Thank you for all the kind words for the first part. I decided to make the sneak peek an entire chapter which means that now you're getting a whole new chapter to read. Yay! Enjoy!
~ 10:44 AM ~ Avenue du Bel Air, Paris ~
"I'm telling you, Spence, the boy creeps me out! He keeps watching me 24/7." Hanna spoke into her phone as she stood with her back leaning against the door of her guest room in the apartment of the Dubois family which would be her home for the following seventeen days.
Her friend on the other end of the line removed the phone from her ear to peek at her wrist watch while trying to hold on tight to the grab pole in a car of line 3 of the Parisian Mètro. The car was loaded and she had to gather her suitcases at her feet to keep a close eye on them. Adding to her frustration was the fact that she'd had to wait all alone at the train station for half an hour only to receive a phone call from her host father, telling her that due to the traffic situation they wouldn't be able to make it there in time to pick her up. And now, her friend was calling her to complain about her nosy 'brother'. "Han, you've only been there for what… 13 minutes?"
"But he's been watching me ever since the whole family picked me up at the railroad station. I swear I craned my neck from pretending to be hard at sightseeing through my side window just to avoid his staring."
"At least your host parents picked you up from the train. I have to take the subway and switch trains! Twice!" Spencer added slightly agitated.
"Then I bet you got to see way more of Paris by now than me." She quietly opened her door and peered through the crack.
"Yeah, from down below the surface of the earth. Han, I know what they say about Paris being all romantic, blah blah. Let me tell you my first impression of Paris. Paris smells. It practically stinks. These Mètro stations… they smell like public restrooms." Spencer sighed heavily.
When the coast was clear, Hanna quickly tiptoed to the open door opposite from her room and closed it behind her, all the while listening to her friend's deliberations about traveling belowground. "Ewww, Spencer!" Hanna screwed up her face. "I'm pretty sure that as soon as you step out of the subway, Paris will be wonderful and romantic."
"I miss Toby." Spencer said into the phone with a saddened voice.
"Already? You just talked to him on the phone at the airport while I was sipping at that ridiculously expensive Latte."
"Sooo, how are the parents? Do you think you're gonna get along well?" Spencer asked, changing the subject.
"They're alright. We haven't really spoken much as we're all a bit tongue-tied, I guess. They said a whole lot of French words when we met at the station, and I must have looked a little lost or something because they stopped talking altogether and they didn't say anything again until we arrived at their place."
"And how's the neighborhood?" Spencer asked curiously. "Any nice cafés or museums close by?"
"I didn't watch out for that. All I could think of was Caleb being shipped off on a train with Mr. Gilbert all by himself. He said he'd call me as soon as he got there, but I haven't heard from him yet."
"He'll be busy meeting the family and being shown around their house. Just like you should be right now."
"Oh, we're already through with that. The place isn't that big, you know."
"Well, I don't know about mine yet. I'm almost there, though. Can I call you back later, Han? Gotta switch trains here. Again, ugh!" Spencer groaned.
"No, don't hang up yet. I need to talk to somebody I actually understand. God, why are these people all talking so fast? It's like they never breathe in between words. I can never tell where one word ends and where the next one begins." Hanna complained while checking out a Word of the Day calendar that stood on the heater.
"But that's French. How did you manage in class up until now?" Spencer tried to stifle a laugh.
"Well… Mr. Gilbert doesn't speak that fast, for one. Plus, I have you sitting right next to me." The blonde smiled into her phone, oblivious to the fact that the girl on the other end of the line rolled her eyes at her remark. But before long, the desperate undertone returned to her voice. "I don't know if I can do this, Spencer. Their main bathroom doesn't even have a lock!" Hanna exclaimed agitatedly.
"It's only for two weeks. You'll get by." Spencer didn't really see the problem. She was busy trailing her suitcases behind her in order to get to her next train. "Where are you now? Still in your room?"
"I locked myself in the guest bathroom and I think this is where I'm gonna have to go for some privacy here for the next two weeks." Hanna groaned in reaction to her plight. "Hold it, Spence. It's him again. I can hear him lurking around in the hall." Hanna instantly lowered her voice, although she wasn't even sure if her lurker was able to understand her.
