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‘Ah, yes. I did not think of that’ he said.
‘So now that you’ve found me …’
‘Now that I’ve found you, I am not sure how to say what I want to say.’
‘It’s not like you to be lost for words,’ I said, leaning on the railings next to him, our hip bones knocking together.
‘I wanted to see you, again, ok?’
I bit my lip. ‘I thought you were a pro at walking away from things.’
‘I am. Very good at it, usually,’ he added. ‘But when I got to my meeting and I was talking about my work, you kept coming in and out of my mind. It was very strange. I kept thinking about how when I saw you at Gare du Nord – non, before that, on the train – I thought you were very beautiful. And interesting and smart and funny. Which I suppose explains why I was such an arsehole to you.’
I laughed. ‘You certainly did an excellent job of pretending you couldn’t stand me,’ I said.
‘Why do you think I came back to Gare du Nord? Why I persuaded you to let me take you to the police station?’
‘You told me already. Because you can’t stand feeling guilty.’
‘Yes, that is true. But that rule applies only if I care what that person thinks of me,’ he said.
‘Which must mean …’
‘That I care what you think of me.’
We turned to watch a tiny motorboat chug underneath us, leaving a trail of froth behind it.
‘What will you do tonight?’ he asked. ‘Where will you stay?’
‘I’ve booked a hotel,’ I said. ‘Not far from here.’
He nodded.
‘You’re being very serious,’ I said, looking warily across at him.
‘I thought I would not see you again, that is all,’ he said, looking earnest. ‘And now that you are here in front of me, I feel I must say all the things I wanted to say to you all day but was not brave enough to.’
I reached out and tucked his hair behind his ear. ‘I thought flying was the only thing you were scared of.’
I was suddenly very aware of the sounds around me. Léo’s soft, rapid breathing. The click clack of someone’s heels as they passed over the bridge. The water below us lapping against the quay. The cold, wet metal of the railings seeping through the fabric of my skirt.
‘You know, there is much more of Paris to show you,’ he said.
‘Is that an invitation?’
He nodded. ‘I think so.’
‘You don’t seem sure,’ I said, teasing him.
He took my hands in his, linking our fingers together. ‘I am sure, Hannah. I would like you to come to Paris again,’ he said. ‘To see me.’
‘Will you buy me another Mont Blanc?’
‘Naturally,’ he said, stroking my wrists with his thumbs.
‘I should probably let things settle down first. Make a proper break from Si.’
He nodded. ‘Absolutely.’
