?"

He nodded, "It's really cool. I'd love to take you some time."

My cheeks reddened, "Well, if dinner also came with the package, it'd be definite yes for me."

"Say less," He smiled and I smiled too. I watched as he pulled out his phone and tapped it a few times. He then turned it around and handed it to me. I looked up at him and smiled, "Oh, we're exchanging numbers already?"

I took the phone from his hand nonetheless as he laughed. As I typed my number into his contacts, his eyes swept past my friends standing behind me.

"Are any of these guys your boyfriend?" He said, causing Dawson to hold back a laugh behind me and my cheeks to burn red.

I briefly looked behind me, my eyes meeting Atlas's hard ones. His hands balled into fists at his sides and he took in a long breath, his eyes never leaving mine.

I looked back to Elijah, a breathy laugh escaping my lips, "Oh, no. These are just my friends. Been boyfriendless for two years now."

I winced at that last bit of my sentence, but Elijah didn't seem to mind. He laughed it off, "Oh, good."

I laughed and handed him back his phone. He looked down at the contact and smiled, looking up at me briefly, "I'll call you,"

I nodded, "I'll be waiting."

He smiled and with that, he walked away. As I saw his figure disappear down the hallway, my jaw dropped in shock. I slowly turned around to the group. Dawson and Jude's eyes were flitting from my face to Atlas's. Leah and Julia's eyes were widened and jaws dropped.

"Holy shit, he's hot!" Leah practically screamed, her hands clawing the air in excitement.

Julia nodded along, "Holy hell, Eden. He wants to take you to watch the opera and then for dinner!"

My cheeks flamed red, "I know, I know. Holy fuck!"

I looked back at Jude and frowned as I realized that Atlas, Jude, and Dawson had deep frowns on their faces. I stopped, but before I could say anything, Dawson spoke.

"Can we just get to the hotel already?" He asked, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

I hesitantly peeked a look at Atlas and felt my blood run cold as his hard eyes met mine once more. His glare burned holes into my questioning eyes. As I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, he looked away, briefly looking at the rest of the group.

"I'm going to go look for a cab." He breathed and turned around, grabbing his suitcases and walking away. I blinked looking back at the rest of the group in confusion... Dawson and Jude clearly didn't want to hear our conversation and turned around, launching into their own conversation, eventually following Atlas out.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked Leah and Julia, my voice lowering considerably.

Leah sighed, shaking her head as she draped her arm over my shoulder. "No, they just need to get off their high horses and realize that single guys can ask single women out from time to time."

I nodded, a small smile stretched across my face, "Yeah, I just—"

Sure, I get why Dawson was a little jealous. Leah clearly came out and said that Elijah was hot. Any guy that was interested in you would be pissed that you think someone other than him is attractive. Jude on the other hand...

I didn't know why he was getting all jealous. I guessed that he may have had a thing for Julia, but Julia was completely oblivious to it. Jude wasn't the person to even show you that he even liked you. He'd just assume that you'd know. Julia definitely didn't and I wasn't sure. Maybe Julia agreeing with Leah's statement was proof enough of his feelings for her.

I tried not to think about how Julia has shown no romantic interest in him. That was a problem for another time.

With Atlas, I didn't even have to wonder. His mood swings were so violent sometimes, they gave me whiplash.

"Ugh, nothing. Let's just go." I forced a smile onto my lips.

Leah nodded and grabbed her suitcases, Julia followed suit. I grabbed mine and we made our way towards the front doors, to where the boys had wandered off to.

As we stepped out the sliding doors, a gust of warm air brushed past us. I took in a deep breath, letting my hair billow behind me, and my eyes to flutter close.

The sound of cars honking in the distance, the faint smell of grass, flowers, and pollution, the sight of people rushing by, hailing cabs surrounded us. I let out a breath as I took in the details around us.

Ah, Paris.

Leah spotted the boys putting their suitcases into a car and led us towards them. Leah passed our suitcases to Atlas as he helped the taxi driver stack everything into the trunk.

I climbed into the car and took a seat between Julia and Jude in the back. After we were all good to go, Atlas and Leah climbed into the front with Dawson, Leah taking the seat in front of me by the window on the left. The taxi driver took a seat behind the wheel and turned around.

"Where to?" He asked, his accent heavy. Each word was as if the French in him was begging to spill out. The heavy r's, the t's light but aggressive, and a soft, barely-perceptible growl in the middle of his sentence.

Atlas told him the location. It was a note somewhere in the middle of the city of Paris. The driver nodded and turned around, strapping himself in and pulling out of the parking spot. Atlas nodded to himself and pocketed his phone, laying his head back and closing his eyes, a small frown on his lips.

As I sat quietly in my seat, I watched him. My eyes brushed over his sharp nose and his soft mouth; His high cheekbones and arched eyebrows; His dark hair spilling over his face in loose curls and his blue eyes that were being shielded by his closed eyes.

He let out a small breath through his slightly parted lips and licked his lips. As my brain started to short-circuit and my stomach churned with an unfamiliar warmth, I looked away and out the window.

The cab whizzed past traffic and down the interstate and I let myself soak in the view around me. Miles passed of hills filled with trees and dark, shrubby greenery. The sky is a backdrop of hundreds of colors: sky blue, white, grey, blue-grey, and cerulean blue.

I looked out the front window and a small smile stretched my lips as I caught sight of the Arc de Triomphe. I let out a small gasp and whispered to Julia, "Look,"

She followed my gaze and let out a small gasp, "Woah,"

As we entered the circle and rounded the humongous monument, I soaked in its glory. Standing at 164 feet and made of limestone decorated completely with depictions of every story it had to tell, every war, every hero, and every villain.

We circled the monument and continued down the road lined with tourists, cars, tall trees, and stands. I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the moment we'd be released from the car and let out to explore the city.