"Show him your boobs, maybe that'll suffice to keep him away from you." Exasperated about having to heave her luggage onto the subway car all by herself, Spencer said the first thing that had entered her mind.
"Are you nuts? I've never shown my boobs to anyone, not even Caleb. I'm not gonna start with a thirteen-year-old perv!" Hanna tried hard to muffle her voice as she covered her mouth and phone with her hand.
Finally able to sit down and relax, Spencer felt intrigued instantly. "Wait? What? What do you mean? Not even Caleb?"
"No, we're taking things slow." She closed the toilet lid and sat down on it, relieved that she finally got to tell somebody about the progress she was making in her relationship with Caleb.
"Why? Because he hasn't made any advances? Has he finally realized that you're way out of his league?"
"Spence, don't say that. You don't even really know him all that well." Hanna said defensively. "We've only been going out for a month now… And we're doing… stuff… you know."
"Stuff… I see. Hanna, does Caleb know you're still carrying around your v-card?" Spencer asked bluntly.
"Spencer! Could you please not talk about that on the subway?" Hanna hissed into her phone.
"What? Nobody knows who I'm talking to. Plus, I don't think any of the people around me here understood a single word I've said." Spencer conspicuously eyed her fellow passengers and gave the woman sitting across from her who was staring at her intently, an apologetic smile. "Does he?"
"No, I haven't told him." Hanna said shyly.
Spencer was slightly surprised. "Why? Toby knows everything about me."
"Because we haven't gotten around to that subject yet." Hanna rolled her eyes, unnerved by having to deal with this issue right now which stirred some long forgotten bad memories.
"When are you planning to tell him?" Spencer pressed on.
"When the time is right. Not today. Not in Paris, anyway." The blonde girl perused the tiles on the wall, wishing she could be far away from this place, back at home and back in Caleb's arms. But Spencer's voice came through to her and before long, she was pulled from her daydream.
"But you'd wanna have sex with him eventually, wouldn't you? I mean don't you wonder what he looks like underneath those ragged clothes and that leather jacket that is way too large for his frame?" The brunette grinned at the woman who was still staring at her without shame.
"Well… I don't have to wonder, I've seen his… frame." Hanna coughed lightly as she tried to cover up any suspicious sounding bits of that very private conversation and went on in a whisper. "I saw him naked in our shower before we started dating."
"Whaaaat? Are you serious? Why haven't you told me?" Spencer yelled but quickly lowered her voice again when she noticed that even more people had started to look at her with a mild expression of resentment.
"Because it completely blew me away. Must have slipped my mind." Hanna remembered fairly well how that situation had come about and that she hadn't been able to think straight all day after she had seen Caleb naked in her own shower while hiding him from her mother.
"Oh my god, Hanna!" Spencer yelled excitedly.
"So, have you been thinking about seeing him naked again and… do… more… with him?"
"Yes! As a matter of fact, I have." Hanna felt her cheeks blush as she finally voiced what had been going around in her mind for a while.
"Aww, I'm so excited for you. Have you made any plans?"
"Yes. When we're back in Rosewood. My mom is going away for a weekend on some banker's banquet or something and I'm supposed to stay with my dad that night. But I'm gonna tell him that it's your birthday and that we're all gonna have a sleepover at your barn." Her mind drifted off as she was starting to paint a picture in her mind, wishing that weekend would come around sooner.
"But my birthday is in April," Spencer said, focusing on the flaws in Hanna's plan, not the overall execution thereof.
"So? My dad doesn't know and I don't think that he cares. He has more important birthdays on his mind now, like Isobel's and Kate's." She spat out the names in disgust.
"Sounds like the perfect plan."
"For the perfect night." Hanna added with a dreamy look on her face.
"Hope –A. doesn't ruin it for you." With that one sentence, Spencer had again managed to rip Hanna out of her short musings about traveling up to cloud number nine with Caleb really soon.
