Your's, eventually

Paris

I woke up to the sound of someone laughing.

Not a normal laugh, either. No. This was the sort of laugh that made you immediately suspicious that your suffering had become somebody else's entertainment.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Or, at least, I tried to.

My eyelids felt heavy, and my eyes stung a little. I blinked several times, attempting to make sense of my surroundings, before finally managing to open them properly.

The first thing I noticed was the sunlight streaming through the bus windows.

The second was the unfamiliar scenery outside.

The third was Ethan, sitting beside me with an expression that suggested he'd just witnessed the funniest event of his entire life.

I frowned.

Or attempted to.

My face felt strangely puffy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I croaked.

Ethan pressed his lips together.

Oh, no.

That expression was never a good sign.

"Like what?" he asked innocently.

"Like you've just discovered a new species of insect."

He tilted his head, examining me.

"Interesting comparison. Although, in your current condition, I'd say you're closer to a very confused hamster."

I stared at him.

He burst out laughing.

I gasped. "EXCUSE ME?"

"Nothing!" He raised both hands, still grinning. "Absolutely nothing."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Because—" He stopped, looked at me again, and immediately lost the battle against his laughter. "Oh, this is brilliant."

I narrowed my eyes.

Or tried to. Apparently, even my facial expressions had decided to abandon me.

"Ethan, I'm warning you."

"About what? Your terrifying little hamster eyes?"

I grabbed the nearest stuff I could find and smacked him with it.

He caught it before I could strike again.

"Violence? Really, Gabriella? And here I was thinking France would bring out your sophisticated side."

"Give me that bag."

"Certainly. Would you like it gift-wrapped?"

I snatched it from him and hugged it against my chest, glaring at him with whatever dignity I had left.

Which, judging by his expression, wasn't much.

Then I looked around.

The bus was still moving, but several students had begun gathering their belongings. A few were standing in the aisle, chatting excitedly, while others were staring through the windows at the unfamiliar streets outside.

I turned towards the window.

Buildings lined the streets, their architecture different from what I was used to. Road signs displayed words I couldn't immediately make sense of, and the passing scenery looked like something I'd seen in travel photographs a hundred times.

My eyes widened.

Wait.

The streets. The signs. The buildings. The language. I looked at Ethan. Then back outside. Then at Ethan again."Oh my God."

His eyebrows rose. "Have you finally realised who I am?",I ignored him. "We're in France!",He gave me a slow, unimpressed nod.

"Astounding deduction. Truly, the detective novels will never recover."

I practically bounced in my seat.

"We're actually in France!"

"Yes, Gabby. Unless the school has spent an extraordinary amount of money constructing a very convincing replica of Paris somewhere else."

I turned towards the window again, my excitement growing by the second.

France.

Paris.

The Eiffel Tower.

The cafés, the streets, the beautiful buildings—

Oh, my goodness.

I was actually here!

I pressed my hands against the window and leaned forward, trying to take in everything at once.

Then I caught my reflection in the glass.

I froze.

Slowly, I leaned closer.

My eyes looked swollen, my hair was a mess, and my face had the general appearance of someone who had lost a lengthy argument with a bag pack.

I blinked.

The reflection blinked back.

I leaned away.

Then leaned forward again.

No.

Absolutely not.

That could not possibly be me.

I turned towards Ethan.

"How long have I looked like this?"

He considered the question.

"Do you want the honest answer or the answer that preserves what's left of your self-esteem?"

"Ethan!"

"Since you woke up."

I stared at him in horror.

He nodded sympathetically.

"Tragic, really. We had such high hopes for you."I smacked his arm. He laughed."I hate you.","That's a strong statement , you know you love me sweetheart ."he smirked my face reddened

"I mean it!"

"Of course you do. Your swollen eyes really add credibility to the threat."

I grabbed my bag again.

He immediately held up his hands.

"All right, all right! I'll stop."

I lowered the pillow suspiciously.

"Promise?" "Absolutely."

I relaxed. He looked at me forapproximately two seconds. Then he added, "Although, if anyone asks, I'm telling them you cried because you finally realised you'd have to spend an entire week with me."

I hit him again with the backpack that was sitting a few inches away from me.

Again.

And as Ethan laughed while I attempted to defend what remained of my dignity, I realised something rather unfortunate.

I'd finally arrived in Paris.

The city I'd been looking forward to visiting for weeks.

And before I'd even stepped off the bus, Ethan had already managed to make me regret waking up.

Suddenly Ethan murmured something to me

Then, quietly, he added, "You looked cute, though."

I turned towards him.

"What?", He was already looking out the window. "Nothing."

