French Kisses

trois

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't know if I should be flattered because you called me charismatic or puzzled as to your logic behind your thinking."

I shook my head and looked down at the stained pavement, a bit conscious of Laurent and I's situation. There certainly was an attraction present between the two of us, whether I wanted to acknowledge it or not.

We continued walking to his sister's place in silence, a definite foot or so between us, keeping us from being too close together. Eventually, we reached the gate in which let us into the garden of his residence, he unlatched it and held the gate open for me. I followed him in, still keeping my eyes low. But, then he stopped, causing for me to halt suddenly and run into his back. He stayed looking forward, away from me.

"I'm sorry," he began, giving a poignant pause before finishing, "I'm sincerely sorry."

I placed a hand on the middle of his back; he shifted in his stance slightly, affected by my intimate touch.

"I apologize if I made things odd between us by blurting out a truth, however, I was being completely honest earlier," he said in a low voice, a faint chirp of birds in the background.

My hand slid down from his back and I simply stood facing it, my eyes looking up at him.

He swiftly turned around and held onto the arm that had fallen from his back, not wanting to let go. His touch caused my heart to beat at an irregular pace.

"There's no need to let go, I'll suppress the feelings," he said, his eyes looking past mine, his grasp on me loosened.

"Laurent I—," I began, my heartbeat prominent.

"Friends," he said with a forced smile.

I opened my mouth, but a clank of the garden's gate sounded. Hermes strolled in through the gate, completely unaware of the tension between Laurent and I.

"I always seem to be interrupting you two, my apologies once again," Hermes said with a chuckle, causing for Laurent and I to break away from one another swiftly.

I turned to face him completely, this time he lacked an assortment of paper bags and just held a garment bag that showed a blue dress.

Laurent put on a more believable smile and replied, "Now, Hermes, I rather you not wear that. I'm afraid your cleavage will spill out and overwhelm my mother."

Hermes chuckled and bid us farewell, for the time being, he disappeared into the building and left Laurent and I alone in the afternoon sun. His hand reached for me for a second time, but then he stopped himself.

"You couldn't have chosen to wear something less flattering?" he asked, returning to his normal joking self, our moment thus ending.

Rarely did moments occur, moments heart-wrenching and raw. Laurent and I shared one, and yet that was all it could realistically ever be, a momentary time in which a connection could be established.

I gave him a warm smile and the both of us started decorating the garden area with lights and flowers that had been set on the paved portion of the garden. Simone tried to take a peek of the garden, but Laurent stopped her, saying that it was a surprise. After about an hour the garden was set and the sound of a car in the back alley arose.

Laurent quickly tucked in his long sleeved button up and undid the garden gate, revealing a woman that looked to be in her early fifties. I stood near the table that Laurent and I had eaten at in the morning, it now had a centerpiece surrounded by an assortment of beautifully crafted pastries.