CHAPTER 12
Travis
The next few days, I decided to keep my distance from Scarlett, for two reasons. Firstly, I was making sure she didn’t distract me from my job; we were now in a place where serious danger could present itself at any moment, and I wanted to stay sharp. Secondly, I needed time to try and make sense of the feelings that had suddenly risen within me. I felt that she was special, and I’d fallen for her much quicker than I’d imagined possible. Even with my hard demeanor and my brutal past, I found myself afraid that I would get hurt, which made me push her away even more. But a nagging thought in the back of my mind kept telling me that I needed to make a decision because there wouldn’t be any second chances with this girl.
Scarlett spent the next five days with her two friends, shopping and spending far too much money on shit they didn’t really need. They’d spent the nights partying at expensive nightclubs, extravagant pool parties, big mansions, and even once on a luxury yacht moored on the river.
I’d stayed with them throughout but kept my distance. Partying wasn’t my thing, a realization I’d come to nearly fifteen years ago. I just wasn’t fond of going somewhere with music so loud that I couldn’t hear myself think, let along what anyone else tried to say to me. And it was pointless trying to talk to women under those circumstances.
Plus, how was a man supposed to enjoy his drink under such conditions?
Needless to say, instead of joining the girls in their partying, I became a silent, protective figure. Scarlett was the only one of the trio who even noticed me, giving me occasional smiles and waves. She would even come over to speak to me sometimes when her friends were goading drunken rich guys.
She’d confided in me that she was getting pissed off with her friends, who only wanted to look good, party, and sleep with random men. She said she’d been laughed at when she’d mentioned wanting to visit a museum, or even going out just for a fancy meal instead of getting drunk.
“Do what you want. Fuck what your friends think. You ain’t gonna be in Paris forever. Gotta make the most of it. So to hell with those airheads,” I’d said to her, gesturing to her friends who were taking selfies with some half-dressed guys eager to show off their top heavy, gym sculptured bodies. It was the most words I’d spoken to her in one go since we’d chatted on the plane. She had beamed at me in return, glowing radiantly from the small bit of attention I’d given her.
As it turned out, she took my advice and had persuaded the girls to visit a few museums during the day, and even talked them into dining at one of Paris’ most exclusive restaurants that evening.
Lonette and Raven had been making a show of being incredibly bored throughout the day as they’d traipsed behind Scarlett. While she had marveled at artwork, antiques, and various historic artifacts, they had spent most of their time plastered to their phones, flicking through pictures of their various exploits from the previous nights on Facebook and Instagram.
I watched them, feeling irritated over their seemingly pathological need to show off their exploits online, as well as the way they obsessed over taking perfect pictures rather than actually enjoying the moment. It seemed a bit soulless to me, but I'd grown up before cellphones, the internet, and even home PCs, so maybe I just didn’t get it.
At least Scarlett seemed more down to earth though, actually enjoying doing real stuff. Seeing her happy reignited the fire within me, and I was struggling to repress it for a second time.