Hail and Farewell to Paris

“Mike, man you okay? What happened?”
Billie sat down opposite his bassist at the kitchen table. The blonde hair didn’t move from the crook of his colored arm.
“Here Mike.” I whispered softly placing a cup of hot coffee next to the elbow he had buried his face in.
“Thanks” he mumbled into his skin as I sat down next to Billie, handing him his steaming cup of caffeine.
“Mike, dude, come on, what is it? Brittany? Estelle? Tre getting on your nerves?”
Mike shifted, pushing his arms upwards and resting his face in his palms.
“Brittany kicked me out.”
His voice was low and growling and I shifted nervously, not quite sure what to do.
“We had another argument about the wedding and she kicked me out and said that she didn’t want us to get married anymore, it wasn’t worth the hassle.”
Billie glanced at me for a moment before opening his mouth and shutting it slowly, obviously not knowing what to say to his friend.
“Mike…” I began, reaching forwards and touching his arm gently.
After a moment his blue eyes lifted to meet with mine.
“Mike, I’m sure she didn’t mean it. It’s stressful planning a wedding…”
“She kicked me out Ava; she’s never kicked me out before. I’m so pissed off. The amount of bullshit I put up with from her…”
“Mike man” Billie but in, “Mike, you’re, I dunno…you loose it with her, she acts more like your mom than your girlfriend sometimes.”
The bassist sighed.
“Fiancée, she WAS my fiancée.”
I swallowed.
“Mike she still is, you love her don’t you? You can’t let a little fight ruin it if you love her, if you’re happy with her.”
Mike lifted his coffee and blew across its surface.
“Do…do you think I can stay here for the night? Sort my head out?”
Billie glanced at me.
“Sure man, as long as you want.”
“I won’t get in your way you guys I promise.”
I smiled.
“Mike don’t be silly.”
The bassist smiled weakly back at me as Billie glanced down at his watch and shot up from his seat.
“Oh Shit, err, I gotta pick the boys up, I’ll be back in a minute man.” He nodded at Mike before bending down to kiss the top of my head then quickly disappearing through the door.
Mike sighed loudly as the noise of Billie’s car floated through to the kitchen.
“You know Ava? I’ve never understood women, I gave that girl everything, everything, I love her so much…”
I moved closer to him, not quite sure what I could say.
“Mike, you’re a great guy, you really are and if she can’t see that…well…maybe, she doesn’t deserve you.”
He ran a hand through his blonde spikes, “I know that the guys don’t think much of her Ava, but they tolerate her for me and I appreciate that but...they don’t see her like me. She’s funny and sexy and she does this thing with her nose sometimes and it’s real cute and…god…”
I smiled at him as he drifted off.
“Mike it’ll work out, trust me, even when everything seems lost things can always work out.”
Mike grinned at me in surprise, “Ah, you and Billie are quite different from me and Brittany.”
I frowned in confusion, as he drained his coffee mug.
“You and Bill…let’s just say I had a feeling that you too would end up together after everything. The thing is…and I haven’t told anyone this before, I’m not sure whether I can see me and Brittany working out at all.”
I stood up and reached for my purse that lay abandoned on the kitchen counter after walking Rocky with Billie.
I took out my Baudelaire and sat down opposite Mike. He smiled when he saw the book emerge in my red nails.
“Ah! Billie’s told me about this poetry obsession of yours”
I grinned up at him.
“Baudelaire has a cure for everything Mr. Dirnt.”
The bassist laughed, “Oh so he can empathize with me can he?”
I smiled, “Just you wait…Okay…” I pointed to a poem called ‘Always the Same’.
“Read that and tell me you don’t feel anything for it…”
Mike scanned the lines of the poem; he began with a frown in his brow that soon smoothed as he came to the last few lines…

Let, let my heart become drunk with a lie; let it
Plunge into your fair eyes as into a fair dream
And slumber long in the shadow of your lashes.

