Kismet?
“You alright?” I asked again, reaching out to get her attention with a gentle touch. Gazing at her with helpless concern, I furiously ran through all the possible excuses that wouldn’t seem so forced, and couldn’t come up with a single one.
“Uh…yes, I think so. I was just surprised. You came down the stairs so quickly,” she replied. “I guess I froze, and hoped that you wouldn’t run me over.” She giggled slightly, the nervousness still apparent in her voice.
Breathing a slow sigh, the rapid clip of my heart settled a bit with relief, and calm washed over me. I was glad that I didn’t have to fumble my way through an explanation that would have made no sense, like a blind penguin dangling from a hang-glider, searching for breakfast burritos. I could see it now, spitting out some nonsensical yarn to cover up my idiocy.
“Yeah, sorry ’bout that. I tend to shuffle down the stairs that way…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Thinking about what to do next, I suddenly noticed how close we were to each other. She smelled like flowers. The smell wasn’t strong, but light, something like orange and jasmine, but I wasn’t sure. Sensing our closeness, she pulled away from me slightly, shifting her weight from right to left, then looked up.
“That girl you were with the other day, she’s your cousin right?” she said, breaking the globe of awkward silence that had smothered us, allowing the sounds of the world to flood back into our ears.
“Oh yeah, Lynn, she came down before I did. We’re getting some breakfast then going to do the tourist family thing again.”
“I see,” she murmured. “I’d better let you get some breakfast then. I need to wake my brother up too.”
“Ahhh…I see, I see…well, I’ll see you around.”
“Ok, buh-bye,” she said, and started up the steps.
It suddenly dawned on me that it could be my last chance, since I had no idea how long she’d still be here. Taking a deep breath, I called out to her.
“Hey, Stephanie?”
Turning, she put her hand on the rail and looked at me quizzically.
“Yes?”
“Think you’ll be around later? Like here, at the hotel, like later on today, like you know…after we all do the family thing…” I babbled, my stomach crawling its way into my throat with each passing word.
“I’ll be here,” she slowly said, “we’re not leaving Paris for another few days.”
“Oh well, I was thinking that maybe you’d like to hang out?” I choked out, my voice betraying me with the hopeful tones of a wishful dreamer. “Maybe sometime later tonight?”
Tilting her head slightly, “I think I’d like that,” her soft voice barely masking her smile.
“Oh ok, great! I’ll see you later, ok?” I was practically yelping with joy. She was going to be here for a while and I was going to see her again. I hadn’t felt this kind of elation in a long while.
Spinning around, I bound through the small lobby, my grin plastered across my face. My mind mired in some obvious daydream, I didn’t pay attention to the few steps leading down into the dining room, which I promptly missed in my haste, and stepped off into thin air. Toppling forward, I grabbed for a railing that wasn’t there.
And landed right on my face.
