The soft glow of midday seeps through the curtains, casting a gentle warmth on Thalias room. Her eyes flutter open, adjusting to the daylight filtering in.

With a sigh, she rolls onto her back and stares at the ceiling.

The clock reads 2pm, and the memories of the night before replay in her mind like scenes from her favourite film.

The beach, the stars, the way Finns smile lit up the darkness, the flicker of his eyes with each drag of a cigarette, the rhythmic dance of the breeze through his hair.

A subtle smile graces her lips as she recalls how he attentively listened to every word during her rant.

The way his gazed was fixed on her, it was almost as if she outshone the stars themselves.

Finn is leaving within a week - the realization weighs heavy on her chest.

In the back of her mind, she's been aware of this impending departure, but the reality of her feelings hit her like a truck.

Her fingers trace invisible patterns on the sheets as she sifts through her mind.

Their relationship thrives on a silent understanding, a connection unspoken yet deeply felt. In each-others presence, they find solace, evoking a sense of security akin to home.

Yet, the dynamics are shifting, evolving into something she wishes it wasn't.

At least, not at this moment.

The room remains still as her mind races. She rehearses mental notes, convincing herself to quell these feelings, to protect what they have. "He's leaving soon" she repeats to herself, both a reminder and a warning.

Thalia despises that she can't deny the warmth that fills her when he's around, the comfort of his laughter, the familiarity of his presence.

Or the way her heart manages to skip a beat every time he places a hand on her leg, completely unaware that such an innocent act is driving her insane.

With a heavy sigh, she pushes herself out of bed, determined to face the day.

The sunlight streaming into the room serves as a stark reminder - a spotlight on the emotions she can no longer ignore.

Juniper

Help me.

what happened

I don't know.
Can you come over?

huh
ok
omw

Thalia inspects the note stuck to the fridge with a heavy weight settling on her chest.

The message, "on a date!" is accompanied by a poorly drawn stickman wearing sunglasses and dabbing.

Initially smiling at the note, the further she dwells on it, the heavier her chest feels.

The idea of him being on a date with someone seems to tug at her heart, a selfish, irrational feeling that she can't shake off.

Crossing her arms, Thalia chews on her lower lip while fixated on the note.

Despite her attempts to distract herself, she finds it impossible to tear herself away. Everything else around her becomes background, drowned out by her thoughts.

That is, until, a loud scream emerges right beside her ear.

"What the fuck?" She jumps at the sound, sighing in both relief and annoyance when a familiar laugh reaches her temporarily damaged eardrums.

"Sorry." Juniper says between chuckles, patting the girl on her shoulder.

She slaps their hand away prior to leaning back on the counter. "I was already having a shitty day, thanks a lot."

"Oh yeah, what did you need help with?"

With a prolonged groan, Thalia drops her head backwards. Juniper raises their eyebrows, chuckling under their breath. "It's a good thing that I can stay a while."

"Maybe you don't actually have romantic feelings for him" Juniper shrugs, "maybe this is just your mind fooling you the way it did with that other guy."

The duo is sat on the cold marble tiles of Thalias walk-in closet, reclined back with two cups of instant ramen.

"What other guy?" Thalia furrows her brows, twirling the noodles around her fork.

"Gabriel. Or wait- was it Alex?" They tilt their head to the side in question, receiving a shrug of her shoulders from Thalia.

"How should I know?"

"You don't know which guy you didn't actually like?"

"I didn't like either of them."

Juniper nods. "Fair enough. Anyway, my point is you might just be confused again. Seeing your childhood best friend after so long should be pretty damn overwhelming, and your brain is probably just playing tricks on you."

She hums, processing their words.

"But it's like... anytime I'm in a room with him I become so overly aware of his presence. It was never like this before." She begins.

"Of-course, I can still be myself around him but sometimes I just get so conscious of our being. It's like... we're both here right now in the same room, which baffles me."

Juniper points at her with their fork. "Exactly. That's you not being used to having him around in so long."

"That would make sense, but..." she sighs, placing her fork inside the almost empty container.

"How would you explain how he throws me off balance by just getting closer? Or the magnetic pull that's been drawing my attention to every meaningless little thing he says or does? Or how I never wanna be anywhere if he's not there? Or, how lately, my hearts been running marathons every damn day because of him?"

Juniper remains silent for a period of time before clearing their throat.

"If you really think you have feelings for him, what do you wanna do about it?"

"There's nothing to do." She shrugs. "He's on a date right now, and even if he wasn't, it's not like there would even be a chance of something happening between us."

"And why's that?"

"This is Finn we're talking about, the same Finn that was my first chance at friendship. If this was a fairytale, maybe, but in reality, he's leaving in a week and when he does, we'll just go back to strangers who used to be friends when we were little."

The room succumbs to a silence, coating the aftermath of Thalias words.

She finally confronts the harsh reality that she's been trying to avoid.

