What If

10. I Smell Bullsh*t

New Orleans

5:48pm Maison Dupuy Hotel

We arrived at our hotel about three hours ago. I insisted that Sean try to take a nap and get some sleep before we started exploring. The hotel we were at was extremely nice. I almost regretted our deal about letting him pay for the hotels. On the other hand, I was sitting on the balcony to my room, drinking not-so-bad hotel coffee, and people watching.

To my delight, our hotel was in the French Quarter. Down below, there were couples kissing, drunks arguing, artists sketching, and vendors selling different items.

The Café Du Monde was within eyesight and I could smell the divine chicory coffee I heard so much about. Not to mention, I was dying to try beignets. Sean said we could do whatever I wanted while we were here. The café was first. Then I wanted to see the St. Luis Cathedral, the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, and visit all the shops.

I tried not to think about the bombshell Sean dropped on me in Montgomery. He was afraid his ex-girlfriend, PSYCHO Amy he called her, was following us. He didn't tell me much about her. Just that they had a short fling a couple years back and she became a little obsessed with him.

As soon as we left Montgomery, he went to Verizon and shut off his phone. Just cancelled the whole damn thing. I looked at him like he was nuts. But, what could I say? He was worried. Very worried. He went to a gas station and bought one of those pre-paid phones to use instead. Unfortunately, he got me one, too. We argued over it for a good five minutes. But he said just in case she was following us, if we got separated for any reason, he wanted to be able to get ahold of me.

I got confused when he said stuff like that. I know he cared about me. I cared about him, too. The two of us seemed to build a good friendship since we met. After the almost-kiss, it's been a little awkward. Not to the point of being completely obvious, but still...I wondered if he was thinking about it as much as I was.

A knock at my hotel room door startled me, causing me to jump in my chair. I walked to the door, and even though I knew who it was, I checked through the peephole. Per, Sean's request.

"It's me, Lydia," he said through the door.

Deciding to have a little fun with him, I teased, "How do I know? You could be a PSYCHO in disguise?"

He looked up at the peephole, almost as if he could see me, and gave me a sly smile. "Would a PSYCHO know that you are a pepperoni pizza lover? Or that you're a huge Jim Carrey fan? Or perhaps that you like to hum when you cook?"

I couldn't hold back my smile, even though he couldn't see it. "Actually, they might know those things. But," I said as I opened the door, meeting his gaze, "I think I'll take my chances."

I stepped back, holding the door open while he came inside. "So, milady, what's on the agenda today?"

I had to admit, he looked a lot better after getting some sleep. I was worried about him before, so it was a relief. "Stop number one is Café Du Monde. I need chicory coffee and I need it now."

His laugh was deep and almost intoxicating. "Your wish, my command."

I followed him out of the room, and we headed out of the hotel and down Decatur St. towards the café. We took our time, taking in the sounds of someone playing jazz music on the corner. He was a tall Hispanic man who was wearing black pants, a plaid sweater vest over a red shirt, and a fedora. He had his saxophone case open with money inside. Most likely from people walking by.

Sean walked over to him and pulled his wallet out. I didn't see how much he put in there, but knowing him, it was probably a few hundred.

"That was nice of you," I said as he rejoined me.

He shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. "I have respect for people like that. I never told you, but before my father joined the Navy and my mom became a nurse, they didn't have much. My father would tell me stories about how there were times they couldn't make rent for the month. He was working at a restaurant at the time and my mom was in nursing school. "

He kept his eyes forward as he continued, "He taught me the value of a dollar and that if you're lucky enough to be rich, don't forget where you come from. It stuck with me and that's one reason why I donate to charities and try to help people who need it."

"You really are a good guy, Sean." The more I got to know him, the more intrigued I was. Here was a millionaire who refused to be waited on, who cooked his own meals, helped the needy, and was even kind enough to help someone like me. The world was lucky to have him in it.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "Way to boost up a guy's ego."

"Oh, please," I said with a laugh, "you're full of it."

Finally getting to the Café Du Monde, we sat in one of the available tables in the patio area. I could barely hide my excitement as I looked over the menu. There were so many different options, it was hard to choose.

Suddenly feeling Sean's eyes on me, I looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "I like seeing you like this."

"Like what?" I wasn't sure how I felt about his statement, and even more unsure when I heard his answer.

"Like this. Smiling, excited. It looks good on you."

Clearly uncomfortable, I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and glanced back at the menu. There's those damn butterflies again. "Thank you."

The waitress arrived to the table a few minutes later and Sean spoke up first. "Okay, I'll have a chicory coffee with an order of beignets."

"I'll have the same," I said and handed her my menu.

Sean leaned back in his chair, hands resting on his knees. He was wearing a pair of black running pants and a dark blue Under Armour shirt that made it hard to not see how fit he was. Also, a set of abs I had the opportunity to see in his hotel room last night.

"Lydia?" He asked.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

He smiled as if he knew what I was thinking before saying, "I asked what you had planned for the rest of the day."

"Well, I want to go inside the St. Louis Cathedral, then maybe to St. Louis Cemetery."

Curiosity and interest appeared on his face at that. "That actually sounds like fun. Okay, cool. Let's do that. There's one thing I would like to add to your list of things to do."

"Okay. What is it?"

He leaned forward and held my stare, "May I take you to dinner tonight, Lydia?"