Celeste's eyes fluttered open and she found herself gazing at the Eiffel Tower through the large window just beside her and her face broke into a grin, sitting up. Her eyes fell to the other side of the bed where Lysander was sound asleep and her grin didn't falter, climbing out of bed carefully so as not to wake him. She had on a t-shirt and some short shorts but didn't feel much like changing out of them just yet as she snatched up her sketch book and a pencil. It was incredibly hot sharing a bed with someone and it was very unanticipated; that's why she tended to keep the clothing to a minimum when she slept and cranked up the air condition.

Celeste turned down the AC before taking her pencil and sketch pad to the desk and gazed at the blank paper intently. The sun was just rising and she didn't expect Lysander to wake for another few hours so she had time for herself. She took a deep breath before beginning to draw, her hand making easy marks on the paper and with precision, she was done not long after beginning. She had to stifle a groan she felt coming up in her throat at the sight of it. "Why can't I get it right?" she sighed to herself, burying her face into her arms.

It had only been a few weeks since graduation but as soon as Lysander and Celeste had finished saying their goodbyes and packing their things, they were off. Celeste hadn't notified her parents but it didn't matter; they wouldn't notice her disappearance. They were off having their own fun anyway. She jumped to her feet and tore out the drawing, tossing it in the garbage before taking a quick shower and then ordering room service. While awaiting the food, she peered into the bedroom to see Lysander still asleep and crept over, opening one of her suitcases as quietly as she could and planning an outfit for the day. By the time she finished, there was a knock on the door and she skipped over to get the food, tipping the person who brought it before eating only half of it, leaving the rest for Lysander. She then returned to her sketch pad and decided to draw Maya and Castiel.

Drawing them came so much easier for some reason; no, it wasn't that, it was just that drawing Lysander was difficult. He still had no idea that she was struggling to draw him and she didn't intend to tell him. Just imagining showing him her drawings of him embarrassed her; not because they were of him but because he'd only seen good drawings which were every drawing, whether it was casual or not, that wasn't him. It came out perfectly and she added color, smiling at her own creation and she hadn't realized how much time had passed until she heard Lysander climbing out of bed in the other room. She listened to his footsteps approach until his hands touched her shoulders and his lips met her cheek.

"Good morning," she cheerfully greeted him, watching as he sat down to eat, "Sorry if the food's cold, I got hungry a while ago."

"Morning," he responded between bites, "How long have you been up?"

She shrugged. "Since sunrise. I have to watch the sun come up."

"I don't know how you do it," he sighed.

Celeste grinned. "Maybe it's weird, but hey, it gives us both some alone time."

Lysander didn't complain as he continued eating, Celeste finishing up the drawing before signing her name and gazing at it with a sigh. "Homesick already?" Lysander teased and Celeste smiled.

"I wouldn't say I'm homesick, I just think it'd be nice to travel and still see them. I wonder how Maya's doing. Last I saw her, she was all knocked up and single." Celeste cocked her head to one side, touching her chin. "When she has the baby, we'll go back and see her. She's still young and doesn't have a mom to help her and give her advice, you know?"

Lysander gave her a smile. "So you're going to pretend to be her mother?"

Celeste giggled. "Hey, Castiel's pretending to be her boyfriend so I might as well." She set down her pencil and sat beside him, gazing up at him with a smile. "So today we should go see the Arc de Triomphe and then do some more shopping."

"That sounds like a plan," he answered, "You should get dressed."

Celeste nodded, getting to her feet and dialing Maya's cell phone number. At the sound of her voice, Celeste grinned. "Hey, Maya!"

"Celeste," Maya gushed, "I haven't heard from you since you stole Lysander and disappeared! How are you, girl?"

Celeste continued smiling, getting ready to go and talking at the same time. "I'm great, everything's great. You know you're living the life when you wake up in the morning and the first thing you see is the Eiffel Tower with a handsome boy sleeping next to you. What about you, Maya? Are you doing okay?"

Maya groaned. "You know, I'm about five months into my pregnancy and all I know is that I can't stop eating and I've gained seven pounds in the last two weeks. My feet are killing me."

Celeste giggled. "That's what you get for not using protection. Has Nathaniel won you over yet?"

