Shannon was beginning to think there was no way she would possibly get to see Julian, or even come close, especially with the sixty pound suitcase she was lugging around behind her. She paused halfway across the length of the lawn, and was surprised to look up and see Julian filling the frame of the projection screen, his acoustic guitar in hand.
“Thanks for letting me do this, guys,” Julian said. He looked out to the camera. “Merci Paris.” The crowd roared, and close by Shannon could hear a French girl screaming Julian, Julian.
He began to play. Julian’s eyes were rimmed red, and when he started to sing Shannon was astonished. She thought he never sang, just played the guitar. Unlike Alex’s made-for-pop vocals, Julian’s voice was low, soulful even. The melody drifted across the lawn, and the cheering died down to listen to the slow song.
I should start by saying I'm sorry,
I know I wasn’t right.
I've been a lot of places, done a lot of things,
but I'd trade them all to undo one foolish night.
Julian strummed the guitar strings, his head bowed over the guitar. Shannon stood speechless, her suitcase clutched in one hand. Wilder Side had never done anything like this before. This…this was for her.
Now you’re hurt, cause I hurt you
And you left cause I made you.
And if you’re already gone, well I’ll give you this song
Even if you don’t want me.
Julian raised his voice slightly for the chorus. He sang as though it broke his heart to sing, and maybe it did. Beneath his soft hair Shannon saw the pain contort his expression.
I'm not too strong to admit I'm wrong.
I'm not too proud to say it out loud.
I'm not gonna walk away.
Because I love you, I love you, I am in love with you.
The crowd swayed quietly to the song, and as Julian played the last few notes Shannon couldn’t help the tears spilling out again over her cheeks. So many tears. She wondered if they would ever stop.
Yeah even if you turn to go
I’m not gonna walk away
Because I love you, I love you, I am in love... with you.
A ripple of applause spread across the huge lawn, but Julian didn’t acknowledge it. He just slung the guitar off of his shoulder and turned to the band offscreen.
“You guys ready to go?”
Alex took the mike from Julian and stepped into focus.
“Bon soir Paris!”
The crowd surged forward, screaming as one unit for the band. Shannon could see the rest of the band members getting set up behind Alex. Alex waved and grinned for the camera, and women and men alike in the crowd swooned for him. He was the rock star. He was the head of the band.
But Julian was the soul.
***
Shannon gasped as she passed through the doorway into the room. It was decorated in an old French style, with antiques and gilded paintings lining the walls. Hundreds of small candles illuminated the room with tiny flickering lights.
After the whole set, Shannon pushed through the crowd. Her airplane was forgotten—nothing mattered except that she had to get to Julian. With the thousands of people leaving after the show, it was like trying to fight her way against a river current carrying a huge suitcase. Luckily, as soon as she got closer to the front a security guard saw her and waved her over.
“Vous etes Shannon?” He checked his phone, and Shannon saw her face on the screen. Julian must have sent out an alert for her.
Shannon nodded, and he led her to the base of the tower, past two lines of security.
“Voici,” he said, motioning her into the cage elevator. He pressed a button and stepped out, leaving her alone. She started with fright as the elevator jolted to a start. It carried her higher and higher through the illuminated tower, and she turned around to look at the whole city as the cage moved up the metal skeleton of the tower. The lights of the city below stretched out in every direction. Forgetting her fear, he pressed her nose to the grating and drank in the view until the elevator ground to a halt at the top.
“Shannon?”
She turned around to see Julian waiting for her alone on the platform.
“Julian,” she said, and then the elevator cage door opened and she was in his arms and he was holding her tightly, as tightly as if he never wanted to let go.
“Julian,” she stammered, “I can’t…” Her heart was torn.
“Shannon, I don’t care. All that matters is that you’re here now.”
“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” she blurted out. Julian took her hands in his.
“You don’t have to. You can hate me forever. Just give me a chance to make it up to you. To show you how much you mean to me.”
“Another chance?”
“We have a week left in Paris. Just stay the week. Then decide.”
“Julian…”
“Spend tonight with me. Please.”
Shannon raised her eyebrows. “In a hotel room with the band?”
“I rented a different room. But first, you have to see this view.”
Before she could protest, Julian had her by the hand and was dragging her up a set of metal stairs to the next platform. When they got to the top, she clutched at Julian’s chest. She hadn’t realized how far up they had gotten—in the cage elevator, the view wasn’t clear. But here, the city of Paris stretched out in every direction. Underneath them, the Eiffel Tower flickered with the light of thousands of golden bulbs. The radiance flooded through the tower, and Shannon felt as though she were standing on pure light, looking out to the scattered streetlamps of the city streets.
“Thank you,” Julian said, clasping his arms across her chest and kissing the back of her neck. “Thank you for coming back.”
