The early morning sun streamed through the windows of Emily Cooper's chic Parisian apartment, casting a warm glow on the cozy space. She was perched at her kitchen counter, scrolling through her phone, lost in thought. She had woken up feeling restless, like something was hanging in the air. Maybe it was the fact that she had to give an important presentation at Savoir today. Or maybe, just maybe, it was him—Gabriel.

Ever since their whirlwind of confusing feelings and moments shared between flirty smiles and lingering glances, things had been complicated. He was her downstairs neighbor, a talented chef, and technically her friend. But, of course, he was also Camille's ex. Camille, her supposed friend, who she still hadn't figured things out with after everything went sideways between them.

Emily sighed, shaking her head. Her life had turned into a maze of romantic entanglements that she hadn't exactly signed up for when she moved to Paris. She couldn't help but think of the lyrics to Taylor Swift's "Delicate" running through her mind: "This ain't for the best, my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me..."

She muttered to herself, "Why does life have to be so delicate?"

Before she could overthink it any more, her phone buzzed. A text from Mindy popped up on her screen.

Mindy: "Morning, girl! Coffee at Café de Flore? I have so much to tell you! And you look like you need a break from the crazy love web you're stuck in "

Emily laughed at her friend's perfect timing. If there was anyone who could snap her out of her spiraling thoughts, it was Mindy. She quickly texted back:

Emily: "On my way! I'll take any excuse to escape my brain right now "


Later that morning, Emily and Mindy were seated at a corner table at Café de Flore, sipping their cappuccinos as the bustling Parisian streets unfolded around them. Mindy had been in the middle of telling a particularly dramatic story about her latest singing gig when she noticed Emily's absent expression.

"Earth to Emily," Mindy teased, waving a hand in front of her face. "You're doing that thing again."

Emily blinked, realizing she had zoned out. "What thing?"

"That thing where you get lost in your own thoughts because of a guy," Mindy replied with a knowing smirk. "Let me guess. Gabriel?"

Emily groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "Is it that obvious?"

Mindy laughed. "Honey, everything about you is obvious. You're like an open book, but in French. You're all emotions and confusion wrapped up in a chic outfit."

Emily sighed, lifting her head. "It's just… things with Gabriel are so complicated. We've been dancing around each other for months now, and I don't even know what we are anymore. I mean, Camille and I are supposed to be friends, and then there's Alfie, who's amazing, and I just—"

Mindy raised a hand, cutting her off. "Okay, let's break this down. One: You and Camille are in some weird frenemy limbo, but let's be real, she hasn't exactly been innocent in all this. Two: Alfie is great, but is he Gabriel great?"

Emily hesitated. "I don't know. Alfie is fun, charming, and we have a great time together. But Gabriel…" She trailed off, feeling the weight of her own feelings press down on her. "With Gabriel, it's different. It's intense, but in a good way. Except, I'm terrified it'll all fall apart if we take things further."

Mindy raised an eyebrow. "You can't live in fear of things going wrong. Look, relationships are delicate, yeah, but you've got to decide what you want and go for it. Otherwise, you're just going to be stuck in this loop of 'what ifs.'"

Emily nodded slowly, her heart racing at the thought. What did she want? And more importantly, was she brave enough to go after it?


That afternoon, Emily found herself back at Savoir, prepping for a meeting with Sylvie. But as she stood in the hallway outside the conference room, her mind was elsewhere. She stared at her reflection in the glass doors, adjusting her blazer absentmindedly. "My reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me…" The lyrics echoed in her mind again. What if Gabriel really did like her for who she was, complications and all? Was that enough?

Before she could get too deep into her thoughts, a familiar voice cut through the quiet hallway.

"Emily."

She turned quickly to find Gabriel standing there, his hands casually in his pockets, that signature half-smile on his face. "I thought I'd find you here," he said softly.

Her heart did a little flip, and she tried to play it cool. "Hey, Gabriel. What's up?"

He took a few steps closer, his expression more serious now. "I've been thinking. About us. About everything. And I know things have been… well, complicated doesn't even begin to cover it, but I can't keep pretending like we don't have something real here."

Emily's breath hitched slightly. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this conversation, but here it was, staring her in the face. She forced herself to speak, her voice steadier than she expected. "I've been thinking about it too. But we've already caused enough drama. What if we just make everything worse?"

Gabriel shook his head. "I don't care about that anymore. I care about you, Emily. And I'm tired of pretending like that's not true."

Emily's heart was pounding now, her mind racing. This was everything she had wanted to hear, but it scared her. "Is it cool that I said all that?" she wondered, the song lyrics still swirling in her thoughts. She could feel her nerves bubbling up, her usual confidence wavering.

"I care about you too, Gabriel," she admitted, her voice soft. "But things with Camille—"

"Are over," Gabriel cut her off gently. "We've both moved on. She knows that. She's with someone else now. I'm not saying it's easy, but I'm done tiptoeing around everyone's feelings. What about yours?"

Emily bit her lip, feeling the weight of his words. He was right. She had been so worried about everyone else's feelings—about Camille, about Alfie, about what the world would think of her—that she hadn't stopped to really think about what she wanted. And what she wanted was standing right in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer to him, her eyes locked on his. "I want you, Gabriel. But I'm scared that if we start this, it'll fall apart, and I'll lose you completely."

Gabriel smiled, a warmth in his eyes that made her feel like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. "It's delicate, I know. But sometimes the best things are."


Later that evening, Emily found herself walking along the Seine, hand-in-hand with Gabriel, the city glowing around them. The air was cool, but her heart was warm, a feeling of calm settling in that she hadn't felt in a long time. Gabriel squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him, smiling softly.

"So, where do we go from here?" she asked, her voice light but filled with curiosity.

Gabriel shrugged playfully. "I don't know. Dinner? A movie? Maybe we try being normal for once."

Emily laughed, the sound carrying in the crisp evening air. "Normal? In Paris? With us? That's impossible."

Gabriel grinned, leaning in to kiss her softly on the forehead. "Then we'll make our own kind of normal."


The next morning, Emily sat on the balcony of her apartment, sipping her coffee as the city of Paris woke up around her. She thought about the whirlwind of events that had brought her here—moving to Paris, navigating a foreign city, falling in love in the most unexpected way. Everything had felt fragile, delicate, like it could all shatter at any moment. But for the first time in a long time, she felt steady, grounded.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Mindy.

Mindy: "Soooo… what happened with Gabriel last night? I want all the details. Spill!"

Emily smiled, typing back quickly.

Emily: "It's delicate, but we're figuring it out "

As she sent the message, she felt the weight of her worries begin to lift. Things weren't perfect, and they were far from simple, but for now, that was okay. Paris was a city of endless possibilities, and for the first time, Emily was ready to embrace all of them—delicate or not.