"No, what did you say?""I said ,it's nice to be back.","Ethan!" He glanced at me, and I caught the faintest hint of a smile. "Your eyes are swollen, Gabriella. Your hearing should still be working."I stared at him before turning away, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing how flustered he'd made me. Unfortunately, my reflection in the window revealed the colour spreading across my cheeks. I pressed my lips together. This was embarrassing. Not only had I fallen asleep on his shoulder, but he'd apparently been looking at me while I slept.

The bus came to a abrupt halt , Every person sat up and started packing while some had already gotten off along with Ethan, I ignored him and followed the other students off the bus.The moment my feet touched the ground, I stopped to take everything in.The air was cool, the surroundings unfamiliar, and the scenery looked even more beautiful up close. We weren't directly in the centre of Paris yet, but our teachers had arranged for us to stay at a campsite outside the city before beginning the rest of our excursion.

There were trees everywhere, a large open field, and several walking trails leading into the surrounding countryside. A little farther away stood a collection of wooden cabins, while the designated camping area was already filled with tents belonging to other visitors. It was beautiful.I turned around, looking for Ethan.

He was standing a few feet away, carrying his backpack over one shoulder.

"Come on," he said. "Before you start taking pictures of every tree you see."

"I wasn't going to!"

He gave me a look.

I followed him towards the gathering area, muttering something under my breath that I was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to hear.

Unfortunately, Ethan had excellent hearing whenever it was convenient for him.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Thought so."

I rolled my eyes.

Our teachers gathered us near a large wooden noticeboard, where a list of names had been pinned. We were instructed to find our assigned partners, collect our camping equipment, and set up our tents before beginning the first activity.

Apparently, our school wanted us to do more than simply take pictures and pretend we were having an educational experience.

We were also expected to contribute photographs and observations to the school's annual album.

Each pair had to find interesting locations, take photographs, and collect information about the surrounding area. The best submissions would be featured in the album.

I was immediately interested.

I loved the idea of documenting the trip. There was something wonderful about collecting little moments that you could look back on years later.

I approached the noticeboard and scanned the list. Then I found my name.

Gabriella — Ethan. I blinked. Then I read it again.Still Ethan. Of course.

I glanced over my shoulder at him.

He was standing behind me, reading the list with an expression of mild interest.

"Looks like you're stuck with me," he said.

I turned back to the board. "Apparently."

"Try to contain your excitement."

"I can't tell you how happy I am ." I said with a hint of sarcasm

"Clearly. Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.", he apparently had a great reply for every sarcasm

Before I could respond, I heard Marielle's voice behind us.

"Xander! We're together!"

I turned.

Marielle was practically glowing as she held up the list for him to see. Xander stood beside her, smiling, and when she wrapped her arms around his waist, he pulled her closer. He kissed her forehead. Then she leaned up and kissed him. Just like that. Right in front of everyone. My smile faded.

It was ridiculous how quickly my mood could change whenever those two were together. One moment, I was excited about spending the next few days in Paris. The next, I was watching Xander hold another girl as though she were the only person in the world.And I was supposed to be happy for him. I really was.

Except that being happy for him seemed considerably more difficult when I was the girl standing on the sidelines.

"Gabriella."

I barely heard Ethan.

I was too busy watching Xander brush a strand of hair away from Marielle's face.

He said something to her, and she laughed before kissing his cheek.

My stomach tightened.

What did she have that I didn't?

Was it her confidence? Her smile? The way she seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it?

Perhaps I needed to be more affectionate.

Or more confident. Or maybe I needed to stop behaving like someone who had never spoken to a boy before.I was beginning to suspect that my entire romantic strategy consisted of standing near Xander and hoping he would spontaneously fall in love with me. Which, judging by recent events, was not a particularly effective strategy."Gabriella." This time, Ethan's voice was closer.I turned.He was watching me. "What?","Nothing. I was just wondering whether you'd like me to fetch you a chair."I frowned. "Why?","Because you've been staring at them for so long, I assumed you'd decided to make yourself comfortable."My cheeks warmed."I wasn't staring.","Of course not."

"I was looking at something behind them."

"Ah. And the something behind them happens to have its arms wrapped around Marielle's waist?"I looked away. "I hate you."

"I've been told.He adjusted his backpack and glanced towards our assigned camping area."Come on. We have a tent to put up."

I followed him, trying to ignore the fact that Xander and Marielle were walking in the same direction a short distance ahead of us.

They were holding hands.

Of course they were. I looked away before I could make myself miserable again.

Setting up a tent turned out to be considerably more complicated than I had anticipated.

The instructions made it look simple enough. A few poles, some fabric, a collection of pegs, and a little patience.

How difficult could it possibly be?

Very difficult, as it turned out.

Especially when one person was attempting to read the instructions while the other was trying to fit two poles into the same opening.

"Ethan, I think you're doing it wrong."

He glanced at me.

"Wonderful. I was beginning to worry that we'd successfully built something."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

He pulled one of the poles out and examined it.