Although their reunion in Paris felt like a scene straight out of a romcom, it's still the real world. Once Finn goes back to Canada and Thalia finds her home all to herself again, things will return to the way they were before they had ever ran into each other.

Perhaps they'll reach out every now and then, but every now and then is a vague and uncertain range.

"Reality sucks." Juniper quietly remarks, bringing a subtle smile to Thalias lips.

"Yeah."

She stretches her arms before swiftly getting up. "Oh well, what can you do?"

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Finn strolls along the shoreline, the crunch of sand beneath his shoes drowned out by the melody of the waves. Camille walks beside him, her soft laughter blending in with the gentle ocean breeze.

Although he feels a twinge of guilt for bringing his date to a place so recently shared with someone else, he pushes the feeling aside, focusing on the present.

The sun casts a gleam onto the sand, creating a picturesque scene.

Finn steals a glance at Camille as she goes on about some cat she pet on the street, captivated by her easygoing demeanor.

They find a spot to sit, ironically a few inches away from where a conversation beneath the stars took place last night. He dismisses the thought once again, not wishing to spoil the mood.

"Are you okay?"

Finn glances at the girl sat beside him with a smile, nodding quickly. "Yeah! I'm more than okay."

She returns a smile, employing her hand to shield herself from the sphere of light. "This is so nice, but I really wish the sun would leave us alone."

"I mean, it's not that bad. We need a tan." He shrugs his shoulders, receiving a raised eyebrow from Camille.

"We?" She giggles, placing her hand beside Finns to compare the visibly contrasting tones. Suavely, she laces their fingers together.

Finn smiles at the gesture, lightly rubbing his thumb over her skin.

Even while in water, Finn catches himself stealing glances at the horizon, the memory of Thalias face as she admired the stars echoing in his mind.

He feels a splash of water hit him, bringing him out of his thoughts. With a chuckle, he splashes Camille back.

The guilt lingers, but Finn chooses to immerse himself in the current moment.

It's not like this is some sacred sanctuary of theirs, Thalia has probably brought others here before as well.

This isn't theirs to withhold.

"Had fun on your date?"

Upon entering, Finn spots Thalia stood in the kitchen, his eyes drifting from her to a passed out Juniper on the couch.

"Yeah, actually. It was amazing." He grins, strolling over to stand facing her.

Thalia hums, sipping a cup of warm tea cautiously. She almost chokes on it when Finn leans in closer, reaching for the paper towels behind her on the counter.

Smelling the familiar scent of his cologne, she finds herself feeling dizzier by the second.

She clears her throat upon realising how long she's been silent. "So, details?"

"On what?"

"Your date, duh." She rolls her eyes.

Though Thalia wants to genuinely be happy for Finn, a strong sense of unease lingers behind the curtains.

"Oh!" Finn nods. "Well, we went to... a park, it was really nice."

"Did you kiss?"

Finn blinks at her straightforward inquiry, chuckling under his breath. "We uh... we did."

A pang of discomfort grips her at his words. Yet, she hides it well, presenting a smile.

"That's great, so you're in." She winks, poking his chest as he snickers.

Thalia strolls towards the familiarity of the cafe, choosing to rely on the bitterness of her favourite drink to uplift her mood.

The inside is surprisingly vacant, having an absence of the usual murmur of crowds.

Her eyes trace the singular other customer who's seated in the far corner before she takes a seat at the front.

"Bonjour, Thalia!"

The upbeat and cheerful tone instantly draws her attention.

She turns her head to find Pierre, almost unrecognisable due to his lack of uniform.

"I was just closing up my shift." He scratches the back of his head. "I can quickly make you coffee before I leave, I'm sure my boss won't mind."

"That would be great, thanks." She nods.

While he rushes back behind the bar, Thalia rests her cheek against her palm, propping her elbow up on the counter. Her other hand taps out rhythmic patterns on the surface as she gazes into the distance.

"Is something bothering you?"

She halts her movements as he speaks, feigning a smile with a murmured "no."

She speaks again, her gaze absently fixed on a wall. "Pierre, have you ever been in love?"

Pierre doesn't seem at all surprised by the question, acting as if it's everyday he gets asked something as such by a customer.

"Love? It's like baking cookies without a recipe. I may not have the perfect one yet, but I'm having fun experimenting."

She scoffs at his response, her lips almost curling into a smile. "Well, that's one way to put it."

"Why? Are you in love with someone?" He raises his eyebrows inquiringly.

Her expression returns to its usual scowl as she deadpans, "your job is to make me coffee, so do that."

He throws up his hands in defence. "My apologies."

"About time." She rolls her eyes as he hands her the espresso.

His lips curl into a thin line before he reaches for his coat. "I'll see you soon, Thalia."

She chews on her lower lip for a moment, thinking over her next words. "Could you actually stay for a bit, if you don't mind? I'd really like to talk with someone right now."

He smiles widely, the view almost as bright as his emerald eyes. "Sure!"

