"Do you want a cigarette?"
"Hmm?" Kayleigh hummed in reply to the familiar voice behind her as she absent-mindedly ended her call with Rosemary.
She knew the question was directed at her, but for some reason, she was finding it hard to tear her focus away from the hazel eyes looking at her from inside the restaurant.
"I said, do you want a cigarette?"
This time, the owner of the voice elbowed her not so gently to get her attention.
"What? No!" Kayleigh exclaimed turning to the man next to her. "What are you doing, Jean Luc? I didn't know you smoked!"
Jean Luc shrugged and placed a thin cigarette between his lips. "Only when I'm in Paris," he replied.
Kayleigh's frown deepened. "That is a very bad habit."
But apparently, Jean Luc didn't care. He took out a lighter from his pocket and lit up the cancer stick, inhaled, then turned to blow out the smoke away from Kayleigh's face.
"Not when I'm in Paris," he grinned, cigarette balanced between his fingers.
Kay raised her brows at him. "Oh?" she asked. "Do you know something other people don't?"
To her surprise, Jean Luc's smile widened and his eyes went back to their table. Kayleigh followed the man's gaze with a sinking feeling. The hazel eyes had turned away, but the stern jaw and the restless fingers told Kayleigh that Marcus Burrows had not forgotten about her.
"Do you really want me to answer that, Chérie?" Jean Luc questioned cheekily. Kayleigh groaned, receiving her friend's message loud and clear.
He placed the cigarette between his lips again and took hold of Kay's elbow, turning her gently away from the scene that felt like an odd version of The Last Supper.
"Is it that obvious?" she mumbled, following Jean Luc down the stone path that was lined with beautiful, pale pink rose bushes.
Jean Luc waited a beat before answering, but then he said, "Well... No one else seems to have noticed anything. So, maybe I'm just very observant or the rest of the world is extremely blind!"
Kayleigh shook her head. Deep down, she always felt Jean Luc knew something was up. But she also knew he wasn't the only one with the sight.
"Jack noticed," she confessed. "He knew there was more to our friendship than we were letting on, even before I told him everything."
Jean Luc stopped in his tracks. Hands in his pockets, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, dark brown locks falling down his forehead... Kayleigh thought he looked like a young Johnny Depp. "Everything? What's everything?"
Kayleigh stared guiltily at her peep-toed boots.
"Chérie, you tell people you're acquaintances but then fight like an old, married couple. Your whole demeanour changes when people mention one of you in the other one's presence. I know you two have a history and before you protest, there are undoubtedly some lingering feelings..."
The man's voice trailed off as he examined Kayleigh's reddening face.
"Kayleigh, how 'history' is this history?"
"It's HISTORY," Kayleigh answered with what she hoped was great certainty. "It's over. It's in the past."
"So is last week!"
Kayleigh rubbed her arms. It was the middle of summer and the sun was shining, but Kayleigh felt a shiver run through her body as Jean Luc cursed in his native language.
YOU ARE READING
Designing Abigail Kilton's Dress - #2 The Impossible Dress
ChickLitKayleigh Moore was thriving in life. She was the lead designer for the most anticipated wedding of the year, she was hopelessly in love and her boyfriend was rich, handsome and an absolute gentleman. AND she was going to Paris, the city of her dream...
