A/N – Hannah, I so much appreciate you being my beta reader for this new phase I'm going through, a phase that I know it's not your favourite one, lol But you know my plans, so you'll just have to wait :)
Strawberry Kisses and Orange Trees
Prologue
Since she has arrived in Paris every morning she visits the little café on the left bank of the Seine and sits in her favorite spot. Wedged behind a little table, Serena watches the people around her: the writers who sit at their tables hoping they are writing the next big bestseller; the old ladies walking their dogs; fashionable men in suits hurrying to catch a cab; tourists excitingly looking at their maps.
Silently the waiter in an impeccable black and white uniform delivers her black coffee and a raspberry éclair for which she has grown particularly fond of. A different waiter sails past her table with a café au lait and croissants au chocolat. Simple pleasures. Simple like the art of kissing. A glance around the café reveals lovers practicing that art. They are in Paris and they are free to kiss and love. A lady dressed in a chic ensemble of hat and dress at a table in the corner smiles as she watches the couples' antics. She, like Serena, is just sitting there watching the world go by. She throws her a smile as she catches her eye.
The sweet calm of this Parisian morning is broken when someone bumps into the edge of the table, causing the black coffee to spill all over the table.
"I'm sorry." He apologizes. "I was distracted." He grabs some napkins and tries to clean the table before the coffee spills on her dress.
Serena looks up into the eyes of the man who had spoken and is met by the gray iced blue eyes of Carter Baizen.
"Carter?! What are you doing here?" she asks surprised.
"Serena? What a surprise!" he smiles brightly showing off his perfect set of pearly whites.
"I know! What were the chances we were going to meet in Paris? What are you doing here?"
Carter slides out a chair and sits across from Serena.
"Do we need a reason to be in Paris?" he asks mysteriously.
"No, not really! But Carter Baizen, sightseeing in Paris? I don't think so…"
"I might surprise you…" he says leaning into her.
"I know you Carter… you're always up to something..."
"Can I buy you another coffee?" He offers changing the subject but never leaving her eyes.
"Sure."
"Wait here." He heads to the bar and Serena's eyes follow his every move. She is curious. Carter Baizen, man of mystery. That's what always comes to her mind when she thinks of him.
Carter comes back to the table. "Here", he hands her a new cup of coffee. She smiles lightly at his gesture.
"Now tell me, what are you doing alone in Paris? You're alone, aren't you?" he asks hopefully.
"Yes, I am. I'm just having a break from everybody, from New York. And Paris is Paris, right? Good food, good wine, shopping, sightseeing…"
Carter looks at her. Serena. He had always had a soft spot for her. She sure knew how to have fun. But it was more than that. There was that hidden, hurt side of her that he had witnessed and that so very few knew about. A side that had created a special bond between them.
"I'm planning a trip across Europe. What if you join me? We would have fun together… no plans; we could rent a car and follow the wind…"
She places her chin in her palm and looks at him. "You're little Mr. Adventure, aren't you?" she says in admiration.
"I try to do my best… and it would be so much better with you..."
Serena closes her eyes and contemplates his offer. She likes Carter. From the first moment she laid eyes on him years ago she felt herself immediately drawn to him. He had revealed to be a reliable and trust worthy friend. Fun and unpredictable. Masculine and a little dangerous. And a little more than just that. She could still remember how it was like to have him wrapped around her. He was gentle and experienced. They had some good times. And some troubled ones. She doesn't know why but that's something that she chooses to ignore.
"I want to do it," she tells him opening her eyes. "No plans, no rules, no compromise, though."
"I like your terms. I wouldn't have said it better myself." He leans back in his chair and his eyes look at her with an intensity that makes her blush. She glances away embarrassed.
Serena's fingers brush up and down against the side of her coffee cup. "Do you have somewhere to go?" she asks after a short silence between the two.
"Not really. My plans, my agenda have quickly changed after Destiny put an old…" he pauses trying to find the right word. "… friend in my path…"
Her smile doesn't wane. "Then why don't you and your friend Destiny start showing me Paris first before we see where the wind will take us?
"Then we start today then, Miss van der Woodsen!" he declares dead serious as he stands up and holds out her hand. "I'll be sure to make your life in Paris a worthy experience."
***