AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We won’t be there long,” he said. “Just a few hours. But at least you’ll get to see it.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” I mumbled.
“Say nothing. Consider this my apology for being a complete ass to you.”
My chest warmed with an emotion I had never felt before. “Apology accepted.”
* * *
Paris was colderthan I expected. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body as Alek and I walked the empty, dark streets. Streetlights were few and far between, and while I knew Alek had no problem seeing in the dark due to his weird demon strengths, I was starting to get creeped out.
“Aren’t there supposed to be, like, tourists or something?” I asked.
Alek placed a gentle hand on my lower back as we walked. “I’m not much into crowds,” he said. “I figured I would give you more of the discrete tour. Besides, the tourists don’t know about the best places here.”
A massive rat scurried across the pavement in front of us, followed by a few dead leaves being blown after it.
“Discrete,” I repeated. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“We’re almost there. Keep an open mind,” he said.
So I tried. I surveyed the old, brick buildings around us. Compared to home, this place felt ancient. Stones were falling off buildings. Old trees surrounded the streets. It was much, much quieter, which I definitely was not expecting.
When I pictured Paris, I pictured the Eiffel Tower. I pictured tourists and deserts and the French.
But this felt… it felt peaceful. It felt lived in. It felt warm, even though goosebumps covered my arms.
“This way,” Alek said. He pulled me into one of the old, stone buildings. From the outside, it looked abandoned. Lost, just like many of the other buildings around us. Inside, the cement stairs inside were half crumbling, and I had to watch each of my steps as we walked up them.
“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked.
“After all this time, I would think you’d trust me at least a little bit by now.”
I ignored him, and we finished cascading the multiple flights of crumbling stairs.
One man stood, ready to greet us at the top of the stairs. He had bright green eyes that nearly glowed in the darkness, similar to Alek’s. “Sir Alek,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Charles,” Alek responded. The two men clasped hands briefly.
“I have a table for you and the lady, right this way,” Charles said. He began leading the way up yet another flight of stairs.
Alek held a hand out, waiting for me to head up the stairs.
As soon as we reached the top, Charles pushed a door open to the roof. Suddenly, instead of being inside of an old, worn-down building, we were outside. There was one small table in the center of the rooftop, and a heater to warm us up stood directly beside it.
And beyond the roof was the prettiest, most magical view of Paris I could have ever imagined. The sea of stars above blended with the twinkling lights of the bustling city. People filled the streets in the distance, and even though we could see them, we were in our own, protected space here on the roof. I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful.
Charles and Alek exchanged a few words before he left us alone on the roof.
“I can’t believe this,” I said to Alek. I walked to the ledge, peering out at the city beyond. “This is… this isn’t real.”
“It’s real,” Alek assured me softly, moving to stand behind me. “Paris is one of my favorite cities. The history, the architecture. There’s something comforting about it.”
“Is this where you take all of your dates?” I teased. In the distance, I could see the reflections of hundreds of lights in the river below. I could see the Eiffel Tower, which twinkled with lights as beautiful as the stars.
“No,” Alek said. “I’ve never brought anyone here.”
My head whipped towards him. “Ever? That’s surprising.”
