Evelyn

Chapter 19 - A Perplexed Parisian's Predicament

"Yeah."

I pulled away and leaned my forehead against his, enjoying this moment between us. Everything just felt so easy. I don't have to pretend or change
myself just so he'd like me. I can simply be.

Michael lifted my chin up so he could look at me, "Sometimes I can't believe that you're real. In the quiet moments when I'm alone, I think that I maybe I made you up because this," he gestured between the two of us, "is perfect."

I smiled at him, "If any one of us is hallucinating in this relationship, it's me. I could've never imagined that I could be this happy. I feel unburdened when I'm with you. Surely that kind of weightlessness can't be real."

Michael leaned down and kissed me again, "That felt pretty real to me."

"Me too."

~~~

Michael's clothes are so fucking comfy. I feel like I'm being wrapped in a million hugs.

And it smells like him too.

Since I didn't have any sleepwear on me, Michael let me have some of his shirts, a sweatshirt, and a pair of his dark green flannel pants.

I opted for the grey t-shirt and the green flannel. Maybe it's just wearing my boyfriend's clothes or wearing clothes that are big on me, but I'm so insanely comfy I can't take it.

I walk out of the guest bedroom and see Michael at the kitchen counter. He's wearing dark blue flannel pants a black t-shirt. Of course he's wearing dark colors. Ironically, it's the opposite of the colors I'm wearing.

"Hey," I said after a moment, seeing as he hadn't noticed me yet.

"Oh, hey. Do you like the-" Michael stopped. His eyes widened and he looked me up and down, his mouth slightly agape.

"Is everything okay?" I found myself asking for the second time that evening.

"Yeah," Michael said, breathlessly. "I'm good."

"Good," I smiled. "What are you making?"

Michael cleared his throat, "Soup. Tomato bisque, actually. It's my mom's recipe. All I have to do is get the-shit."

"I take it that's not good."

"I forgot the baguette," Michael grumbled.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer irony of the situation. "Michael, I say this with all of the affection in my heart, but that's practically sacrilege. You're French and you forgot the baguette."

"Shut up."

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be insensitive or to stereotype you, but you have to admit it, the whole thing is kind of funny."

"Yeah, yeah," Michael said, grabbing his keys. "Bye. I'm going to go get the bread."

"Bye! Be back soon, mon chéri."

"Uh huh," Michael closed the door and locked it behind him. It really is a miracle to be able to handle a door that isn't a safety hazard.

I walked up to Wasabi's tank and stared at him, "How did we get so lucky, little guy?"

Just a year ago I was spending all my free time crying watching Pride and Prejudice. Now, I'm at my boyfriends house where we're going to be crying watching Pride and Prejudice together. A little bit of company can go a long way.

I was so busy daydreaming that when I heard a knock on the door it scared the shit out of me. Michael is already back? Wow, how long was I staring at Wasabi?

I opened the door and was greeted by...

"Evelyn," Derek's eyes lit up with sparkling amusement, taking note of not only my presence in Michael's apartment, but the clothes I was wearing. Michael's clothes. "What are you doing here?"

"My apartment door is busted, so I'm staying with Michael for the time being."

"How thoughtful of him. And what a shame about the door. Funny how stuff like that just...happens."

"Yeah," I said slowly, kind of confused. "My door is just shitty I guess."

Derek shrugged and reached into his backpack. "Here," he handed me a bag that said 'Happy Birthday' in sparkly font. "For you."

"Thank you, that's really thoughtful of you," I said, taking the bag from his hand.

"No problem, I was just visiting Michael and I was going to give him this to give to you."

"That's great! Did you ever get to see him the other day?"

"I did. We had a fun little chat. I talked to him about this cool article I read about the benefits of using an alarm clock. Something about REM sleep."

"That does sound...interesting."

"You know what? I'm going to find the article and send it to Michael so he can show you. It's fascinating."

"Uh, thanks."

Derek winked at me before his gaze shifted to someone to my right. I took a step out the door to see who Derek was looking at, only to see Michael. He stood frozen in the doorway, unmoving with a grocery bag in his hand.

"Michael," Derek said, sliding his arm around my shoulders. "It's so great to see you."

~~~
HEYYYYYYYYYYYY
Writing the fluff earlier made me want to die because I probably never will experience anything like that. I hope I do and I hope you all do to, if that's what you want.
And up next is the long awaited confrontation and the truth comes out about Derek. Oh, and it's all in Michael's POV.
I want to give a shout-out to Daddysuess  your comments were so funny, seriously. Thank you.
Well, that was fun. I'm dead tired but I'll probably be scrolling on TikTok for another two hours, so I should be around.
Until next time, bye!