I crouched beside the tent, looking at the instructions again.

"You're supposed to put this one through the other sleeve."

He looked at the diagram.

Then at the pole.

Then at me.

"Have you considered a career in engineering?"

"Have you considered following instructions?"

"Frequently. They're very demanding."

I took the pole from him and attempted to slide it through the opening myself.

It got stuck halfway.

I pulled.

Nothing happened.

I pulled harder.

The fabric twisted.

I stopped.

Ethan watched me for a moment.

"Need some help?"

"No."

"All right."

He sat back on his heels.

I gave the pole another tug.

It refused to cooperate.

"Ethan."

"Hm?"

"Help me."

He smiled faintly and moved beside me.

"Thought you'd never ask."

Together, we managed to straighten the fabric and guide the pole through the correct opening. Once the tent began taking shape, the rest became considerably easier.

Or perhaps that was because Ethan stopped making unnecessary comments for approximately three minutes.

By the time we finished, I was satisfied with our work.

The tent stood upright, the pegs were firmly in the ground, and our sleeping bags were neatly arranged inside.

I stepped back to admire it.

"We did it!"

Ethan looked at the tent.

Then at me.

"An extraordinary achievement. I'll inform the newspapers."

I nudged his arm.

He laughed quietly.

And for a moment, I forgot about Xander.

It was a small moment, really. Nothing particularly special.

But Ethan was standing beside me, his hair slightly untidy from the wind, his sleeves pushed up, and a faint smile on his face.

I found myself smiling back.

Then I spotted Xander and Marielle across the field.

Marielle was standing on her toes, adjusting the collar of Xander's shirt. When she finished, he kissed her.

My smile disappeared.

I looked down at my hands.

What was wrong with me?

I had a perfectly nice partner, a beautiful place to explore, and an entire trip ahead of me.

Yet all I could think about was how to make Xander look at me the way he looked at Marielle.

I was beginning to feel as though I wasn't doing enough.

Perhaps I should talk to him more.

Find reasons to spend time with him.

Make him laugh.

Show him that I understood him better than anyone else did.

Maybe if I could just get him alone for a little while, he'd finally notice me.

"You're doing it again."

I looked up.

Ethan was watching me.

"Doing what?"

"Planning."

I frowned. "I'm not planning anything."

"You have that look."

"What look?"

"The one that suggests you're about to commit yourself to an unnecessarily complicated course of action."

I stared at him.

He shrugged.

"I've seen it before."

I folded my arms. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then enlighten me."

I hesitated.

I hadn't intended to tell him anything. But perhaps I needed someone to talk to, and Ethan happened to be standing right there.

Unfortunately.

"I just feel like I'm not doing enough."

His expression changed slightly.

"Enough for what?"

I looked towards Xander and Marielle.

Ethan followed my gaze.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he looked back at me.

"Gabriella, are you seriously trying to compete with those two?"

I frowned. "I'm not competing with anyone."

"Right."

"I'm not!"

"Of course. You're merely watching them every five minutes, studying their behaviour, and apparently developing a strategic plan to win a boy who already has a girlfriend."

I stared at him.

He raised his eyebrows."Did I miss anything?"

"You're making it sound ridiculous."

"That's because it is."

I looked away, hurt by the bluntness of his words.

He seemed to notice, because his expression softened.

"Look," he said, quieter this time. "I'm not saying you shouldn't like him. You can't exactly switch your feelings off because someone tells you to."

I glanced at him.

"But you can't spend the entire trip trying to figure out what you need to change about yourself just to make him like you."

I swallowed.

I hadn't thought of it that way.

"I just want him to notice me."

"I know."

There was something about the way he said it that made me look at him more carefully.

He wasn't smiling now.

He wasn't teasing me.

He simply looked as though he understood more than I had expected him to.

Then, after a moment, his usual expression returned.

"Besides, if you spend the entire trip following Xander around, who's going to help me find interesting things for the school album?"

I blinked.

"That's what you're worried about?"

"Naturally. My academic future is at stake."

I let out a small laugh despite myself.

He smiled.

"There she is."

I looked away, feeling strangely warm.

Then he picked up the camera our teacher had given us and held it out to me.

"Come on, partner. Let's find something worth photographing."

I took it from him.

"Fine."

"And try not to take pictures of Xander. We need actual scenery for the album."

I gave him a warning look.

He grinned and started walking.

I followed.

And although I told myself I was only doing it because we had an assignment to complete, I found that I didn't mind spending time with Ethan nearly as much as I had expected.Our first stop was a narrow path that wound through the trees behind the campsite.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating little patches of gold on the ground. Somewhere nearby, birds were singing, and the distant sound of running water drifted through the trees.

I stopped to take a photograph.

Then another.

And another.

Ethan stood beside me, watching with a mixture of patience and disbelief.

