He went straight to Eurostar's website and booked a ticket leaving Friday at five pm and arriving at nine pm local time. He'd have to find a plausible excuse to leave work early, he reminded himself. He couldn't decide when to return, as he had no idea what awaited him in Paris, so he booked an open return. He checked the schedule and was pleased to learn that they offered departures everyday more or less around the clock.

He looked up the location of the cinema and was happy to see that it was in close proximity of Gare du Nord where he'd be arriving with only an hour to spare before the film started. The last jigsaw for his Parisian puzzle was to find somewhere to stay. He didn't want to bring a bag to the cinema, and he also wanted to make sure that he knew he'd have somewhere to spend the night if Ruth didn't show. The possibility that all of this was just a child of his imagination was not unlikely.

He remembered that his daughter, Cathrine, had bookmarked a site for online hotel booking a few months ago. He found it in the dropdown and started searching for a room. In the end he opted for a rather posh and expensive hotel, which was located within the vicinity of both the train station and the cinema. At least he wouldn't have to stay long in Paris if Ruth didn't come to meet him. After all why would he? Paris was a place to be with a companion. He'd told her so himself.

He'd been the one who'd challenged her sense of romance when they'd finally gone out for dinner. He'd never forget the look in her eyes when he'd delivered that remark. She looked as if he'd placed daggers in her chest. He'd always regretted saying that although he thought he'd made a nice save by indirectly telling her that she was the only one who possessed the qualities he was looking for in a companion. Her response had been a brief remark, an intense stare and a frantic clutching of her serviette. God he'd felt like kissing her then, but they were in a restaurant and he couldn't change who he was and how he acted. Ever since he'd regretted not at least saying something nice or taking her hand. Back then he'd thought he would get another chance within days, but fate had it so planned out that their days working together in London were already drawing to a close. If only he had known…

He didn't sleep much after all the excitement of booking a ticket and thinking about Ruth, and what he might experience in Paris. His mind was in utter turmoil.