Hard Freak

Crow glanced at Damo and the two of them grinned, but this was our together time we were talking about. I needed to protect that.

“Are you going to make a color-coded schedule of your time off?” he asked. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

Even though he was joking, I could see the merit in the idea.

“Well, that would be a grand idea. Then I could plan ahead. How about it, Polly?”

Polly shrugged. “Do you think I have time for that?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think you do. I need to be able to plan ahead. Otherwise, you can spring surprise rehearsals on me at any minute. If we have set times, then it’s easier for everyone. Jax, too. We need work/life balance, here.”

“I’m with Fay,” Damo said. “I’d like to plan ahead too.”

Polly tsked and looked away. “Anyway, the next rule,” she said.

“Do you have to call them rules? It sounds like I’m 12 years old and need a curfew. Please, do not say I have to have a curfew.”

Polly grinned. Jeez, now she’d want to give me a curfew just to torture me. “No curfew, but you have to turn up ready to play.”

“I always do.”

“And no sneaking around.”

Wasn’t that the whole point of this meeting? So I didn’t have to? More like, the point was Polly stretching out her torment for as long as possible.

I plastered on a big grin. I’d fix that. I had things to do today.

“I think we’ve covered enough, and I’m sure you and Damo want to be alone to enjoy your day off.” I winked at Damo, and he grinned. “So, Crow and I will get out of your hair so we can see some of the fine sights of this city. It’s stupid to be in Paris and sit around talking about nonsense.”

I stood up, ready to leave. I thought Polly would have more to say, but she didn’t try to stop me.

“Be careful,” was all she said. “This city is notorious for pickpockets.”

“Yeah, it’s notorious for beheadings, too, but I’m not worried.”

Wow, that had been so easy.

“So, we’re official,” I said to Crow after we left Polly’s room. “We need to do something to commemorate.”

He grinned. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

But I left it at that. He didn’t seem too overjoyed by the idea. Maybe it’d been a stupid thing to say. Something high school kids did, not adults. But I would love to have something to remember today by. I guessed things would be different dating a guy like Crow. He wasn’t like the other guys I’d dated, that was for sure.

“Let’s explore the city,” I said. “We have so much to do, and the weather’s so perfect. We can walk for miles and see everything.”

“Didn’t we do that in Amsterdam?” he said with a laugh.

“We’ll do it in every city. Isn’t it fun? Walking around a new city, exploring all those new sights, smelling all those new smells, eating all that new food.”

“It’s fun when it’s with you,” he said.

My heart jumped. It was fun with Crow too. We fit together so well.

We headed out, stopping to poke around in little vintage shops. I wanted Crow to try on a psychedelic shirt from the ’70s, but he shook his head.

“Come on. It’s so you,” I said.

He laughed. “Does it come in black?”

Then I found a street market and bought a red beret. It worked perfectly with my outfit.

We explored old churches and little art galleries. We walked until my feet hurt.

“We have to see Notre Dame,” I said. “It’s the most important.”

“What about the Louvre?” he asked.

“Nah, those big art galleries leave me a bit cold. Too many people. You can’t even see the paintings. I’d rather go to small places.”

We got to the cathedral looming by the river. I wasn’t really a tourist type of person, but when I went inside, it took my breath away.

“This place is amazing,” I whispered. It seemed like the sort of place for whispering.

“What now?” I asked Crow after we left the church.

“Lunch.”

Now that he mentioned it, I was pretty hungry myself. We wandered around until we found a cafe. It was all Frenchy, with checked tablecloths and whitewashed walls. The exact kind of place where you’d imagine eating lunch in Paris. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to eat there. It was perfect.