L'amour En Rouge

First Date with the Dancer

Tessa could hardly contain her excitement the following Saturday morning, and even though she didn't know what was going to happen, she made sure that she was dressed and packed appropriately for the day-long date. Having taken a nice shower the previous night and braided her hair before going to bed, she donned a casual sun dress and her most comfortable walking shoes that also looked fancy enough for the date. After undoing her braids and smiling as her hair relaxed into a wavy style, she was thinking of getting herself something to eat when she checked the time before seeing that it was 8:15. Not wanting to be out of breath by running late, she did a final outfit-check before heading out of her room and going outside, and she was checking her watch when she heard a familiar voice.

"Bonjour, mon petit voyageur!" ("Hello, my little traveler!")

Looking up from her watch and turning around, Tessa's eyes lit up when she saw Florian standing nearby, and she ran up to him before they embraced. After they pulled away, Florian took Tessa's hand and kissed it before they started talking about where to go for breakfast. To Tessa's surprise, Florian had secretly wanted to try an American restaurant's breakfast, but held back because he thought she would want French food all the time. After assuring him that she would share an American breakfast with him, she looked for any local American restaurants on her phone.

As soon as she found a nearby McDonald's and showed him the route, Tessa smiled as Florian led her to his motorcycle, which he said would take less time than it would be walking there. While marveling at Florian's sleek ride, complete with two seats, Tessa smiled as he handed her a spare helmet before he helped her make sure that it fit. Despite having never ridden a motorcycle before, she knew this trip would include some risks and new experiences, so she waited until Florian had climbed on before doing the same and holding him tight. As soon as he started the engine, she wrapped her arms around him before they rode off to McDonald's, with her giggling all the way.

The breakfast was a delightful experience, complete with Tessa helping Florian order his meal on a kiosk, which she had used a lot back home in America. The two of them then strolled outside to his motorcycle hand in hand, and when Tessa asked where they were headed next, Florian simply grinned and winked as he teased, "You'll see!" With that, Tessa held on tight and giggled some more as Florian started his motorcycle and sped off to their next destination.

"Now, Tessa... the afternoon after we met at the Eiffel Tower, Ruby told me that you were headed somewhere when you saw a poster for the Moulin Rouge in the Metro, making you change your mind. Is that right?"

"Yes... I was thinking of going to Notre Dame, but... why?"

With that, Florian grinned as the two of them rode through the streets of Paris, and it was while they were crossing the Seine that Tessa saw Notre Dame up ahead. Thrilled to be going to such an iconic location with Florian, she squealed and hugged him close before thanking him already, and he chuckled as he told her that she was welcome. The two of them then spent a good couple of hours on the Ile de la Cite, enjoying the sights and sounds both at Notre Dame and in the Latin Quarter, and they went from there to the Louvre museum. There were multiple places for them to take photos, and while they made sure to follow the rules and respect the other guests, they had a lot of fun posing with different statues and paintings.

As a way to wrap up their first date, Florian took Tessa back to Montemarte before they parked the motorcycle at the hotel and walked to the Place du Tertre, where she smiled at all the artists and buskers they passed. After promising to have their portraits done later, he strolled with her to a local sidewalk cafe before they had dinner together, complete with Tessa teaching Florian how to bend the straw wrapper into a mini origami masterpiece: a heart. Touched by her gift, Florian kept her folded heart inside his coat pocket and promised to keep it close to him, and she giggled before promising to do the same with his by keeping it in her purse. Once the meal was done, both of them paid and left a nice tip before they headed out and went back to the Place, where they got their portraits done both separately and together. As soon as the art was done, Florian gave Tessa the portrait of him in exchange for hers, and they agreed for him to keep her portrait in his dressing room while she'd keep both hers and theirs in her hotel room.

With that, Florian walked Tessa back to her room before turning away so she could change for bed, being so respectful that he held her teddy bear as he looked away. Once Tessa was ready, she smiled when she saw Florian playing with her teddy bear and marveled at how gentle he was with her toy, and she felt sad about having to take it back from him. Somehow reading her mind, Florian smiled and gave the bear back to Tessa before helping tuck her into bed, even kissing her forehead before she kissed his cheek. With a final kiss on the lips, Florian wished Tessa goodnight before he left her room, where she sighed happily before rolling over and falling asleep.