When the time finally came, I let out a gasp at the beauty that was our hotel. I climbed out of the car and stared up at its magnificence. The hotel itself seemed to stretch higher than any building around it. The walls were beige and decorated with carvings of horses, chariots, warriors, and victories. The front door was wide and made of glass, its doors revolved and looked as if it was a carousel filled with gold and diamonds as the setting sun caught each pane of glass.

Each level of the hotel had rows and rows of shining glass. Some windows were open, others were closed. Some windows were tightly shrouded by curtains and others completely exposed. Others shone bright with hundreds of lights, others stood unoccupied and dim.

Hoards of people walked in and out of the hotel. Bellboys helped load and unload guests in and out of their cars. Girls and women walked out in fancy dresses ready to get their evening in Paris started. Boys and young men followed, ready to forget the problems of the day and dive into the fun the city had to offer.

I turned to the group and thanked Jude as he handed me my suitcase. He smiled at the giddy expression on my face. "Excited?" He asked, even though he already knew my answer.

I nodded, standing next to Jude as I waited for the rest of the group to join us. Julia and Dawson were getting the suitcases and Atlas was paying the taxi cab driver from the card we were given by Dawson's parents— exclusively for transportation and emergencies.

"We're in Paris." I breathed, "I keep pinching myself thinking that this will all just poof away and I'd just been dreaming this whole time."

Jude laughed, "Yeah, don't do that. This is real... for sure."

I looked up at him as a small smile stretched the corners of his lips. His eyes were focused on Leah, Julia, and Dawson as they laughed about something. I huffed at his situation, "Jude, do you like her?"

I wanted to punch myself. How did I not see this before? He's been around her for almost a month now and he's just been falling deeper and deeper into the hole he was digging. Julia was as oblivious as it got, not because she just didn't notice, she chose not to. She chose to ignore the signs and ignore the looks.

Last year, she was hurt badly and when it came to relationships, she closed up immediately. Now, Jude was here helplessly entranced by her kindness and her beauty and her laugh. I waited for him to answer and watched as a small smile graced his lips.

"I don't know." He laughed, softly, "I mean, how could you not like a person like her?"

I nodded and looked up at him, his green eyes pale and iridescent as the sunlight shone onto him.

"Tell her," I breathed to which he laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't think I should," He said and I frowned, "Why?"

"I'm leaving next summer to Michigan." He breathed and I frowned, but before I could say anything, reassure him that it'd be okay, ask him if anybody else knew, tell him to confess to Julia anyways, Leah and Dawson walked up to us followed by Julia and Atlas. I sucked in a breath.

"Let's check-in?" Julia smiled and I nodded, following everybody into the wide and spacious hotel. My eyes flitted past the glossy beige floors and the high ceilings, the golden carts, the uniformed bellboys, the laughing people, the tight-lipped employees, and the glossed oak desks.

But I could only focus on Dawson's arm draped over Leah's shoulder, Atlas's face flushed but kept at bay as he talked to the lady up front, and Jude's tight-lipped smile.

-

I was slipping the dress I would be wearing to dinner with everyone. Julia was sprawled on the bed, halfway dressed. Her hair was pulled up in a half-up, half-down updo. Her makeup was done and her studded earrings were fastened onto her ears. Her dress was pulled up to her waist, but she stopped there, giving up and laying flat on the bed.

I, on the other hand, was fully dressed. My hair was pressed into tight curls so it looked a lot like Julia's. My makeup was done, natural but eye-catching: A thick layer of mascara and eyeliner and deep, plum-colored lipstick. On my neck rested a thin and simple necklace.

As for my dress, I was fitted into an ivory-colored dress that stopped a little before my knees. The dress wrapped around my hips and thighs and had a sweetheart neckline. For the sleeves they were wide and loose, falling off my shoulders a little. They cuffed at the wrists, giving it a clean and elegant look.

For my shoes, I slipped on a pair of classic nude heels that wrapped around my ankles.

I smiled at myself and finally turned to Julia. I sighed, "Jules, everybody's waiting for us."

She groaned and sat up, "I don't wanna wear those heels or this dress."

I frowned, "Why? You look sexy as hell."

She groaned, "It's too revealing, but Leah's making me wear it."

I let out a small laugh and nodded along with her. The dress was a little revealing, sure. The top part of the dress was a tank with thin spaghetti straps. The bottom part was a thin skirt that stopped mid-thigh with a slit through the side of it.

I tried to think of something and almost fell over on my way to my suitcase. I dropped the suitcase on the ground and rifled through it until I found the blazer I was looking for. When I finally pulled it out, I turned around and handed it to Julia.

"Put it on," I said and watched as she stood up and slipped the rest of her dress on and the blazer right after. When she was done fixing herself in the mirror, I nodded proudly.

"Now, you look like a fucking goddess, Jules." I smiled to which she smiled shyly.

"Let's go," She asked as she ignored the heels Leah picked for her and slipped on a pair of black converse high tops. I smiled and nodded, following her out the door.

We made our way down the hallway and waited for the elevator to arrive at our level. As we stood there, I looked at Julia, a troubled frown on my lips.

"So, did you meet anyone yet?" I asked to which she gave me a weird look, a small laugh bubbling out of her.

"What do you mean?" She asked and before I could come up with a question to ask, the elevator doors dinged open. We walked in, joining the three others in the cramped space, and stood in silence.

When we finally joined our group downstairs, Leah let out an excited squeal. She stopped Julia and me and looked us up and down, "Oh my God, Julia. Your outfit looks so much better with the blazer."

Julia nodded smilingly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Leah then turned to me and smiled, "You look like a fucking angel. The dress is amazing!"

I nodded, my cheeks burning red, "Thanks,"