Even if you’ve never been to Paris, it’s obvious that the city has a special allure that no other city in the world has, and a multitude of books get written about Paris by past and present residents. Visitors and tourists look for answers to how French women miraculously stay so slender or offer guidance for mastering the eternally sun-drenched foods of Provence (which don’t hold back on the lavender, although I’ve never seen anyone eating lavender anything in Provence) or promise to unlock the secrets of how Parisians have so much flair and maintain their certain je ne sais quoi.

Paris is full of wonderful things – the Louvre, Hermès, sprawling boulevards, chocolate shops, and pristine parks. Yet, at the same time, Ian made an observation that captures the somber morosité that pervades the city: the beige sameness of the buildings whose balconies are trimmed by dark ironwork, the gray skies that overwhelm Paris on a daily basis, and the street sweepers with their heads down, washing away soiled remnants and cast-offs of households, cafés, cigarette smokers, dogs, and other sorts of detritus left behind. Paris is constantly cleaning itself, and as history has shown, is a city that has had to brush the past aside (not always comfortably) to clear room for the present.

But, it was not roaming the streets of Paris, in a mindless attempt at introspection or spiritual enlightenment, that Ian had come to seek. No, he found it atop the highest gallery of the Eiffel Tower, as he gazed at the magnificent city that lay before him. The single word that adequately described his feeling was ‘triumphant’. The tower itself symbolized victory, from Ian’s perspective, as it towered above the other structures around it.

The view from the tower reminded him of Raelynn. He could see her standing there, looking out over the city, just like he did now, and smiling at what she saw. She would stand there for hours, talking about everything that interested her, and then suddenly say something profound that caught him off guard. She had been the first person who showed him that life wasn't dull and boring; rather, it was filled with wonder and excitement. He thought about how much fun they'd had together. Her little anecdotes, and her constant support through his career meant a lot to him. Thinking of her, made his heart beat faster. It was strange, but when he thought of her, he felt alive again.

He did not know why thinking of her, affected him differently. He did not have that feeling when he thought of anyone else. But, he knew that he wanted to think of her more often.

He was afraid of acting on that feeling. Because he realized that Raelynn was special, she was different from anyone else he had been with. He was afraid, for the first time in his new life, that if he acted on this feeling, he could lose a dear friend forever. Yet, his heart beat faster whenever he envisioned her face smiling brightly at him. Her viridian eyes sparkled with joy and mischief. Her full rosy lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

And for the first time, Ian felt dread. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ian cursed whoever came up with that quote with every fiber of his being, for they were right. And he had no idea what he would do.

“Fuck” Ian cursed, as he turned around and made his way down the wretched tower. “Now you’ve gone and done it, Ian. You have fallen in love.”

******

“Fuck” Raelynn cursed for the hundredth time. She had successfully gotten the casting right, but now she was stuck with the set design, and the contracts she needed for filming in the school.

She had given Keanu Reeves the role of the high school principal. And Jason Wills had securely landed the role of lead. He and Alexandra were able to create an innocent, yet slightly romantic chemistry on set, something she was very happy about. But, now that the contracts for filming in a Chicago state school district were not coming through, she did not what to do. She didn’t have the contacts that Ian had so meticulously cultivated to help her out, and she was afraid of calling him to help out.

“What’s the matter with you? It’s just one call you wuss, he isn’t going to eat your head if you call him. He isn’t a monster.” Niko commented snidely as he munched on some cheese balls. “Hurry up! We need to finish up with this. I have a date tonight, and I don’t want to keep Keith waiting.!”

Raelynn sighed, as she banged her head on the table in front of her. “Uggghh, do you take joy in my torment or something?!” She bemoaned.

Niko happily nodded, as he gulped down another cheese ball.

“I hate you. I seriously hate you.” She huffed, as she turned and stared at her phone.

“Oh c’mon. You’re useless, give that here.” Niko said, as he suddenly snatched the phone out of her hands.

“Hey! Get your hands off my phone! You’ll get it sticky with your cheesy paws!” Raelynn said as she tried to snatch it back with no success, his taller frame working against her. “What are you doing?!”

“Calling Ian, you coward,” Niko said, as he put the call on speaker.

“NOOO!!” Raelynn screamed as she pulled his chair towards her and climbed it to snatch the phone out of his hand, but Niko deftly moved away causing her to tumble onto the soft carpet floor.

She could still hear it ringing and shouted as she got up to lunge at him again, but this time Niko used his other elbow as a shield to keep her away, even though she tried to reach for the phone “Get back here, NO! DON’T CALL HI-“

And then the thing she dreaded happened.

“Hello”

And Raelynn went silent as a mouse. Her face was red, as she wondered whether Ian heard her shouting like a hag.

“Hi, Ian! How are you, I hope I didn’t call at an inopportune moment.” Niko said as he looked smugly at Raelynn whose face had turned flush, akin to a tomato.

“Oh, no! I was just wandering about in Paris on my lonesome, nothing significant. Wait, isn’t this Rae’s cellphone? Is she there?” He heard Ian, and Niko found it odd that Ian’s voice had gone an octave higher at the end there.

“Yeah, see Raelynn wanted to ask you something, it’s about the filming. Here, talk to her”

Saying that Niko extended the phone back towards its rightful owner, and he enjoyed the pained and betrayed expression on Raelynn’s face.

Raelynn threw her soon-to-be-dead friend a glare, and snatched the phone away from him, she quickly turned off the speaker and brought the device to her ear.

“H-hello, Ian.”

“H-hi! Rae! It’s … it’s so nice to hear from you. You sound great. I was wondering, we haven’t spoken in a while, so I was just curious about how you were doing. Is everything alright?”

Raelynn took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. She could feel the heat radiating off her face, and her cheeks were burning. She couldn’t believe she was saying these things, but she had to.

“Yes, everything is fine, thank you for asking. I was actually calling because I needed a little help acquiring the contract for filming in a school district in Chicago, and I thought you might be able to help me out”

Ian chuckled, and Raelynn bit her lower lip.

“Well, I have a friend who might be able to get the paperwork expedited. Send me the location, and I will have everything you need in a few hours.” She heard him say, and she felt relieved. She had been worried about nothing. She pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, as she smiled and looked out the window, and said “Thank you so much, Ian. That would help a lot. How is Paris?”

“Oh, the city is beautiful, it’s calm and serene. I feel like all my worries are behind me, and the anonymity feels very refreshing.” He said, and Rae felt very happy for him. The last few days he had spent in LA were not good for his health, the press had hounded him in a multitude of different ways, and she knew that it had gotten to him. “It actually reminds me of you.”

And that made Rae’s cheeks burn, she thought she had heard wrong and eloquently voiced her thoughts.

“What?”

“Oh, uh I mean, it reminds me of home. Yeah, home”

And Rae figured she must’ve heard him wrong, but her imagination had once again set her heart on fire, her heart rate skyrocketed, and for a moment, she wished that she hadn’t heard him incorrectly.

“Well, you enjoy your vacation, Ian. Thank you so much for your help.”

“Anytime, Rae. Talk to you later.” And the line went dead, and Raelynn collapsed in her chair.