Spatulas & Sensationalism

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Alfred woke up the next morning to a ray of sunlight peeking through the blinds of his bedside window. After rubbing his eyes he stretched his arm over to his bedside table and grabbed his glasses. Alfred placed his glasses on his face and yawned before looking across his room to his alarm clock and noticing it was 9:30.

Panicking, Alfred shot up out of bed and threw his covers across the room. His economics lecture had started 30 minutes ago. It was only the 2nd day of classes and so far, university was not getting off to a good start. In an attempt to get changed as quickly as possible, the American put his shirt on both inside-out and backwards and managed to somehow put both of his legs into one of his pant legs. After frustratingly taking his legs out of his pants he threw the pants across the room and sat down by his closet, letting out a sigh as he admitted defeat. By the time he would've gotten to class, there would have only been 30 minutes left.

Picking himself up off the floor, Alfred headed into the all-purpose room and opened his near-empty fridge. When he first moved in he had bought milk, eggs, butter, apples, and granola. Realizing he had no other options, Alfred grabbed the granola and opened his cabinet before realizing he had no bowls. He had gone to a market when he first arrived figuring he could buy some paper plates and bowls but quickly learned that there had been a ban on disposible plates and cutlery in France. The ban was simply incomprehensible to the American, as where he came from, Dixie paper products could be found in nearly every store.

Alfred groaned and looked around in an attempt to figure out what he could possibly use as a bowl. Looking over at his backpack on the counter, he sighed in relief as he saw his water bottle sitting in the sleeve on the side. Pouring the water into the sink, Alfred dumped some granola into the skinny water bottle and proceeded to pour in the milk. Taking out the spatula that had been left in the apartment by the previous owners, Alfred awkwardly fumbled with his makeshift breakfast and figured out a way to eat it without spilling it all over himself.

After eating his slightly dissapointing breakfast and cleaning the only two items he had to eat with, he went back into his room. It was 4:30am where his family was, but he really wanted to call Matthew and tell him what had happened on his date. Taking a chance, Alfred opened the facetime app and rang his brother, who eventually answered after a few seconds.

Alfred tried not to laugh as Matthew's groggy face appeared on the screen. "Alfred it's practically the middle of the night why are you calling me?" he asked, his voice raspy as he rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses.

"I want to tell you about my date. It was amazing" Alfred said, smiling as Matthew let out a yawn.

"This couldn't have waited until later?" he questioned sassily, rolling his eyes as Alfred sat down on his bed.

"No! I have class at 12 and then I have to go shopping. I have absolutely nothing in my apartment" Alfred replied.

"What's your French lovers name again? Pierre? Louis?" Matthew teased, smirking as Alfred let out an annoyed sigh.

"His name is Francis" he uttered.

"You sure its not pronounced 'Francois'?" Matthew asked. Matthew had been taking French for as long as Alfred had been taking Spanish, and he had found it hilarious the amount of times Alfred had texted him to try and figure out how to pronounce certain words. Alfred was annoyed at his endless teasing.

"Oh my god, do you speak French? I never would've known" Alfred shot back sarcastically, eliciting a laugh from his brother.

"Okay okay get on with the story! I need my beauty rest" Matthew replied as he readjusted his head on the pillow.

Alfred proceeded to tell Matthew every last detail about his date and Matthew sat in slight disbelief as his brother continued describing a date that couldn't be more fairytale-esque. It wasn't until the end of the story that Matthew spoke.

"That's wild" Matthew muttered, not knowing how to respond as Alfred sat on his bed, staring at the screen with an excited grin. "He must really like you."

"I mean- I don't know- it sure feels like it" Alfred began, "but I've only known him for like 3 days."

"Anyone who is willing to break into the freaking Palace of Versailles just to take you on a date must like you" Matthew said, eliciting a chuckle from Alfred. "But all that stuff with the surveillance cameras, the beautifully decorated pink apartment that he lives in by himself, the flowers and gifts, and the police officer seem a bit suspicious. What do you really know about this guy?"

Alfred paused for a moment to absorb what Matthew had just said. For the first time since he met Francis he realized he knew absolutely nothing about the man. He was still as mysterious as before. Alfred hadn't even questioned how Francis knew the security cameras at the palace were turned off, and he never asked any further questions about his family, who apparently have "some influence in the city".

Suddenly feeling anxious, Alfred said "Um- hey I'll talk to you later. Go get some sleep. I've gotta get ready for class."

"Oh- okay well bye, love you!" Matthew exclaimed, deciding not to further the conversation as he noticed how uncomfortable Alfred had become.

"Love you too- sorry to disrupt your sleep" Alfred replied, giving a little wave before hitting the red button and ending the call. Alfred threw his phone onto his pillow and let out a sigh as he thought about Matthew's concerns. He couldn't stop picturing the look on the police officer's face when Francis took of his helmet. The man had looked shocked, and then apologetic, as if even speaking to Francis would get him into trouble.

Feeling impelled to learn more, Alfred went in to his bedroom and grabbed his laptop out of his backpack before sitting down at the dining table and opening it. Alfred immediately went to Google and typed in "Bonnefoy family Paris", and was greeted with thousands of results.

After doing some snooping, Alfred found out that the Bonnefoy family name had stretched back centuries, and the Bonnefoys were part of the nobility during the time when nobility in France was a sign of power. Now his father was a high-powered politician, and his mother, a highly-prasied humanitarian and philanthropist. Francis, on the other hand, had dozens of articles written about him by gossip magazines. Alfred found tons of articles ranging from titles like "Francis Bonnefoy Heads out for a Night on the Town in Expensive Armani Suit" to "Ooh La La! Looks like the Young Bonnefoy has Found a New Girlfriend to Flaunt around Paris". Alfred couldn't stop digging around on the sensationalist sites until his entire view of Francis was completely different than before.

From the articles he had read, Francis seemed like a womanizing, party-throwing socialite who refused to subscribe to his father's standards of professionalism. Alfred couldn't understand how Francis seemed so different when they were together, but to the press he was just a spoiled rich kid, living out his days by partying with the social elite. After reading article after article about Francis and the women and men who he was frequently seen with, Alfred shut his laptop.

Suddenly, their date seemed less special. Was he just another accessory that Francis was using for fun until he got bored and eventually threw him away? Francis probably took all those people to Versailles on their first date. How was he so blind? He was just an unassuming, unknowing American who Francis could take advantage of without repercussions.

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⏰ Ultima actualizare: Jun 13, 2020 ⏰

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