- It's simple, Eric. Who do you want to fight for, from the bottom of your soul? How is the city where you would live forever?
Eric didn't give much attention to that. He sort of laughed. He looked at Alice, as if he was waiting for complicity to laugh of those random questions, but he never received any.
Alice was looking at him, lucid, smiling, with a malicious smile and seductive as if she was some sort of female Johnny Depp. He didn't know why he made that comparison, but he really did.
He looked at Alice, very intrigued with what was going on. And then he looked back to Marie.
- Are you serious?
Marie quickly nodded - she was serious- smiling in a very friendly, challenging and ironic way, all at the same time.
Eric looked around, thinking about it. Marie went back to her book and Alice was looking at a child at the bottom end of the stairway. Sometimes she would look at Eric, and all of that was too distressful for him. He could feel the weight of that moment on his shoulders.
After what seemed to be an hour, where memories had come and gone in his mind without being called for, Eric noticed it was clear.
- You, Marie – And he felt a huge relief on his shoulders.
- Ah yeah? Why? What about the city? - And she kept doing exactly what she had been doing, almost in a childish way, leaving Eric completely stunned. He had just declared himself to her.
Alice went downstairs, to play with the child. Her child, a pretty young girl. And the father, very gentle with both of them. It could've been Eric, he wasn't sure, because they were a bit too far now. He couldn't see straight what was going on there.
- Why? … - She repeated out loud, and Eric knew it was probably the most important question of his life.
For another moment that felt like an hour, Eric thought about that question.
- I would live... - And kept looking around
They were now in another level of stairways, under a very gentle sun, looking to where they were a moment ago. Marie was now sitting by his side, with the same clothes, without the book and without the childish manners. She was looking at him and at Alice, also trying to figure out if the child's father could be him.
Eric was in complete silence as he meditated about his life.
- I would live in a city that had faced a bloody past, to enjoy the days of peace and to understand it, knowing from where its strength comes from... Where history is still present and visible. Where I could feel her soul in its children and its art... Know some people by the name, but not in a boring or completely bucolic way. Where I can feel you, build a life with you... And finally where we could have a home of our own, and for our kids.
Where its ideas are fertile and its heart, as a mother, with the guidance of a father... Because... It's like...-He cleared his throat - I know that... Since the first moment, I loved you, and soon after I hated you. I abandoned you. I mistreated you. I hurt you because I wanted to hurt myself. I was a coward, I was stupid. I was weak. And I'm tired of being weak...
But I always loved you and I always felt the huge love and infinite affection that you always had towards me. You were always by my side, even if just in my thoughts. And I'll be eternally, madly in love with you and I hope to retribute the love and affection that you always gave me, somehow, one day - He paused -
… I want to live in a city that will be honest with us. Where I can redeem myself with you. Where everyone will know, since day one that I am yours, from the tinniest part of me and that I have no reasons to be afraid of telling you this, or anything else, anymore – He paused for a second – … I love you, Marie. It was always you. It was always with you... I always loved you...
Words wouldn't come out anymore. His eyes would get too many tears and all of that seemed to be almost choking him. Marie hugged him, almost as if she was holding a child.
Tears wouldn't stop falling. There was a lot of people around now, but Eric didn't care. She was holding him with all of her love, once again.
Marie kissed his face and said to him, very gently, by his ear:
- Thank you, my love...
Eric had conscious of only a few seconds. But he wanted to stay there. He really did.
He didn't feel that pain there. There he wasn't hurting anyone. He was in peace there.
… He woke up on his bed, sweating a lot, with Marie by his side, awake, worried about him. She asked if he was ok but he never said anything back. He just nodded, held her, after a moment of confusion. He held her like he have never held anyone before.
He was almost sure he had spoken a bit during his sleep. He was almost sure she had heard and understood him.
The next day, everyone had to wake up pretty early because The Meirelles parents had made an invitation to go with them have a nice lunch on a friend's house, near Paris.
Marie, by divine inspiration, decided to invite her aunt, and everyone agreed with the idea - specially her aunt.
When they arrived at her mansion to go pick her up, Marie's aunt was still in the pool, sun-bathing her gorgeous body.
She was completely wet, and just to bother them, she made sure she hugged everyone, smiling. She asked if they wanted to drink or eat anything and they talked for a while around the pool while she was enjoying “her last dip” in the pool.
Suddenly, a man appeared from inside the house, going to talk to them, drying his hair with a towel, for embarrassment and awkwardness of everyone: It was a very (very) famous Hollywood actor, and they all knew who he was. Everyone froze, in shock.