A dead silence ensued between the two girls as the realization sunk in that they had been able to get away from –A. for now, at least. None of them had heard anything from their stalker since their plane took off from Philadelphia.
"Han, are you still there? Sorry, I really didn't wanna spoil your plans. Han?" Spencer tried warily when the other end of the line stayed quiet.
"Yes, I'm still here. I was listening with my head against the door to find out if Thomas was still eavesdropping on me."
"So, his name's Thomas? As in… Tom?" Spencer started to chuckle. "You are aware of the fact that you actually have a Peeping Tom there living with you?"
She laughed out loud now, leaving Hanna befuddled. Again, she furrowed her brows in reaction to Spencer's lame joke. "Spencer, this isn't funny! Focus! Do you think I should get it over with while were here and sort of free from –A.?" She nervously bit her lip.
"Come on! How would you ever pull that off? By skipping school? Or meeting up in the broom closet next to the gym in between algebra and science classes?" When she didn't hear anything from Hanna, she went on to state the obvious, "Besides, you wouldn't just want to get it over with. You love this guy, don't you?"
"I… like him." Hanna looked at herself in the mirror hanging above the lavatory and lifted the collar of her shirt, checking out the faint contours of the hickey on the base of her neck that Caleb had given to her on one of their previous dates. "I like him a lot." The dreamy look on her face reappeared. That was four days ago, and she almost let him… she almost allowed him…
"Has he tried to get under your shirt? Or deeper down below?" Spencer cut in unawares of Hanna's inner turmoil.
"Well…." Just when Hanna was about to let her friend in on the new status of her sexual experience, Spencer's flustered voice interrupted her train of thought. "Malesherbes?" she looked at her palm where she had written down directions to get to her host family's house. "Oh, wait. This is my station, I have to get out here. Hang on."
Spencer left the station with her load of baggage in tow and checked her foldout map. In the meantime, Hanna held the phone jammed between her head and her shoulder while sizing herself up in the mirror, contemplating if Caleb would be able to detect that she was still a virgin. However, it wasn't long before Spencer's voice boomed through the earpiece again.
"Listen, I'm almost there, I just have to find the right house. Han? Tell me quick, has he really never tried to grope you? 'Cause he seems like a groper kinda guy to me with the way he talks and acts like the tough one."
"What? No!" Hanna retorted, appalled. "He would never do anything like that." But then she got into thinking. "Wait? Do you think that because he hasn't made any advances in that direction by now, it means that he doesn't wanna sleep with me either?" She asked with apprehension.
"Oh, he wants to! Trust me, Han. Forget what I said about Caleb, okay? I'm sure he's a good guy." Spencer was quick to assure her. "I'm not blind, he's madly in love with you. His eyes are basically undressing you every time I see the two of you together. That's why I was kind of surprised when you said that you two haven't… had sex yet." She turned at another corner and folded up her map as she had finally arrived at her destination. "Look, I've gotta hang up now. Whatever you decide and wherever you decide to do it, Han… don't forget to use protection. Okay. Bye." And at that, she ended the conversation and rang the doorbell.
"Bye." Hanna was left staring down at her phone, more confused than ever. And kind of hooked on the idea of getting together with Caleb as soon as possible. Hearing about him being seemingly madly in love with her had caused the butterflies in her belly to erupt into a tingling mass of fluttery strokes. She couldn't wait to get over her school days, hadn't really been all that into them anyway, and over the obligational class trips and family outings so she could find a way to meet up with him in private. Mr. Gilbert had promised all students would have an entire afternoon off soon where they were allowed to explore Paris all on their own.
Originally planning to go shopping with the girls and splurge at exquisite fashion boutiques, Hanna's thoughts now kept circling back to her last date with Caleb and how the hell it was possible for him to have such amazingly soft hands when the rest of his exterior seemed so raw and battered.
She was sure that he was still harboring some secrets and she hoped that he would soon feel comfortable enough to open up to her at last. He had only told her that he had been in foster care for a long time now, but so far he had always kept mum about the reasons behind that. She knew better than to push him into telling her, conceding that otherwise he'd keep his mouth shut entirely. But boy, could that mouth kiss, she thought with a giddy smile playing at her lips while she still sat on the toilet seat with her head propped up on her knees before her.
