How was she going to talk to Jimin now? She felt like she’d burst into tears at any moment. She was already struggling with feelings for him that were just too big. They hadn’t even hit the 24-hour mark in their acquaintanceship yet, and she already loved him. What?! But it was true. It was the emotion she’d been fighting against. But Jimin was just so safe. She’d never felt that refuge with any other man before. But she did feel it with Jimin. So, of course, she didn’t want him to walk out of her life.
But it was more than that. She wanted an intimate connection with him, and she knew that he didn’t have time for that. He’d already told her that he might have to ignore her phone calls and texts for days on end. She was being selfish. He had a life, a very busy life, to get back to. And she was just a girl he’d met – and kissed – and held all night – in and around Paris.
She wandered away from him as he paid the cashier. She was attempting to regain her composure. She walked towards the door. Should she tell him that she’d suddenly remembered another engagement? But he knew she had no friends. And she didn’t want to lie to him. She sniffed and blinked her eyes. Two tears slid down her cheeks. Hurriedly, she reached up to brush them away, but her hand was suddenly imprisoned by another.
Her eyes flew up to meet Jimin’s chocolate ones full of concern. He was holding her wrist in his right hand as he gazed down at her, an intense emotion swimming in those beautiful eyes.
“Eireen.” Oh, how she loved it when he called her that! That’s what she would miss the most. That and his stunning eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine, Jimin,” she whispered, the tears nearly reaching her chin now. She really wanted to wipe them away, but as she reached up with her left hand, she found it awkwardly grabbed by his left hand so that they were facing each other, their arms forming an X.
He was locking eyes with her, waiting patiently for her answer. She inhaled sharply, hoping oxygen would help. It didn’t. Her heart was beating about in her chest like a butterfly trapped in a cage frantically seeking any route of escape. Eileen blinked again as more tears escaped their bonds to slide down her face.
“Please, Jimin, can we just leave?” She looked around. She was sure people were starting to stare.
Immediately, he released her hand and reached up himself to wipe away the tears on her left cheek. He was instantly reminded of when he had written on that cheek with his thumb. That same digit now brushed her damp skin, sending a flame of fire singing straight for his bones. In a moment, it would engulf his entire body.
He sighed. He was in big trouble. Seven years. He had seven years left on his contract. He wasn’t about to leave the boys. He didn’t even want to, but he wanted this girl too. What to do?
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the shop and down the Champs-Élyssés towards food and, hopefully, sanity. They walked by the Disney store with its huge, colorful windows. The vibrant colors of the Magic Kingdom momentarily surrounding him, Jimin gave a brief thought to Jin and his fascination with Disney princesses. There would be no moment this afternoon to buy him one. A few moments later passing the white Chanel sign plastered on a midnight board, passersby were reflected in its large windows. They meandered past Sephora’s arched windows, ivory facade, and elegant black sign, SEPHORA displayed in large, white letters. Its big windows reflected trees and sunlight back at them. They walked by the Arcade des Champs-Élyssés, an area of boutique shops. Eileen noticed the glowing gold of the overhead ceiling and spied the Starbucks Coffee sign just a few feet from them. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee assaulting her senses, she wondered why she had always loved the smell but despised the taste. She longed for a hot cup of tea on this cool, autumn day, though. They even overtook a McDonald’s on their way to their little cafe. The scent of freshly fried potatoes and grilled hamburgers wafted to them on the air and embraced all who walked by the Golden Arches.
As they walked along, Jimin kept his eyes on the ground, except for his brief peek at the Disney windows. He no longer cared about sightseeing or shopping. Honestly, he wanted to go somewhere alone with Eileen and kiss her until her sentences were no longer coherent. He also really didn’t want to be recognized. He was afraid of what would happen to Eileen if anyone saw them together.
Suddenly, he thought of Jungkook and the crazy CCTV scandal of a short month ago. Jungkook had gotten ARMY tattooed on his hand as a gesture of his affection for their fan base. And what had he gotten for his trouble? A major invasion of his privacy. He’d gone to dinner afterward with the tattoo artist, a long-time friend of his. Who happened to be a girl. A married woman. But some crazy ARMY had hacked into the security footage of the restaurant, and Jungkook’s life on social media had become a living hell. People castigating him because they thought he had a girlfriend.
Jimin sighed. He had to get Eileen out of here. He spun around and headed right back into the Fnac women’s clothing shop they had just passed. He grabbed a hat, sunglasses, and a cute jacket that he thought she’d look great in – it was an emerald green that would bring out the color in her eyes and hair. He slapped his credit card on the counter to pay, never releasing her hand. He asked the clerk to remove all the tags. Then he grabbed the hat and covered her beautiful hair with it, sighing in disappointment as he did so. But the hat was a matching green. It made her eyes dance. He smiled. But then he covered those captivating orbs with the sunglasses before releasing her hand and telling her to put on the jacket.
Eileen was flabbergasted. Why was Jimin dressing her?
They walked out of the store. He hadn’t taken her hand again. She was disappointed. Her heart dipped a little. She really liked holding his hand. As they left the shop, he whispered to her, “We need to get out of here.”
“What? Why? I thought you said you were hungry?”
“I am. But, Eireen, you don’t know what would happen if anyone recognized me and saw you eating dinner with me.”
“What? What would happen?”
“They’d stalk you. They might attack you – physically. For sure, they’d attack you online.”
She shrugged. “I’m not online much. I don’t think I’d care.”
He turned towards her fiercely. “I’d care! I’d care very much!” He spoke vehemently. So much so that she backed up, and she was the one he was defending. She took a steadying breath.
“Let’s walk to the restaurant. You can wait outside. I’ll go order something for us and get it to go. We can find somewhere outside to eat. We’re almost there anyway.
Reluctantly, he agreed. He was starving still! They walked quickly down the sidewalk, making a beeline for the restaurant as they ignored all passersby and every shop they passed. Jimin didn’t even look up unless he was sending a sideways glance to the girl walking beside him.
They found a secluded spot near the restaurant. Jimin sat on the park bench as she walked to the restaurant. He had insisted on giving her cash. He was definitely buying this meal! She had taken care of him since he’d met her. And she was probably a starving artist.
Eileen walked into Le Maillot and greeted Chun. Then she ordered without even looking at the menu. She knew exactly what Jimin would enjoy. And of course, ordering for herself was easy!
She sat down to wait the few minutes until the food was prepared. She bid Chun farewell as she took the bag from her, wistfully sighing with disappointment that she and Jimin couldn’t sit outside in the red chairs at one of the cute little bistro tables.
Perhaps another time…