- Hey, my dears, let me introduce you to....well, I'm pretty sure you all know who he is, Hun? - She smiled - … Baby, these are: Eric, Marie (my niece), Mike, Isadora and Gustavo – Said, indicating each one of them while they were still astonished by the guy's presence.
- Hey guys
- Don't worry, they all speak English, you won't have to force your French today – She kept smiling and then said in French – His French is horrible, poor guy!
- It's not that bad... - He said in French, trying to defend himself, laughing... Yeah, it was a bit bad. And then in English, smiling – I've been trying to learn a bit for a couple of weeks now.
- So guys, I need a couple of minutes to get ready, and then we can go...
She smiled to everyone, knowing exactly the situation she created. She disappeared inside the house.
Once they were all alone, he actually seemed to try and start some conversation, but I guess he never found any ice breaker.
- So.... - Isadora tried to help
- So...
They both smiled at each other. He looked like a really nice guy.
- Dude, just tell me one thing
When Gustavo started talking like that, they all had a skip in their heart beat.
-Yeah...
- I know you've already slept with several celebrities, you know – Yeah, sure it did start well – Can you tell me like any of them that... reaallly reaally needed make up? I mean, you woke up next to her in the next morning and ...wowww, right? I mean, just out of curiosity...
Gustavo asked that with a genuine curiosity and at the same time being extremely ironic and dissimulated, with a facial expression that only he could do: pretending that he couldn't notice the awkwardness he would create around him. But the said-actor laughed, and when he said something, he discretely answered:
- We
ll, for yes or no, I rather not comment on that
- Oh, come on, dude, we are between guys here...
- Ahn, Gustavo? Hi? - Isadora called the attention to her and Marie, both smiling.
- You don't count as a girl; you’re more of a man than Mike. And Marie...I'd say she's used to that already. Although she's definitely a girl … - He actually winked at Marie, making everyone laugh, except him, that continued with that poker face, as if he didn't understand why that was so funny.
- Alright, I'll start a rumor that you're gay, dude
He laughed and asked:
- What?
- Yeah, you're too pretty and too polite to be straight... Relax, there was already some people talking about it.
He laughed
- Whaaat?
They all laughed, including Gustavo. They became pretty much intimate after a bit more than half an hour talking and waiting for Marie's aunt to get ready.
- Shall we? - She was once again gorgeous in her simplicity when she finally found them in the living room.
- Sure, I'm gonna go get my car - Bea
- Yeah, sure - Marie
- No, honey, come on. Let me get mine, I do need to get used to it – The said-actor smiled and went to get his car when Bea finally agreed with him.
- Ha, what a show off!
He gave one last look, smiling, and just kept on his way to go get his car
- Ai ai, he wants to show off his new toy. He has it for a couple of days already and he uses any kind of excuse to take it out, even for groceries – She kept smiling – Men and their toys, you know... - Marie and Isa just agreed with their heads.
Mike's car was near the front door as this red thunder appeared in the speed of light, stopping millimeters away from his car. It could be said that all of them had almost have a heart attack. It was literally millimeters away from hitting Mike's car.
It was, probably, the most awesome Ferrari in the world. Yeah, he was a Ferrari kind of guy, who would've said.
Marie's aunt had the presence of spirit to use the camera she had in her hand and was able to take a really good picture of their reaction.
- Ops, that was close hun? - He smiled and gave a quick wink
- Guuuys, this picture is so going to Instagram....so funny
- Maaan, you HAVE to let me drive her! - Gustavo was jumping, screaming, sweating, completely astonished by the car
- You drive? ….It's a her now? Hey, how old are you?
- Eighteen man... – He jumped to the driver's seat (It was a convertible car) in the second the owner was getting out. Big mistake.
They looked at him and then to Marie's aunt. Gustavo was already making sound and dust when they all told Eric to jump in the car:
- Go, Eric!
- Ah, fuck...
- Hey, you know where it is?
- Yeah I do!
- Hey dude, just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for this car?
- Hmm, around one million euros, duude – He smiled
Gustavo was left speechless
- Don't crash it, ok? I kinda like you; I wouldn't like to have to kill you – He smiled - I just bought it, I'm shipping it to the States in a couple of weeks...
- It's ok dude. I love you already... We need to take a picture later on so you can show your friends who you've met in Paris...Me, I mean...
They ended up taking one at that moment: the actor, the car, Gustavo and Eric on the passenger seat
- Alright Eric, Let me show you how you drive a car like this
- Have you ever driven a car like this? - Eric was a bit surprised
- Not in completely legal situations... - He smiled and winked
- Holy shit...What if the police stop us?
