"Look who has remembered where her best friend lives!"
"Ha, ha, ha. You are so funny, Eleanor" Roberta says. "But you could also come visit me, you know?"
"I know" I sigh. "But it looks like when I'm not busy you are, and when you aren't busy I am."
"And we had told ourselves that we would never become that type of friends that forget about the other when they get boyfriends."
"I don't have a boyfriend" I chuckle.
"Then what is Declan? Your secret lover?"
"Honestly... It does look like it, yes."
"But you want him to be more than that, right? For him to be your boyfriend."
"I do. But it is... complicated."
"No, it isn't. You just ask him" she shrugs.
"Roberta, Dec and I aren't like you and Mason. I am not like you. Like any of you" I whisper.
"Eleanor..."
"Look who has decided to grace us with her presence!" Sophie says, walking into the room. "Wait, did I interrupt something?"
"Nothing, don't worry" I quickly say.
"Mason finally set you free?"
"You also are so funny, Sophie" Roberta says, rolling her eyes. "Must run in the family."
"We got it from our dad. Anyway, why are you here?"
"Can't I just come visit my best friend and her sister?"
"You can. But are you here just for that?"
"I actually am not, no" Roberta says with a big smile.
"Oh... She's planning something" Sophie laughs.
"I am, yes. Are you girls free next week?"
"I... think so" I say. "Why?"
"Because we are going... to Paris!"
"What?"
"It's been ages since our last girls trip, I miss it! Besides, I heard they've opened a new vintage store that is like super exclusive, and we must visit it."
"And the fact that next Saturday England is playing against France in Paris is just a coincidence, right?"
"Maybe" Roberta smirks. "C'mon, Eleanor. It'll be fun! We'll properly catch up, enjoy our time together, and then end our trip watching our men be sexy on the pitch. Maybe find Sophie a nice French lover too."
"I like how the last part of your plan sounds" Sophie smiles.
"What about that girl you were texting? Maggie was she called?" I ask.
"Wait, the last thing I heard was about a guy called... Finn?"
"They both are in the past" Sophie says. "But having a French lover until Leah finally answers my dms sounds fun."
"Leah? Who is that?" Roberta asks.
"Leah Williamson, the football player. Sophie is in love with her."
"I'm not in love with her, but I do like her. A lot. Though she seems to be more interested in you."
"What?" I laugh.
"Oh, c'mon Ellie. Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you every time you've met?"
"No" I shrug.
"I sometimes hate you."
"The feeling is mutual" I smile.
"Imagine both of you dating football players. Your mum would go crazy" Roberta laughs. "But let's go back to what is important right now. Who is coming to Paris?"
"I'm in" Sophie says, lifting her arm. "And maybe that new vintage shop has your birthday dress, Ellie."
"Your birthday dress?"
"The birthday dress. The one Declan likes thinking about when he..."
"Sophie!"
"What? He basically confessed it" she shrugs.
"He did" Roberta adds. "But let's make that our Paris mission: find the dress so Declan can take it off you."
"And find me a French lover."
"And find Sophie a French lover. Do we have a deal?" Roberta asks.
"Deal" Sophie answers.
"Eleanor?"
"Deal" I sigh.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"If they don't have it here, I'm giving up."
"No one is giving up" Roberta says. We've been in Paris for a few days already, and we've visited most vintage shops in the city looking for my birthday dress. They've called some of their contacts, taught us how to search for it online and even asked the brand who made it. But nothing. It's like the dress never existed.
"If mum hadn't done that cleaning a couple of years ago..."
"It still would not fit me" I shrug.
"But maybe you could have had it fixed or something."
"Good news" the shop assistant interrupts us. "We know about someone who has that dress."
"Really?" Roberta, Sophie and I say at the same time.
"Yes. It's part of a private collection, but when we told the owner that it was for the Princess of Wales, they couldn't say no."
"That's amazing!" Roberta says, clapping her hands in excitement.
"When could we get it? We are leaving in a couple of days, and it may need alterations" I say.
"We'll send someone in a bit to pick it up and take it to the dry cleaners. You can come tomorrow for a fitting."
"Thank you so much."
"Just doing my job" the shop assistant says with a big smile.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"I still can't believe we found the dress. And you look so good on it!" Roberta says while we get ready for the game. "Declan won't know what it him when he sees you. If 18-year-old Eleanor drove him crazy, the present one will... I don't know what you will do to him."
"But we can imagine what he will do to her."
"Sophie!" I say, trying to hit her but missing.
"Look at how red her cheeks have turned" Roberta laughs.
"I hate you. Both of you" I say while I try to focus on finishing my make up.
"Declan and Eleanor sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!" Sophie sings.
"Roberta, can I borrow your mascara? I don't know where I put mine" I ask, ignoring my sister.
"You lost it because you were thinking about Declan's thingy" she laughs.
"You can call it by its name, Sophie. She was thinking about Declan's di..."
"Roberta, your mascara" I insist, rolling my eyes.
"It's on my make up bag over there" she says, both her and Sophie giggling like idiots.
"Holy shit!" I scream, her bag falling from my hands.
"Please tell me there wasn't a spider among my things."
"Worse. Why do you have a photo of a dick on your make up bag?"
"What?" Sophie says, her eyes wide.
"Oh" Roberta chuckles. "I was wondering where that one had gone."
"That one? There are more?"
"Yup. Mason and I have been taking them since we first went to Italy. It's a way to stay connected when we are away from each other. We see the photos, and..."
"Wait, wait, wait. That is Mason's..." Sophie says, her eyes getting wider.
"Oh dear Lord."
"It's quite nice, isn't it?" Roberta says, looking at the photo.
"I mean..." Sophie says next to her.
"Oh... Dear Lord" I repeat.
"C'mon Eleanor" Roberta laughs. "Are you telling me that you've never taken spicy photos?"
"Of course not! Have you forgotten who I am? Imagine the scandal if somehow someone found them."
"It would get nasty, yeah" she sighs. "Things already were like that with that paparazzi photo where it looked like Damiano was eating you out, so if they were to find one where that is actually happening..."
"Exactly. So you must be careful. If someone finds them and they recognize Mason..."
"I know, I know. We are being careful."
"Clearly" Sophie chuckles.
"We are. This won't happen again."
"It better not. Because people will probably drag you and make you look horrible while defending him because he is a man. It's always the same" I warn her.
"I promise we will be careful, Eleanor. I will be careful."
"Great. Now, should we get a drink before we leave? I seriously need to forget about what I just saw. Especially when I'm about to spend two hours watching him run after a ball."
"Rude" Roberta laughs.
"It wasn't that bad" Sophie shrugs. "Can I see it again?"
"Sophie!" Roberta and I say at the same time.
"What? We haven't found me a French lover, but this can help... Somehow."
"Hell no. Mason is my boyfriend. That is my dick and no one else's. I'm not sharing."
"All yours then" Sophie says, sticking out her tongue.
"Don't laugh, Eleanor" Roberta says. "She may try to go after your man next."
"Let her try" I smirk, making Sophie roll her eyes.