"Hanna? Où es tu? Tu vas bien?" [Hanna? Where are you? Are you okay?]
The smile vanished from her face as she realized who had called out for her and was now knocking on the door of the family's guest bathroom.
"Est-ce que ta mère te manque? Où as tu le mal du pays? Je peux nous faire un chocolat chaud." [Do you miss your mom? Are you homesick? I can make us some hot cocoa.]
Now, that was an offer that she couldn't decline. Hot cocoa to nurture the longing in her heart sounded just about right at this moment. Thomas didn't have to know who she was actually longing for.
Hanna got up and unlocked the door. Then, she quickly tore off a single piece of toilet paper before stepping back into the hallway, pretending to be dabbing at her non-existent tears.
"Alors… Caleb? C'est ton copain ou ton petit ami?" The boy asked as he turned on his heel to walk to the kitchen. [So… Caleb? Is he your friend or your boyfriend?]
She opened her mouth as if to say something but then decided to ignore his question. "You're funny," she told him and tousled the boy's hair while she followed him into the kitchen, mumbling to herself. "Seventeen days, Hanna. Seventeen days."
~ 11:05 AM ~ Boulevard Suchet, Paris ~
Caleb rang the doorbell for the second time and stepped back off of the super clean doormat gracing the entrance of his temporary home for the following two weeks. Instinctively, he checked the rubber soles of his worn-out Dr. Martens boots for their compatibility to enter a foreign family's apartment. He was biding his time with a quick glance at his phone, finding it odd that it took them so long to answer the door.
Just as his hand came up to push the button for a third time, the door swung open and a young man clad in nothing but sleep shorts opened the door, looking clearly surprised and embarrassed. "Caleb? What are you doing here today? You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow," he exclaimed in a thick French accent. "Fuck! How long did I sleep? Is it already Friday?"
Caleb looked at him with irritation. "Hi Sèb! It's so good to see you in person again." The two came together for a short but awkward man hug. "What's with the confusion? I was always supposed to come on a Thursday."
"Really? Is today the 4th? Merde, je suis désolé! My parents, though, they are not here yet."
"What do you mean, they're not here? They know that I'm coming, right?" Caleb hoisted the heavy duffel bag off of his shoulders and dropped it on the doormat.
"They're in Toulouse visiting my sister and her new bébé." Sèb told him, adding, "They are back tomorrow morning," as if that would make it seem less inappropriate that they had obviously written down the wrong date of their guest's arrival in Paris.
Caleb smirked slightly. "Can I come in anyway?"
"Oh, um, of course. Oui. Come on in." The French boy stepped back from the door to make room for Caleb and his duffel bag to pass through.
"Thanks." He stepped over the threshold and tossed his bag in an empty corner of the hallway, looking around to check out the place. "Wow, nice digs!" He said approvingly as his glance darted over the immaculately styled and meticulously clean apartment. "That's definitely something else than that bungalow in Allentown they made you crash in."
"Yes, this place is, for sure. But you should see my apartment in Toulouse, it is only half as big as our bathroom here." Sèb chuckled at the memories that Caleb's appearance had stirred, but it was only in hindsight that he was able to laugh about those days.
"Make yourself at home while I go get dressed," he said and left Caleb to himself, who kicked off his shoes in order to explore all the rooms in the apartment.
A few minutes later, Sèb reappeared from his room and joined Caleb in the living room. The young man was staring at the family pictures in nice silver frames that had been put on display on top of a classic piano.
There was even a picture of him and Sèb together that had been taken in Allentown on Sèb's 18th birthday. Caleb got lost in thoughts, reminiscing about their time together.
