Not the One

I was sitting on the same bench near the Eiffel Tower, waiting for Jane. I hoped she didn’t stand me up. I was glad when I saw her walking over. I stood up and waved.
“Hi, Leo.”
“Hey.”
“I want to sit here and talk for a bit. Is that okay with you?” I nodded my head, yes, and could feel my hands getting sweaty. I was nervous being around her alone after what happened the day she left.
“So… I see you have a girlfriend now. How did you guys meet?” She asked.
“I went to Malibu for a job opportunity. Tina is my boss’s daughter. Um, I was staying at their house for a month, and we hung out a lot. And I guess we started to like each other so we’re dating now.” I blushed. It felt awkward telling someone I like about my girlfriend.
“Oh, I see.” She turned to look at the Eiffel Tower. We were silent. There always seemed to be some silent moments between us when one of us said something important. “Well, I have a boyfriend,” Jane said suddenly.
“Really?” I wasn’t surprised. I bet the guy she was with the other day was her boyfriend.
“Yeah. His name’s Fernando. You saw him with me that one day, right?” I nodded my head, yes. “Anyway, we sat next to each other on the plane ride here. He’s from Spain. He wanted to move to Paris to study art. We kept bumping into each other. In restaurants, hotels, and even where I work. He thought I was cute and asked me out. Now we’re happily together.” Tina said all this with confidence. I was suddenly getting jealous. I had Tina, but their relationship seemed stronger.
“Wow, um, I’m happy for you,” I told her. I was, but I was still jealous.
“Thanks. I’m happy for you too. I’m glad we both found someone suitable for us.” Someone suitable? So was she saying that I wasn’t suitable for her? I mean, I didn’t have big plans, but wasn’t that my only flaw? At least, something that changed her decision about me.
Jane said, “So, since we’re here in Paris, we should all get together for a party or something. You, me, our partners, some of my coworkers, and possibly Fernando’s friends. Sound good?”
“Yeah. I’ll ask Tina if she wants to come.”
“Okay. Fernando and I will be hosting it at the Lipten Hotel pool. His dad owns the hotel so we’ll get the whole place to ourselves for the whole day.”
“Oh, awesome.” I smiled. We sat on the bench, watching the birds on the ground pecking each other. I wanted to hold her. I missed her so much. I scooted closer to her to sniff her. She still smelled like flowers. That at least hadn’t changed.
“What’s it like working for a big fashion designing company?” I asked.
“Well, it’s hard work and fun at the same time. Beth is really nice to me. She says I have a lot of potential, so I’m happy about that. She said I’ll be designing my own clothes next month. How exciting is that?”
“Really.” I looked into her eyes. “Jane, I’m happy that you’re living your dream.”
“Thanks. And I see you’re not following your original plans.”
“Yeah, I know. I feel bad, but not really at the same time. It was my decision to go to Malibu. And it was my decision to come here.”
“Speaking of Malibu,” she said, “what exactly did you do there?”
I was blushing. “Um, I was working as a janitor for Tina’s dad’s company,” I said quietly.
“Oh, that’s horrible!” Jane exclaimed.
“Actually, it wasn’t that bad. I was rewarded every day after work.” I winked. Jane looked confused, and then she asked, “Like how?”
“Tina gave me the reward.” I smirked a little. Jane looked surprised.
“Anyway, we should go somewhere,” she said, changing the subject.
“Where should we go?”
“Perri’s?” She asked, getting up.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a French/Spanish restaurant that serves pizza. I know, it’s weird. I don’t get it, but Fernando took me there and the food was amazing. I want you to try it.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
Jane caught a cab and we rode there. During the ride, we were silent. There was nothing really to talk about, especially not with a cab driver sitting in the front. When we arrived at our destination, the cab driver said in a French accent, “You two were awfully quiet.”
“Um, thanks for the ride,” Jane said, then slammed the door closed. I got out too.
We both ordered a classic pepperoni pizza because we weren’t up for trying anything new. Jane’s phone rang.
“Hello? Oh hey. I’m at Perri’s with a friend. Remember I told you I was going out? Yeah. No. Okay. I’ll be there soon. K, bye. Love ya.” She hung up.
“That was Fernando. He asked me to meet up with him at his art museum. I’m not really sure why. Do you want to come?”
“Uh, no thanks. I think I should head back to the hotel soon anyway. Tina’s probably waiting.”
“Well, okay. I’ll call you later to talk about the party details.”
“All right.” Jane grabbed two slices of pizza with a napkin and headed out the door. I was sitting there with 4 slices of uneaten pizza. I might as well eat the rest, so I did.

I came home, exhausted from being around Jane. Tina ran over to me and gave me a hug, and then she sniffed me.
“You smell like flowers,” she said, suspiciously.
“Yeah, because Jane was all over me.” I stuck my tongue out at her. She furrowed her brows and made an angry face, and then she pushed me onto the bed. I cupped my hands on her cheeks and said, “Just kidding,” while kissing her. She giggled and nuzzled her head on my neck. Being around Tina made me happy, but I still missed Jane. Why did I have to still like her? I could force myself to stop, because there was no way she would like me back, especially since she already had a boyfriend.
Tina and I stopped kissing. “Hey, Jane invited me to a pool party. She didn’t tell me the date and time yet, but she’ll call later. Are you interested in coming?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh and um, I found out Jane has a boyfriend.” Tina sat up and turned to face me.
“Really? That’s great for her. So great!” Tina threw her arms around my neck and bounced on the bed.
“Ha, calm down,” I told her.
“Why? This is great!” She pushed me down on the bed and kissed me. We kissed and kissed until the sun went down.