He looked back up at me slowly, his blue eyes shining,
“Wow, poetry is kinda cool huh?”
I chuckled.
“Feel free to borrow it Mike.”
“Nah I couldn’t, Billie says you’re never without this book.”
I grinned closing over the hard cover as it lay in Mike’s large palms, “Well, you need it more than me right now. I suggest you have a read through and tell me what you think, It makes me feel a lot better when I’m down.”
Mike grinned at me, “Really? Okay. I mean I’ve not been that much of a reader but…why not start now? Thanks Ava.”
I chuckled.
“Oh…” Mike snapped his head up suddenly, “Don’t tell the guys hey?”
“It’ll be our little secret Mike.” I giggled tapping his hand lightly as it rested over my copy of Baudelaire.
Mike laughed as the door slammed open, signaling Billie had returned with Joey and Jacob.
“Well, we should start dinner…Mike…what’s your favorite?”
***

“Ava”
I turned around to face Billie who was currently spooning me tightly to his torso. My mind took a second to register, it was very late and I was just verging on a very deep sleep.
“Mmmm?” I asked turning slowly around to face him.
“About today…”
I smiled, brushing my nose against his softly and igniting a grin on his face.
“…I’ve been thinking about what Davey said and then Mike, that whole thing with Brit… made me realize something.”
“What was that?” I whispered eyes still half closed and hands stroking his smooth back lovingly.
“Well…I know we said we’d take it slow, but, I was thinking, I don’t want to waste time, I want you to be here all the time. It makes me sick thinking that next week I’ll have to say goodbye to you again, I love you and I want us to be together as much as possible...”
I buried my nose into the crook of his neck, inhaling that sweet smell that erupted from his every pore.
“…will…will you come and live with me?”
I froze in his arms.
I loved this man more than anything, but for a sudden moment the fear of leaving Paris took over my every sense. Paris was so dear to me, I had escaped from all my troubles there, it was my haven, my stronghold, the place were I was free, the place I knew so well and adored so much. The place where I had met Billie.
He had felt me tense under his grip, “Ava?”
I swallowed, moving myself from his collarbone and looking at him. His eyes were almost black in the shadowing light; they stared at me, full of hope, full of fear.
“Paris means a lot to me...”
I whispered it softly and Billie’s mouth clamped shut.
“And so do you…but, if…if I moved here, you’d, you’d have to promise me that I would visit my city again Billie, you’re both adjoined I have to have Paris, even if it’s just in small doses.”
Billie’s eyes danced across my face as he mulled over my words for a moment.
“I promise that if you come and live with me, whenever you get the urge to go to Paris, we’ll go.”
I smiled at him.
“Maybe we could retire over there one day.”
Billie chuckled, “My French is awful.”
I brushed my hand upwards through his hair, “You’re English isn’t much better.”
“Hey now.” He grinned, “That was uncalled for.”
I chuckled as he kissed me softly on the lips, “You do like it here though?”
I nodded slightly, “Yes I do, it’s different but California has grown on me.”
Billie’s grin expanded, “Now that’s good to hear, how much do you like California?”
“A lot, not as much as Paris obviously but a lot, mainly because you’re here”
“So you like California and you wouldn’t mind living here?”
I shook my head wondering where this was going.
“No”
“So, you wouldn’t mind, say, being a part of California?”
I shook my head again,
“Well, no but…”
“So you could say you feel you have a little bit of California in you?”
I grinned at the absurdness of this conversation.
“But I’m English…”
“No, but if you lived here you’d feel like you’d have a little bit if California in you?”
I shrugged, “Yeah sure, I mean, well, yes, I suppose.”
“Good” Billie nodded, kissing me more fervently this time,
“Would you like a little bit more of California in you?”
“And how long have you been thinking of that one?” I chuckled and slapped his chest playfully.
“Billie, you’re children are two doors down and you’re heartbroken best friend is on the other side of this room. Control yourself.”
He giggled naughtily, tracing a warm hand up my thigh.
“Billie…” I whispered in a desperate attempt to try and wiggle away, causing him to slightly growl. I sat up and frowned at his eyes that had suddenly grown extremely shiny.
“Did you just growl at me?”
Billie chuckled, “Come on Ava…they’ll be asleep by now…” Billie leant across me and began planting soft lingering kisses on my neck and collarbone.
“Billie…behave yourself.” I whispered, making no vain attempt to remove his lips from my skin.
He moved lower down my torso before stopping to rest his chin just above my bellybutton, grinning at me cheekily.
“Billie, come on, we’ll have plenty of time for that when I eventually move in.”
He chuckled, “I can’t believe you’re intending to leave me unsatisfied.”
I raised my eyebrow at his words, “Excuse me?” I giggled,
“Unsatisfied? Be grateful I haven’t kicked you out of the bed by now.”
Billie chuckled.
“You wait till tomorrow Lady Crawford when this house is empty and it’s just you and me… I’m only letting this go because you’ve just agreed to move in with me.”