Drunk in Paris

Paris is one strange city.
You can buy ice-cream at half two in the morning but you can’t, as we found out, take a boat trip down the Seine River. Billie didn’t seem un-fazed by the lack of ferries willing to float down the midnight blue waters of Paris, he seemed more content with his ice cream cone.
“Nah, this stuff rules but you should definitely come and try Dairy Queen in the US; it will blow your mind.”
I chuckled as I licked my vanilla ice cream, “I’m not a big ice-cream lover, my weakness is sweets anything with just thick clumps of sugar in it, sherbet and jelly babies.”
Billie grinned like a five year old over his mint ice cream, having nearly demolished the whole of it, “Yeah, I love candy too, you kinda have to hide it from Tre though.”
I chuckled, “I can’t see why.”
Billie laughed, spraying wafer across the path in front of us, I chuckled as he rubbed the crumbs from his lips with the back of his hand.
“Want mine?” I asked as we turned the corner to walk alongside The Seine.
“Yeah!” He yelled taking my ice cream and tackling it with his mouth.
“You’re so skinny yet appear to have one hell of an appetite.” I sighed as he took up my hand again in his un-sticky one.
“Good metabolism.” He muffled through a mouth full of wafer.
We reached St. Michel Bridge, just opposite Notre-Dame Cathedral, it was so beautiful, all lit up in a cobalt blue and twinkling against the night skin. I felt very insignificant against the towering pillars of the cathedral; I led Billie across the bridge, turning to see him licking his fingers, savaging any remaining crumbs that may have been left. I smiled, this could possibly be the most romantic atmosphere in the world, it felt like you could reach out and grab the amorous that floated in the air like scented angles…
And here I was, with a five year old licking ice cream from his fingers.

I leant back against the stone of the bridge, watching as Billie finally looked up from his hand to the immense, glowing cathedral above us.
“Wow.” He gasped his neck stretching upwards as his eyes followed the building up to the highest spear.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
“It is.” He smiled joining me, leaning against the stone wall. I turned around, facing down the bridge into the river below, the water reflecting the midnight blue from the lighted cathedral, glittering as it flowed below our feet. Billie copied me, I felt him edge closer towards me, his scent filling my nostrils with every intake of breath.
“Can I tell you something?” I felt him smile as he continued to watch the flow of water.
“Go on.” My voice ushered into a low whisper as the sound of flowing water began to fill my waiting ears
“I’m so glad that I got lost this afternoon.”
“I’m glad you got lost too.”
I turned to face him, our noses so close together, a soft breeze picked up and I felt myself draw near to him, as if this was fate, as if the wind wanted us to be together.
I felt like I was floating along the river as I looked into his eyes, The Seine was taking my whole heart, my whole soul away and giving it to this man, and I couldn’t stop it, I couldn’t prevent its fateful course. It wasn’t just the atmosphere I was in; it was the way he smiled, the way his eyes shone with a mystery that begged to be solved.
He reached forwards and softly stroked a bended finger down my cheek, he inhaled a small breath through his pursed lips and he leant forwards.
His lips met mine, so softly, so gently that my knees gave way ever so slightly underneath the contact. Oh, God he tasted so good, and my heavy heart, my tarnished and unhealthy heart had been wiped clean, by one swift movement of his lips. His hands traced along my sides as my fingers moved upwards to entwine with his soft black hair.
We were kissing; I was kissing this perfect and beautiful stranger under a midnight sky of silver stars and shining water.

This small moment of complete and utter purity was broken by my thoughts, how can I have this happen to me? I didn’t deserve this; he had no idea what he was letting himself in for…

My bruised lips left his tender ones and his eyes shot open in confusion. I stared at him, those breathtaking eyes, oh God I couldn’t do this to this beautiful man. I had been so selfish, wanting to fall in love, how can I fall in love? I don’t deserve it at all. Especially not with Billie Joe, beautiful Billie Joe who could have anybody he wanted…
“Something wrong?” he asked, smiling cheekily.
I locked eyes with him and a hot prick of tears erupted at the edge of my eyelashes.
“I can’t do this…” I shot turning from him and breaking into a trot down the bridge.
“Ava…” He still had hold of my arm; he thrust me back to him, I stumbled into his chest…damn heels…steadying myself I looked up at his face, a frown of deep concern and confusion meeting mine of regret.
“What’s wrong? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No…”
“Then what..?”
I shook myself free of his grasp and leant back over the bridge, the water seemed to have sped up as my heart battered against my ribcage, I couldn’t tell him.
“Why did you come over to me Billie? Why did you ask me for directions?”
I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, “Because you were this beautiful girl who looked like she had just stepped out of an old movie from the 40s…plus I was lost and I needed help.”
I giggled as I felt the wind pick up, sending a stray piece of my hair across the air, I wanted to float away with the wind, float away with him.
“Ava what’s wrong?”
I sighed as his arms tightened around me, spinning me around to face him,
I stared at his face, burning the image into my mind as it would soon be gone.

