Lexa's POV
It was hard to sleep at night when he was not by my side. I felt vulnerable when his hands didn't trap my waists like he loved to do. I couldn't feel his cold pale skin on mine and I was feeling immense heat where I was silently sitting.
Though we were high in the sky, which meant the environment should be cooler as science had proved but I felt so hot inside. I wanted to pull my clothes off my miserable body.
I looked around me and realized that I was the only one feeling that way. That's when I realized that the heat was coming from inside me. On the speakers, a female voice nnounced something that I really wasn't listening to.
'Ladies and gentlemen, Bandasun Airlines welcomes you to Paris. The local time is 3:pm. For your safety and the safety of those around you, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened and keep the aisle clear until we are parked at the gate. Thank you.'
Why wasn't I excited to be here? I always wanted to visit Paris. Everyone did.
Someone placed their warm hands on mine. It was nothing like Elliot's, I craved for his touch.
"We're almost there," Rica smiled and I let out a faint smile.
Yeah, a new life was ahead of me. I went into thought again. Did I make a stupid and childish decision? Should I have let him go that easily? Well, it was the best thing to do.
All I knew was that if we were really meant for each other, we would find each other and not even I could stop that.
***
When we got down from the plane, we were given pamphlets. On the pamphlet a map on how to get around Paris was given, as well as some basic French words that we could found helpful like Oui and Combien?
Paris was just as imagined. I was hit with another wave of fresh air as we drove to our hotel room. It was 16°C out, warmer than what I was originally used to.
I could see the Seine river as we crossed it's bridge. It was blue, deep and beautiful. I was tempted to jump out of the cab and into it. Life looked peaceful down there. I would be better off swimming with the mermaids. We were in a more chic area of Paris.
I smiled. This was where a special someone would love to be. I wanted to see her. There was a time I thought I'd never see her again, any of them.
Elliot gave her the job. If I was still with him I could have made him a better man. Or maybe he was meant to remain a monster all his life. If that was the case, love couldn't help.
I loved the style of France. The beauty, complexity and yet inner simplicity of the place almost made me forget my problems.
"Will you daydream all day in there, Alexa?"
I snapped from my thoughts and realized that the taxi had stopped. I simply smiled at Rica's words and got down from the car. We offloaded our luggage and turned to the hotel.
It was a massive five star hotel with Palais français written boldly in gold at the entrance gate. I wasn't sure if it was Rica or my special friend that booked rooms for us but all I cared about was getting my butt rested.
We rolled our luggage into the clean halls of the hotel and walked up to the receptionist's cabin. The hotel felt colder but in a good way, something like how Elliot made me feel. I would have preferred to be here with him.
For the first time, I noticed people... French people moving about since I arrived but I didn't pay much attention to them. I didn't come to Paris for fun or excitement. It was my first option to start something new in my life. I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.
Except, in Olia, with Elliot, in the mansion.
The most difficult thing to do was get him out of my head but I found it hard to believe that it was even possible.
"Bienvenue au Palais Français. Comment puis-je vous aider?" she asked with the sweetest voice.
I knew Rica knew every language in the world but I knew she wanted me to handle it. She was too busy absorbing the French air. I looked at the pamphlet, looking for words that could help.
I looked up to the blonde woman and said something. "Je ne parle pas français."
Which meant 'I do not speak French.' I was slightly annoyed, did I look like someone that spoke French as fluent as hers? And I was not ready to learn it.
She cleared her throat as if she was just programming English into her brain. "Pardon me. Welcome to the Palais Francaiş, the French Palace. How may I help you?" she said in her deep and clear French accent.
She didn't lower her smile for a second.
"We need keys to room 504, Lexa Halton and Ricarda Esmeralda."
I scoffed, I could be Lexa Vile or perhaps Halton-Vile but Elliot would prefer Vile-Halton if not anything. I slapped my face when I figured out I was smiling to myself again.
Elliot was haunting me even though he was nowhere near me. I was frustrated and I kept asking myself if I had made the right choice.
She gave me the keys with that annoying smile still on. "I hope you find your stay in our hotel wonderful. Would you like a tour or..."
I shook my head. I definitely didn't want to stay with her any longer. Fake smiles sickened me.
"Don't you want a tour, Alexa?" Rica asked.
"I'm fine. I just need to see her and some food."
A porter came around and carried our luggage to our room, as well as leading us to it. The more we walked into the hotel, the more I compared it to the mansion.
The mansion was still preferable to the hotel.
The one thing I would really miss after Elliot in the mansion was my designer world of clothes. I felt like crying. I had barely even started on them and then my whole world came crashing down.
Money was not a problem for me at that point in time. Rica could take care of that but even she couldn't heal the hole in my heart.
We entered our room and yes, it was magnificent but I wasn't very surprised. It was nothing compared to the rooms in the mansions. But still, these kind of rooms were every person's dream room.