Shannon felt a warmth spread through her as she leaned her head back. Even in such a foreign place, in Julian’s arms she felt like she was home.
***
Shannon gasped as she passed through the doorway into the hotel room. The room was decorated in an old French style, with antiques and gilded paintings lining the walls. Julian beamed as she walked inside, obviously proud of his handiwork. Hundreds of candles illuminated the beautiful space with tiny flickering lights, and a trail of rose petals led her farther inside.
“Just like our first dinner,” Julian said. “You remember?”
“I remember. This is incredible,” Shannon said.
She followed the trail of rose petals to the couch which overlooked the river below. The water glittered with lights below, the window looking out over the entire city. They called it the City of Lights, and now she understood why. The shining jewel that was Paris spread across the horizon, darkened only by the slow winding curves of the Seine.
“And the view—It’s like it was when we spent our first night together.”
“Oh Julian.” Shannon remembered her first night with Julian. He had been so tender, so loving. She was sure that he would never do anything to hurt her. Just thinking about it now brought a tear to her eye.
“I’m sorry, Shannon,” Julian said. “I know I’ve hurt you. I want to rewind it all and go back to before I f**ked up.”
“Julian—”
“I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Every minute of every day for as long as you have me. I’ll never do anything like that again.”
Shannon looked up at him. She could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth as far as he knew.
“Shannon—”
She stopped his words with a kiss. She knew that he wasn’t perfect, but she also knew that she could forgive him. And for as many tears as she had cried in the past few days, he was the only man who had ever made her truly happy.
He kissed her softly, hesitantly. His lips lit a slow fire inside of her that stretched out through her body.. The last time they had made love, it had been so rough, but now his touches were delicate. He was reluctant to take her fully.
She pressed into him now, deepening. He took her in his arms as she wrapped her hands around the back of his head, stroking his hair.
“Oh Julian,” she said.
“Tell me what you want.”
“I want you,” she said. “Only you.”
They fell back onto the couch, crushing the rose petals underneath them. The sweet scent wafted over their bodies. Julian’s hands ran over her dress, caressing her curves.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said. He tugged down one strap of her dress, kissing her neck down to her shoulder. He stopped right above her br**sts, as though waiting for an answer to a question he hadn’t asked.
She pulled his head down to her and arched into him. His mouth found her breast and she gasped as he sucked on her nipple, his tongue circling the aureole.
Julian’s fingers found his way down to her, slipping between her thighs. She moaned as he pressed down on her through her panties, his thumb circling over her cl*t slowly, oh-so-slowly, as he sucked on her, his tongue moving with deliberate pressure on her sensitive skin.
All of the anger and tension and sorrow of the past day melted away as he stroked her through the fabric. Every muscle of hers relaxed under the flickering light of the candles. He moved against her, his mouth hot and desirous on her skin. She felt his mouth against her br**sts, then on her neck, sucking lightly, then moving back down.
“Ohh,” she cried out softly. His fingers pressed against her between her legs, stirring the passion that had been building up in her for the past week. It had been too many days since she had seen him, since she had kissed him, felt him against her. Now that they were here together, she thought that there was no way she could ever want to leave. It would be impossible. This was all she had ever wanted, and more.
“Shannon,” he whispered.
He pushed his fingers into her, his thumb pressing against her clit. Writhing under him, Shannon felt her body rise and fall with the strength of his fingers inside of her slit. All of the desire inside of her gathered up into a hard knot, pulsing within her body.
It happened before she knew it was happening. The orgasm ripped through her and she arched back, pushing herself down onto Julian, her mouth in a silent O. His tongue flicked her nipple, sending electric pulses down her body and making her twitch under him.
“Oh… oh god,” she said, once it was over. She had never come so quickly, so instantly.
In response, Julian simply laid his head between her br**sts. Her heart was pounding, and she could see the half-curve of his smile as he realized his success. His breath warmed her skin. She ran her hand through his hair, catching her breath. She could feel him hard against her, and she was filled with an aching that made her twist under his chest.
“Julian,” she said. He brought his head up. “I want you inside of me.”
Julian kissed her as he pulled down her panties. She held her arms up over her head and he gently took off her dress, then her bra, kissing her all the while. Taking off his own shirt, he gazed down at her nak*d body, a fierce desire in his eyes.
“So beautiful.” Shadows outlined his hard muscles, and as he leaned down to kiss her, she could feel his restraint.
“Take me,” she said, her fingers scrambling to unbuckle his belt. He helped her out, stepping off of the couch to strip entirely. When he leaned down to ease himself inside of her, he was harder than she had ever felt him before. Slick as she was already, Shannon gasped as he pushed himself inside, stretching her impossibly far.