"How many pictures of the same tree do you need?"

"They're different angles."

"It's the same tree, Gabriella."

"You're ruining the artistic process."

"My apologies. I wasn't aware the tree had hired you as its personal photographer."

I ignored him and took another picture.

He shook his head, but I noticed he was smiling.

We continued along the path, stopping whenever we found something interesting enough to photograph. There were little wooden bridges, patches of wildflowers, and an old stone wall covered in moss.

Ethan turned out to be surprisingly helpful.

He pointed out details I might otherwise have missed, held my bag when I needed both hands to use the camera, and even suggested a few locations for our album.

He also had an irritating habit of appearing beside me just as I was about to take a photograph.

At one point, I turned around and nearly walked straight into him.

"Oh!"

He caught my arm to steady me.

For a second, neither of us moved.

His hand rested lightly around my arm, and I found myself looking up at him.

He was closer than I'd realised.

Close enough that I could see the little flecks of colour in his eyes.

My heart gave an unexpected little flutter.

Then he released me.

"Careful," he said. "I'd rather not explain to our teacher how you managed to injure yourself while taking pictures of a rock."

I stepped back.

"I wasn't going to fall."

"Naturally."

I continued walking, pretending that my face wasn't warm.

Behind me, Ethan smiled to himself before following.By midday, we had taken enough photographs to satisfy even our teacher's expectations.

We had pictures of the campsite, the walking trails, the wooden bridge, and several particularly beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.

I was beginning to enjoy myself.

Really enjoy myself.

For the first time since arriving, I wasn't constantly checking where Xander was or wondering whether Marielle was holding his hand.

I was simply walking through a beautiful place with Ethan, listening to him complain about the uneven path and occasionally laughing at something he said.

It was... nice.

Surprisingly nice.

Then we reached a small clearing.

In the middle stood a large stone formation, partly surrounded by grass and wildflowers.

At first, I didn't understand why Ethan had stopped walking.

He was staring at the stone.

"What is it?" I asked.

He didn't answer immediately.

I followed his gaze.

The stone was unusual. Its upper edges curved inward slightly, while its lower half narrowed into a rounded point.

From where we stood, it looked remarkably like a heart.

I stepped closer.

"Oh, wow."

Ethan glanced at me.

"Yeah."

I walked around it, examining its shape from different angles.

"It's actually shaped like a heart!"

He smiled faintly.

"Observant."

I ignored him, pulling out my phone to take a picture.

The stone looked beautiful against the green grass and the sunlight filtering through the trees. It was the sort of thing that would make a lovely addition to our school album.

I moved a little to the left, trying to find the best angle.

Ethan watched me for a moment.

Then he stepped beside the stone.

"Come here."

I looked up.

"Why?"

"Just come here."

I approached him, still holding my phone.

He gestured towards the stone.

"Stand there."

I did as he asked, positioning myself beside it.

"Like this?"

He nodded.

"Perfect."

I raised my phone.

"Do you want to be in the picture, too?"

He hesitated.

Then he stepped closer.

"Sure."

I held the phone out in front of us and smiled at the camera.

Ethan leaned slightly towards me.

The photograph captured the two of us standing beside the heart-shaped stone, with the sunlight falling across our faces.

I looked at the picture.

It was lovely.

"That's actually really good," I said.

Ethan looked at the screen.

His gaze lingered on the photograph for a moment longer than necessary.

Then he looked at me.

"Do you know what people usually associate a heart with?"

I blinked.

"Heart disease?"

He stared at me.

I looked back at him innocently.

"What? It's true."

He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head.

"You're impossible."

I smiled and returned my attention to the stone.

"Imagine if we found something else shaped like this. We could make a whole collection for the album."

Ethan went quiet.

I didn't notice.

I was already thinking about how to frame the photograph and whether our teacher would consider it interesting enough to include in the school's annual album.

After a moment, Ethan spoke again.

"Gabby?"

I turned towards him.

"Hm?"

He looked at the stone, then back at me.

"Do you think two people can start out as friends and become something else?"

I considered the question.

"Of course. Like when friends become business partners?"

His expression went blank.

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shook his head, smiling faintly.

"Forget it." I frowned. That was strange.

I looked back at the stone, then at him.

"Anyway, we should probably take a few more pictures before we go back."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "We should."

I turned away to check the photographs on my phone, completely unaware that Ethan was still looking at me.

For a moment, he seemed to be considering whether to say something else.

Then he slipped his hands into his pockets and looked towards the path.

"Come on, Gabriella." I hurried to catch up with him.And just like that, we continued our walk, leaving the heart-shaped stone behind us. I had no idea that, for Ethan, it had meant considerably more than a pretty object to photograph. And he wasn't quite ready to explain why.i got my marks I'm happy and I'm sure Ethan was too, after we were heading back to school the next day