- Dude....dude, don't be a pussy. With this car, no one can ever reach us....Have you never seen Fast and Furious? They never got stopped by the cops for license and registration...why? Speed, man....It's all about the speed, man – And then he smiled, the most malicious smile Eric had ever seen on his life
- Holy shit.... We are gonna die, fuck...
Eric had always been a fast driver. Since he got his license it was like that. But with Gustavo driving, in that car, it was absolutely insane.
He passed cars like Eric only saw in actions movies. The hardest curves in the speed of light.
He was almost reaching two hundred km/hour and was driving like it was no big deal, saying it was not even close to the limit of that kind of engine.
Eric barely said anything, but if there was a moment in his life that he actually thought he was going to die, it was during that ride. He actually asked Gustavo to go slower at some point, but it was useless. He then actually screamed for him to slow down. Not a reaction. “Well, if I'm about to die, I'm not gonna piss my pants because of my little brother” and then he didn't say anything anymore.
By the end of the ride however, Eric was able to get the driver seat, because Gustavo actually insisted him to drive a while and “feel that car”
Eric finished the ride way (way) slower, and Gustavo just limited himself to laugh at his older brother.
The second car with the rest of the people took forever to get there after them. Everyone that was already there got completely astonished when Eric and Gustavo parked that car, in the yard of their parent's friends.
Eric hugged Marie, smiling, when she finally got there. They understood everything and they tried their best not to laugh their asses off. Gustavo once again pretended he had no idea what was going on, and even when Isadora starred at him with her stare of death, he completely ignored her.
It would be a very peaceful day, an excellent lunch that lasted for hours. They would stay there until six in the afternoon and they were around twenty people in total. Everyone noticed Marie's aunt boyfriend, who also ended up having a great time among all those French people. They certainly had unbelievably good food and the best wine. By the end of the day, the actor was singing out loud holding arms with a couple of those people, a bit tipsy. Lots of them had gotten a bit tipsy. It got pretty hard for Eric to stay drinking water at some points.
Eric would grab the car on the way back, with Marie on the passenger seat: Her hair in the wind, her scent, her eyes, her smiles and their talk in that ride back would become inspiration for several amazing dreams, everything followed by some very loud rock music. The dream he had with her kept coming into his mind several times in the weeks that followed.
Marie was completely gorgeous and she loved him.
The future was brilliant ahead of them.
Two days after that lunch, Eric had three reasons to get really happy when he landed in Montreal. First, because he hadn’t had a pleasant flight... nor easy. He was still having problems with flying and even with the minor turbulence they faced, he ended up spending terrible hours in a silent, cold panic. He also wasn't able to sleep for more than five minutes during the whole flight so you can only imagine how happy he was when he got off that plane.
Second, because Tom was waiting for him at the airport and he couldn't deny how happy he
was to see his old friend after everything that had happened in the last months.
And finally, he was in Montreal, in the beginning of spring. And Montreal was, easily, his second
favorite city in the world.
Those few days were promising big things.
- Eeeric!
- Duuude, it's good to see you!
- Same here, man, same here. How are you?
- Ah, man. I'm fucking great, man.
- Awesome, good to know, good to know....
They grabbed some food for Eric, who was starving, then they went to pay the parking lot, put his bags in the trunk and finally got in Tom's car.
- Dude, I cannot believe you're in Montreal... - Tom
- I know, it’s been what?
- No idea, maybe eight months?
- Maybe more, I don’t know...How are things going around here? - Eric
- Ah man, they are great ...well, for one side; right....the other is like the same. You know how it goes... - Tom tried to keep a cool expression about it
- Hmmm... Ok ok, not bad
- And how are things going with you in Paris?
- They are ...pretty great actually – Eric smiled
- It must be insane over there, right? … Marie, Mike, Jan, your family... Coolest people I know are finally gathering around one city. Too bad is not in Montreal – He smiled
- I Knoow...
- Ah man, that's great. I really miss those guys … and that city...
-Yeah man, yeah. We have so many things to talk about it.... - Eric
-Yees... I know. Don't worry man; we'll do it, for sure. - Tom
- Alright, so where to?
- Ha... Hey, yeah, I have some people to introduce you to, Eric
- Ha, that's unoriginal, hun
Tom laughed.
- We do our best, right
- For sure... But so, tell me, what do we have planned?
- Always direct... Right now I'm leaving you at your hotel, so you'll have two or three hours to chillax. Then I'll call you when I'm heading back so we can have something to eat... I'm really sorry, bro, but I really have to go home and chill for some time... and finish a bit of paper work.