Before Caleb arrived in Rosewood, he had lived with a foster family in another town, yet in the same state: Allentown. The only positive memory that Caleb had kept from that part of his boyhood was his friendship to Sèbastien Thibault who had been an exchange student himself back then. Though two years his senior, Sèb and Caleb had hit it off with each other almost immediately. Both had been biding their time at the local high school, hoping that somewhere down the road, life would deal them both a new deck of cards to start over. Sèb had been a shy boy back then, misplaced in a very poor and broken host family, spending most of his time outside of their home in order to avoid trouble. At some point, he had crossed paths with Caleb who had been hanging around with a different circle of friends. Caleb realized with a shudder that if it hadn't been for Sèb, he probably wouldn't have even been around to live and see Paris right now. And he would have never met Hanna.
He thought about her again and hoped that she was feeling comfortable wherever she was right now. He hated having to pretend that they were nothing more than friends. He'd had to fight for so long until she had finally let down her guard.
For now, the only thing that kept him going was the fact that he only had to wait two more days to get close to her again. He would see her again tomorrow morning in school, for sure. But it was the prospect of hopefully spending their afternoon off two days from now alone together that kept his mind reeling. So many opportunities, so few chaperones standing on the sidelines…
"You want me to give you a hand to unpack your things?" Sèb's voice abruptly ended his musings as he reentered the room, now fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and carrying Caleb's duffel bag into the living room.
"I'll unpack later. Let's catch up first. What have you been up to since we last skyped. Must have been during the summer," Caleb turned to face him and stood awkwardly before him with his hands stuffed in his pants' pockets, still getting accustomed to the unfamiliar surroundings and seeing his friend again half a year after they'd had to part ways in Allentown.
"Yes, it's been a while. Alors… I started at University in Toulouse, it's where I live now. I'm lucky I don't have to work to pay for the place. My parents are still on a guilt trip after having dumped me in America so they could tell everyone that their son is studying a semester abroad."
"It's not like you didn't learn anything there," Caleb looked at Sèb and the two exchanged meaningful grins.
"All the wrong things, though, in their eyes. That's why they are being extra generous to me now."
"At least you're getting something out of it." Caleb turned back around to look at the picture frames again. After a moment, he picked one up and showed it to him. "Who's this?"
Sèb smiled at the image of himself holding a long-haired girl in his arms. "Oh, that's Hélène."
"Dude, you're blushing! You two going steady?" Caleb gave him an appreciative slap on his upper arm after Sèb had shrugged shyly.
"That's awesome, man!" Caleb exclaimed excitedly, showing his shared joy sincerely. "Look at us. Allentown High's lonesome wolfs… with steady girlfriends."
"But it's all still very new, with us I mean," the French boy said apologetically.
"Same with me and Hanna," Caleb concurred and finally felt himself relax after having found a common ground that was comfortable enough to keep the conversation going.
"Now get rid of the jacket and let's go sit down," Sèb demanded. "Want something to drink?"
"Sure. Coke, juice, beer… whatever you've got." Caleb pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his leather jacket and put it on the grand piano. Then he took off the jacket and laid it on the sofa behind him.
"Oh, wait. Don't put it here. My parents are going to freak out when they see fingerprints on the piano. "Sèb grabbed the phone and turned on his heel. "Let me just…"
He let his gaze wander through the room, pondering where to put the phone when suddenly, it started to beep and vibrate in his hand. The picture of a blonde girl appeared on the screen, revealing the caller's ID. "Is that your girlfriend? Hanna?" He ignored the incoming call for a second in order to look at the girl's image again before handing the phone back to Caleb. Sèb let out a whistle and nodded approvingly, making it clear that he liked what he'd seen.
Caleb grinned at him. "Yeah. That's her."
"You were right, she is pretty," his French friend grinned at him.
"Yeah," Caleb said with a righteous expression of pride on his face and quickly answered his phone at last while Sèb left him alone to go get drinks from the kitchen.
to be continued...
Thank you to Sam ( tvfanlife) for the countless dm's we've exchanged in order to get this right and for a little bit of proofing. Thanks to Marion ( FrenchBenzo) for the French lessons. :-)
Thanks to everyone who's read the first part and left a review! They are truly a blessing!
Stay tuned for chapter 3 (of presumably 9), Zip