“Why are you with me here now? I mean, you must have a ton of things to do, a hundred other people that you could be with and you’re standing here with me…”
Billie smiled, “It’s nearly three o’clock in the morning, but right now, I couldn’t think of being in a better place or with a better person.”
I smiled but shook my head, he was so wrong; I wasn’t a good person I…
Billie leaned forwards again, pressing his lips against mine so softly, my mind momentarily collapsed into nothingness. His whole intoxicating smell erupted through my body and it felt like for a few seconds I was higher than the cathedral.
He pulled away and smiled, probably knowing the full affect those lips of his had on me.
“Come on.” He smiled taking my hand and leading me down the rest of the bridge and to the riverbank were a small bench stood.
He sat down next to it and tapped the wood to his left.
I sighed and slowly sat down, taking my skirt in underneath me. I smiled to myself as I was pretty sure Billie got a damn good view of my stockings from where he was sitting.
I turned to him and he swallowed blinking at me, obviously loosing his train of thought, yes he probably got a good view.
“Err, well, okay…”
I sniggered, he had definitely caught a glimpse.
“Seen something you like?” I giggled.
Billie blinked at me and laughed, “Well…yeah...I have some of those actually, pretty comfortable.”
I snickered, my mood lightening at his jokey tone, I turned to him slowly,
“Go on then, tell me about yourself, do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
He sighed, “No girlfriend, no boyfriend apart from Mike but that doesn’t count.”
I smiled and watched him continue, he brushed a hand through his hair…
“Oh boy, okay, well I was born in California all I’ve kinda done is music, my life Is Green Day I guess…”
“So you’re a famous and… yes, attractive rock star with no girlfriend?”
He smirked before his eyes turned sad; he looked down at his hands for a moment,
“Have I gone too far? Sorry…”
“No, no, you haven’t, it’s a... well it was a perfectly normal question in need of an answer I suppose.”
He sighed and looked across the water, he blinked and I noticed how delicately his black eyelashes fluttered against his cheek.
“My wife…my wife Adrienne passed away last year, she, she got sick and…”
“Oh Billie I’m sorry.” I whispered, feeling awful and diving for his hand.
“It’s okay Ava, you didn’t know.”
I shifted closer to him, bringing my arm around his shoulders, he kind of fell into me and I sighed, the feeling of his weight calming my guilt ridden nerves. I had moved from escaping Merv’s wife troubles and had stepped into a whole other wife matter…

Merv.

Oh God, I couldn’t let Billie get attached to me, not after everything he has obviously gone through. I sighed, my hand running through his hair. Glancing up at the cathedral the time read half past three, time flies when you’re with a handsome man.
“Billie, I suppose we should both be getting some sleep.”
He leaned up from my torso, his hair slightly more ruffled.
“You’re right,” he smiled standing up and taking my hand, “Let’s go.”

The walk felt shorter coming back then going to The Seine, we hardly said a word to each other.
“I guess I killed the mood huh?” He asked just a street away from my hotel.
“No, I think tiredness got the better of us, that and my big mouth.”
Billie shook his black haired- head, “No, you had no idea, I guess it’s just because I’m used to people knowing, you know? I mean…I don’t get to meet normal people very often and, well, I like normal people.”
I chuckled, “Oh yes, you dazzle with the rich and famous, I forget that you are some famous rock God.”
“That’s good though, because I’m not, I’m just me,” He returned my smile and I fought the urge to blurt out, ‘but I like just you!’

We arrived outside my hotel lobby and I turned to him, sighing,
“I guess I have to say Goodnight now.”
“Good morning more like” he smiled taking hold of my other hand “I had fun; it was lovely meeting you Ava.”
“You too” I grinned back.
“You sure you’ll be alright getting back to you’re hotel?” I asked smirking
“Yeah, I’ll get a cab.” He shrugged mirroring my grin.
“Bye then.”
“Bye.” He leaned forwards and our lips met once again, that familiar powerful sensation taking hold of my entire body, he was good at this, his hands traced up my thighs, sending electrical shocks all the way up my spine and I found myself moaning into his mouth.
I pulled away quickly, it took all my energy to do so but I had to let him go. Billie smiled at me, a dark glint in his eye. I licked my lips and stepped away from him,
“Goodbye.” I smiled turning and taking the first few steps up into my hotel. I turned to see him still standing there watching me.
I smiled, but my heart sank, I liked him too much to do this to him. I picked up my phone from my purse; I had a missed call from Merv.
Shit.
Billie Joe had gone, and that was it, he had to just be a memory now, for his sake.