He pulls out the stool beside her and takes a seat. "Woah! It's so weird being on this side."

A chuckle slips past her lips at his enthusiasm. Glancing down at the floor, she finds herself at a loss for words.

She only asked Pierre to stay as she's desperately seeking conversation to distract herself from her feelings.

"So..." She sighs.

"So..." He follows, "what's your life story?"

She scoffs. "Oh, riveting stuff, I assure you. Born, grew taller, got dragged into France. Now I'm stuck here drinking overpriced coffee."

"Hey, it could be worse! You could be drinking cheap coffee." He shrugs.

Thalia cracks a tiny smile. "You do have a point there. So, what's your deal? Why are you so... chipper all the time?"

"I think life is a lot more bearable if you smile your way through it. Plus, I've got dreams, you know? One day, I'll open my own cafe with the most incredible pastries and coffee in Paris."

She raises an eyebrow. "Your dream is to own a cafe? Well... whatever, if you make it big, I better get free coffee for life."

"Deal! Now, what's your dream? Besides drinking overpriced coffee."

Unexpectedly and unexplainably, Thalia loses sense of time while immersed in conversation with Pierre.

She finds herself drawn to his lively manner of talking and gesticulating, his bouncy blond curls, and his infectious laughter.

"Pierre?"

The voice interrupts their conversation, prompting both of them to spin their heads and spot a perplexed manager.

"Votre service s'est terminé il y a presque une heure. Pourquoi es-tu toujours là?"
"Your shift ended almost an hour ago. Why are you still here?"

Pierre exchanges stunned looks with Thalia, neither of them realising it's been that long.

"Désolé, j'ai perdu la notion du temps. Je vais partir maintenant."
"Sorry, I lost track of time. I'll be leaving now."

He stands up, grabbing his coat and meeting Thalias eyes with a grin. "Would you like to join me? We can go watch the sunset."

Surprisingly, she finds herself nodding. "Sure, why not?"

The sun dips low on the horizon, casting warm hues across the streets as Thalia and Pierre stroll side by side. His infectious laughter echoes through the alleys.

His genuine excitement about the little things in life seems to rub off on her, softening the edges of her scowl.

As they reach a small square, a flock of pigeons scatter at the sound of their footsteps. Pierres eyes light up, a heavy contrast with the look of disgust painted on Thalias face.

"I love animals." He grins.

She scoffs. "Of-course you do. Cats and dogs are cute, but that's where I draw the line."

They decide to take a break on a nearby bench, surrounded by the gentle cooing of pigeons eager for a snack.

Pierre reaches into his bag, bringing out a small amount of breadcrumbs.

She can't help but chuckle. "You carry around a packet of bread in your bag, that's... why am I not surprised?"

As he tosses handfuls to the feathered spectators, Thalia keeps her attention on him. She counts the freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks, noticing the pair of dimples that appear when an infectious smile graces his lips.

"You know," she begins with a smirk, "you're surprisingly not as annoying to hang out with as I thought you'd be."

Caught off guard, Pierre fumbles with the breadcrumbs in his hands, thinking over his response. "Thanks... you're not annoying at all."

Thalia stifles a laugh, leaning in closer toward him. "High praise coming from Mr. Sunshine himself."

He chuckles nervously, ruffling his already tousled hair. "Yeah, you're like a... a rare book. Intriguing, really mysterious, and, uh, you make my heart flutter... like a pigeon, or something."

She can't help but burst into laughter at his attempt. "Wow, that's real smooth."

He scratches the back of his head. "My apologies, you caught me off guard with your... flirting? Is that what we're doing now?"

She furrows her eyebrows, feigning innocence. "Who, me? Flirting? I have no idea what you're talking about."

He chuckles, regaining his composure. "Right..."

"You know" he begins, "I've seen you around the Louvre so many times. You have this way of standing out in a crowd."

An uncontainable smile tugs at her lips. "Is that so?"

He blushes slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I always noticed you. Even when you came in with Juniper, you were the one who caught my eye."

"I was so over the moon when you remembered my name that day, I didn't think you even knew I existed." He chuckles.

She drops her gaze downwards, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Pierre, I have to admit something. I never really noticed you that much, and I definitely didn't know your name. It was on your name tag."

His eyes widen before he emerges into laughter. "Wait, seriously?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble."

She smiles, relieved that he found it amusing rather than anything else.

As the sun completes its descent, Thalia figures it's time to head back home.

"Well, it's getting late." She sighs.

Pierre catches on and nods, rising from the bench along with her.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Nah, I don't wanna take up any more of your time." She smiles, leaving a quick kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Pierre."

Turning away, Thalia strolls off with a subtle smile. Perhaps this can lead to something worthy of her time.

She can't afford to sit around and wait for something miraculous to happen with Finn, especially considering he's currently involved with someone else.

Even if what he has with Camille is simply a vacation fling, it still means something.

AUTHORS NOTE

Thoughts on Pierre?