Page 13 of XOXO

He remembered what I had said. I was flabbergasted. His thoughtfulness made me warm inside and now I was even more excited.

“If you don’t like it, we can⁠—”

“Oh, no. Now I can’t wait to get inside,” I said, grabbing his hand and walking faster.

Levi laughed as we walked up to a person taking tickets. They scanned them and checked my bag before letting us in. If Europe had taught me anything, it was that the simplest architecture had the most beautiful interior. I was not ready for what we walked into. The ceilings were high with beautiful art decorating it and books upon books everywhere.

“Levi,” I said softly. “This is amazing.”

He blushed again. “I’m glad you like it. Come on, let's explore and I can tell you a little about the building if you want.”

“Yes, please,” I said, taking his outstretched hand.

His big hand encompassed my own, giving me butterflies. If we ended up going home together, I’d pray to whoever I had to that he didn’t fall asleep on me.

“Damn, Levi, this view is stunning,” I said, overlooking the Seine. “You are on a roll today.”

“Thanks,” he said, tilting his head down, but I could still see his ears slightly pink. “It has a great view and their menu is so good.”

“I haven’t eaten a meal I didn’t like here,” I said, taking another glance at the view. “This meal was simple, but so satisfying.”

It was barely four p.m. and even though I had eaten lunch, all the walking we had done at the library left me ravenous. If my feet didn’t hurt and I didn't need a pick-me-up, I would have stayed at the library till they closed.

“I don’t think Paris could produce a subpar meal,” he said, taking a drink of his glass of Chablis.

“Don’t jinx me,” I said, finishing the rest of my wine.

Levi smiled shyly. The glow of the late afternoon sun accentuated his tanned skin and made his green eyes pop. We stared at each other for a moment, lost in our thoughts, when the server arrived.

“Un autre verre de vin?” They asked.

Another glass of wine?

I shook my head as Levi replied like French was his main language. It was sexy as hell, how effortlessly he changed from English to French. The server left, taking his card to pay for the bill.

“Are you originally from France?” I wondered. “Your English and French are great.”

“No, I grew up in Spain and visited America often. My father’s family was from New York City,” he said smiling. “I grew up speaking Spanish and English, then when I went to school I learned French because my papa loved to visit here.”

“That’s amazing,” I sighed. “Learning another language in America is hard, but I feel like here in Europe it's so easy to immerse yourself.”

“I know a little Italian and Korean too,” he said. “I think I tried learning those a little too late.”

“You’re never too old to learn a language,” I said, leaning forward. “If you ever need help, I’m a great teacher and I know of a really cool app.”

“I think I’d like one-on-one lessons, please,” he said, his voice a little husky.

“I think that could be arranged,” I said, feeling my body grow hot.

We watched each other for a moment before I had to look away. Levi cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“I’m not ready for this to end. Would you like to watch a movie at my home with me?” Levi asked, biting his lip. “Or we could get started on language lessons.”

“Only if you show me what kind of setup you use for programming,” I said, trying not to show how excited I was.

“I don’t know if you’re ready for my setup.” He grinned, taking the bill from the server, thanking her for her service.

“Did you build it yourself?” I leaned forward.