Maya deeply sighed. "No, not yet. He won't leave me alone though. Thank goodness for Castiel's help in all this."

Celeste nodded. "Thank him for me, will you? I promise I'll come visit you when you have the baby so I can help you out some."

"Thanks a lot, Celeste," Maya gratefully answered, "I would really appreciate that. This whole situation is still so surreal. All I do is work and sleep lately. I guess I shouldn't complain; Castiel has it tougher."

Celeste smiled. "He's trying awfully hard for a baby that's not even his; for a girl that's not even his."

"We're close friends, Celeste," Maya muttered as if people made accusations all the time, "He's not just going to leave me hanging. You wouldn't either and you know it."

Celeste chuckled. "I guess you're right. Castiel's help is a blessing."

Maya giggled. "That's an understatement. Anyway, tell me everything! What have you done since you got to Paris? Is Lysander being a good boyfriend or do I have to find you guys and teach him a lesson?"

Celeste laughed. "Don't worry about Lysander, he's a great boyfriend. I've been with a handful of boys since I started high school and let me tell you, not a single one of them was this great. I feel like they all didn't work out just so I could meet Lysander. In all honesty, I don't think I'd rather be with anyone else."

"Besides me, anyway," Maya giggled, "I'm happy that you guys are happy. Okay, Celeste, I'll have to let you go. I have to get to work now."

"Okay, talk to you later."

"Bye!"

Celeste hung up the phone, smiling at her reflection in the mirror; she was dressed just in time to finish talking to Maya. Lysander entered, going into his bags for clothes. "Lysander, I almost forgot to tell you," she turned to face him, "Miss Cunningham emailed me. She said she knows someone who lives out here who owns a gallery and she talked to him and set up a meeting for tonight."

He sighed, shaking his head as he got dressed. "This again?"

Celeste grinned at him. "Yes, this again. It will work this time because I won't be juggling it with school or anything else. And you were the one who said this could be my source of income. Besides, we're living together; you would notice if I didn't eat and, knowing you, you'd probably shove something down my throat to keep me fed." Her smile became sincere. "And anyway, I can't see myself getting to where I was last time. I'm very happy these days."

Lysander returned her smile although she could still see the uneasiness in his eyes. "If you say so..."

She continued to smile, approaching him and holding his face in the palms of her hands. "I do say so. You have to trust me."

Celeste spent a significant amount of time drawing the Arc de Triomphe from every angle she could find before she and Lysander spent the rest of the day shopping. They dropped off their bags at the hotel and made it at the restaurant just in time to meet the man. He was the first Celeste noticed upon entering, with his incredibly curly black hair and his loud outfit, seated at a booth, chatting away with a couple of pretty girls. She felt unsure at first, approaching slowly but she was sure it was him when his gaze met hers and he jumped to his feet, rushing over to her. His name was Ethan.

"You are Celeste, correct?" he spoke English with ease but his French accent was quite heavy. Celeste nodded and he took her hand, giving her a very formal kiss on it. "My dear Amanda gave me a description of you but neglected to tell me that you are a goddess." Lysander was quick to squeeze Celeste's shoulder, clearing his throat and Celeste couldn't help but laugh at his obvious jealousy. Ethan lifted his gaze to Lysander before standing up straight. "You must be the boyfriend. I am Ethan, and you are?"

"Lysander," he answered, giving him a firm gaze.

Ethan grinned, leading them over to his booth. "Have a seat, you two." Lysander got into the booth first, letting Celeste sit across from Ethan. "Amanda sent me photos of your paintings." He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. "You didn't happen to bring any of them with you, did you?"

Celeste shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I didn't. Next time we meet, I can show you some."

Ethan nodded. "That works as well. I was very impressed by what Amanda showed me and I should tell you that I only talk to artists of the best caliber. They normally aren't so young. How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Celeste answered, "I just recently graduated."

Ethan's brow rose. "You're much younger than I thought! I hope it's not too overwhelming for you. Amanda tells me you have opened at a gallery before."

Celeste nodded. "I have. I have plenty of free time these days so I'm not worried."

"That's very impressive," he complimented, "I don't know many artists with your talent who are so young. You could easily make a very big name for yourself."

