Cross My Heart [2]

14.) Surprises

"This isn't Miami." I gasped, staring wide-eyed at the structure standing tall in the distance. It was night time, but I could still see the tall, familiar building standing tall, lit up in the night sky. I'd never actually seen it in person, only in movies and pictures, but you don't need to see it in person to know exactly what I was looking at.

"No, it's not Miami." Kale agreed, keeping his hand wrapped around my waist from when I was exhausted just moments ago, but not anymore. I was wide awake.

"You lied." I whispered, still in shock as I stared at the tall, famous structure in front of me.

"I lied." Kale repeated. "I wanted you to sit with me, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"And that's..." I trailed off, not able to finish my sentence.

"The Eiffel Tower." He finished for me. "Yeah, it is."

"But that means-"

"That we're in Paris." He whispered. "Come on, our car's waiting for us." With his arm still around my waist, he led me over to where there was indeed a car waiting for us with a driver standing by the door, but none of this was settling in to me. We couldn't be in Paris, Kale wouldn't do that just to get me back. We could be in a different Paris. Paris, Texas or Paris, Georgia, but we definitely were not in Paris, France.

"Bonjour, monsieur. Puis-je prendre vos bagages?" The driver asked Kale. Okay, that settles it. We're in France. I'm in France. France as in Europe. Europe as in not in America.

Kale smiled at the man and said something to him in French that I couldn't understand.

"What'd you just say?" I whispered to Kale as the driver man took Kale s bag and then mine and placed it in the trunk.

"He asked if he could take our bags and I told him yes and I also told him the name of the hotel we're staying at."

"Hotel?" I squeaked.

He chuckled and kissed my forehead lightly as we slid into the small town car and started driving away from the small French airport. "It's ten at night now, we're just going to go to the hotel and sleep and tomorrow, we'll start everything."

"Everything?" I squeaked in shock. How- why did he do this for me? I'm really not that great. I'm stubborn, emotional, dramatic, and annoying. Why would he want to bring me, out of everyone, to Paris? It just doesn't make any sense.

"Should I just repeat everything that I say?" Kale asked with a teasing smile.

"Well, I- Um, this- this is insane." I finally muttered a complete-ish thought, looking out the window to see a lit up city of lights and buildings.

"This is worth it." He told me sincerely. "I told you I would bring you here, so you can't say I didn't warn you."

"You never ¦ I trailed off, trying to remember him saying something about France and then it hit me. On our first date, he said he d bring me to Paris. "I didn t think you meant it. I mumbled.

"Well, I did. He chirped softly.

"Is this your first time in Paris? The driver asked, speaking English but with a thick French accent.

"It s her first time. Kale told him.

I crinkled my face in confusion. "You ve been here before?

He nodded. "Once when I was ten, Ryder was filming and I got to come along.

For the rest of the ride to the hotel, the whole idea of being in Paris was sinking in as the driver conversed with Kale. The adrenaline rush of Paris was washing away and I was becoming tired again when the driver stopped us in front of a large, tall building.