There were two queen sized beds and just enough space for everything and anything. I didn't take in the charming calmness of the room but instead removed my shoes and slumped into a soft bed.
I wish I could just drown in it.
Rica moved closer to me. I avoided eye contact with her because I knew what she wanted to say.
"For how long will you be like this, Alexa?" I didn't have an answer to that so I kept quiet. Even I didn't know. "You need to clear your mind and forget about what you left behind. We're in Paris, I know how much you've always wanted to be here." I still didn't reply cause I didn't know what to say. I went to my suitcase and unzipped it, removing the first pair of clothes I saw. "You used to draw the Eiffel tower and you would put me and you on it, remember that."
"I didn't want to come here in this mood. But I have no choice."
"You can't stay this way, forever."
I pulled off my shirt and pulled on a nicer and comfier one. "I pray I don't have to."
I wanted Rica to be with me because if I was alone, I might do something stupid to myself. And also, I needed a motherly figure around me since my mothers were...
It hurt me just to think about it. The horrible images of Kimberly's burial poured in my head. I couldn't stay through it all, especially when I knew I could have stopped her from leaving so soon. Things could have been so much better.
They dug a hole, put her in a casket and...
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Rica permitted.
The door was opened and a man in the customary Palais Français uniform came in. He was holding a silver tray with a hemisphere lid covering it. "It's on the hotel. We thought you might enjoy it."
"Thank you, drop it there." Rica pointed to an empty table. He did so and she tipped him before he left the room. Rica didn't hesitate to open the silver tray and dig into the food. "This Charente Mouclade is délicieux! You must try it."
Rica looked too happy if I would say. It was either her insanity was still affecting her or she was just trying to make me feel better. Or it could be something else.
"I'll pass."
"Aren't you hungry?"
Rica would fight it.
I hesitantly stood and went to the nice smelling dish. I picked a mussel and chewed into it. I didn't know how but in a matter of seconds, I had finished the whole plate. I was starving and I didn't even realize it. I never joked with food but love could make the impossible possible.
Rica went in to take a shower while I opened my phone. I was staring at her number, wondering if I should contact her. Technically, she should know I was around but she could've forgotten.
I didn't want to sound desperate but she was my main attraction in the whole of Paris. A friend like her could make my trip worth it. I was just about to dial her number when there was yet, another knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"You have a visitor, Miss Halton?" A voice answered from behind the door.
I knew who she was so I didn't bother to ask. "Lead her to your restaurant, I'll be there."
"Yes, Miss Halton."
Her leaving footsteps indicated that she had gone. Rica came out of the bathroom and dressed up. I hastily packed my hair, rolling it up so it wouldn't even touch my neck.
I removed the clothes I had previously worn and wore a simple but elegant light pink dropwaist skirt. "I'm leaving to see her. Are you coming?"
I asked Rica, who was drying her hair with a silent hair dryer. She switched it off and combed her hair. "I'll catch up with you, go along dear."
I wore some black shoes and went to the restaurant. After asking for directions and collecting a map, I got there without wasting too much time. The restaurant was in dim light and it was classic.
There was a bar counter on a side. There were gold coated chandeliers hanged on the ceilings. You could use your bare legs to walk because the floor was rugged in colours of brown and cream. The number of tables and chairs were arranged strategically in an equal ratio and there was enough space for three people to walk between the chairs at a time.
Once you took your seat, a waiter would come to take your order exactly after two minutes.
There was a reasonable amount of people in the restaurant so it took me some time to sight her. Her eyes were on her phone.
I wanted to run and hug her but I approached her differently. I walked up to her and tapped her from behind. She didn't look up immediately. I guess she thought I was an annoying waiter.
"I told you I'm not eating anything."
I deepened my voice so I would sound like a man. "But we have a special today, would you like to try the Lexa fondue."
She looked up to me and her frown was instantly replaced with a beam of smiles. She stood up from the chair and hugged me tightly, almost squeezing the life out of me.
I was just as happy to see her and I returned the gesture. She smelt of lightly scented lavender and... happiness. She wore a pegged dress with a golden chain belt on the waist and her grey-black hair was in the prettiest bun.
She looked beautiful than I last saw her. What Elliot did to her and Ana changed their lives. Once they were maids, but now they were living like normal stable people.
"You look so fresh and well taken care of, except for those dark circles. You look like you haven't slept well, are you okay?"
Wendy had changed ever since she moved to France. I knew she was pretty but I had no idea she could be that beautiful. I couldn't compare her to that girl I met once in a maid uniform.
And also, she talked more than she used to. Her sentences were longer.
"I missed you, Wendy. You look like a million bucks, look at you."
She smiled and called a waiter over. "I'd like a full bowl of Bouillabaisse and my friend will have..."
She urged me to say something. I looked at the menu, picking anything that had a fancy name because I didn't have time to think and I wasn't in the mood for food either.
"Salmon en papillote."