Celeste smiled. "Thank you. I think so too."

Ethan nodded. "You're very pretty as well; I can understand why your boyfriend has been glaring at me this entire time."

Celeste giggled, glancing at Lysander. "He's just a little overprotective. He didn't want me to come and meet you tonight."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Celeste shrugged. "He thinks I can't handle it."

Ethan shook his head, lifting his gaze at Lysander. "No, don't think like that. I hardly know the girl but she seems ready to take on the world. You have to believe in her."

Celeste nodded, meeting Lysander's gaze. "Yeah, Lysander, You have to believe in me."

Lysander just sighed without a word, looking away.

Lysander was quiet throughout the dinner, leaving Celeste and Ethan to chat away for the night until it became late and she said goodbye. He was quiet through the drive home until they arrived at their hotel room.

"I don't like that guy," he told her once they arrived, "I don't think you should do this."

Celeste sighed loudly. "Lysander, I told you I can handle it. You just don't like him because he called me pretty." She turned to face him, taking his hands. "Listen to me. I have all the free time in the world and I'm perfectly relaxed and I have the best, most supportive boyfriend on this earth and I have no doubt in my mind that this will go well. You'll see; whenever that gallery opening is, I'll rock it and then we'll come home with a big check and you'll tell me how proud you are." She grinned at him.

He took a deep breath before nodding. "Okay, I trust you." He gave her a peck on the lips before returning her smile and she turned, leading the way into the bedroom where they both changed into pajamas. Celeste plopped into the bed, lying down facing the ceiling with her hands on either side of her head, the exhaustion of the day coming over her. Lysander climbed on to the bed right beside her, entwining both of his hands with hers and giving her another kiss before tucking his head over her shoulder, his lips just barely brushing against her neck. "The only reason I'm complaining is because I just don't want to see you go through that again. I do trust and support you; I just don't want you to get too overwhelmed by all of this. I won't argue with you over it anymore but if something happens to you, I will do everything I can to keep you from pursuing that gallery opening. Knowing you, you could be on your death bed but you'd still be asking for your easel."

Celeste smiled, squeezing his hands in hers. "Nothing will happen to me. This time's different." She took a deep slow breath, closing her eyes. "I love you."

He propped himself up on to his elbows so that he could gaze at her and he smiled, kissing her again but more slowly this time and when their lips parted, he stayed there with his eyes closed. "I love you."

She smiled at him once he opened his eyes. "Are you going to stay up late?" When he nodded, she wrapped her arms firmly around his neck, forcing him to turn on to his back and she sat on his stomach, giving him a grin. She reached over and withdrew her sketchbook and a pencil.

Watching her as she flipped to a blank page, he chuckled. "You know, I'm a really lucky guy."

Celeste puffed out her cheeks, grasping his jaw and adjusting the position of his face. "Stay still," she demanded, "I have trouble drawing you as it is. I can't have you moving around so much."

Drawing him while he modeled for her this way was much easier to do than drawing him off the top of her head. The drawing came out beautifully and with as much ease as she normally had drawing Maya or Castiel or anyone else on the planet.

"So," Celeste began, continuing to draw him, "I was thinking for my theme I'd do something angelic. Lately I've been thinking about angels a lot." She paused, tapping her chin with her pencil. "I always imagined that if angels exist, they'd have a whole kingdom where ranks increase with power. I also imagine they have all kinds of different wings and feathers. Some wings small, some large, some white, some pink, some black, some brown. Even the feathers could be big and fluffy or short and sharp. The angels would all be very beautiful." She finished the drawing, leaving it as a sketch because she could feel the exhaustion creeping up on her. She set the sketchbook and pencil back on the nightstand, resting her head on his chest. "I think people are so beautiful. There's such a variety of them, you know? Everyone is so unique. So many different hair colors and eye colors and skin colors. So many kinds of markings like freckles and beauty marks and even moles. There are even so many combinations of size and shape for every facial feature. People are just so beautiful to me." She hugged him tightly, closing her eyes. "The universe decided to put all the best features into one person to create the most beautiful person in the world; the only person on this planet who gives me so much inspiration every time I see him." She yawned. "That person just so happens to be in my arms right now."

And so she drifted off into a slumber.