You Only Die Once, So Why Not?

It was a sunny, cloudless day in Montmartre, and Christina was having the time of her life admiring the view of Paris when suddenly a handsome young man kneeled in front of her, took her hand into his and looked into her eyes with a mischievous smile.

“My dear beautiful lady, will you marry me?”

At first, she was completely stunned. Not only did she not know the man, but she also did not know what was happening. People were casting them curious glances.

She tried to find her words, yet she could not help but let out a short giggle. “When I thought of coming to visit the city of romance, I definitely did not think about anything like this at all.” Now that the shock had disappeared, she was getting more curious about the whole situation.

He was still kneeling on the grass in front of her, holding her hand in a warm, firm clasp, looking at her with mirrored curiousness. He seemed to be around 20 years old, just like her, and he had the same infinite eagerness and depth in his eyes she supposed she had most of the time too.

His light brown hair drifted in the summer breeze, his cheeks flushed with the knowledge of the unique thing he was doing. She wondered if he has seen her before, or if that was his first glimpse of her. He seemed somewhat calm, though he was breathing faster, considering how to end this awkward silence.

“I believe it is not the city you worry about, but random strangers asking for your hand is this easeful atmosphere.” He made a pause, choosing his words carefully now, then said, “I only needed to look at you for a few minutes to get a grasp of the wise, restless soul you have. I have never seen this kind of intensity ever before, and my instinct told me I would probably never see one ever again, as well as the sudden wave of energy that showered through me in the instant that I’ve seen your radiant face.

It is said that one only dies once. And if that is true, then why not live it at its fullest and most exciting?”

At that, her expression softened. She was neither shocked nor uptight about this any longer. Christina understood now that this was not a bizarre joke, because she looked around and there was definitely no funny friend with a camera pointed at them, that he was honest at some level, but she still had too many questions and this was not the place to ask them.

“I actually find this trope really interesting. I am not the woman to marry a complete stranger, but I am willing to give you a chance to explain yourself properly. Get up now,” she said with an amused look on her face.

His eyes surveyed her incredulously. He definitely did not think that the conversation would go that way. It was her turn now to watch him being dazed; he took on his chances without really stopping to think what her reaction could be. Now that she also took this leap of faith, he did not know what to do or to say next.

She suddenly burst out laughing, and he couldn’t help smiling as well.

The surrounding people probably took that as an acceptance from her, because they all cheered and congratulated them. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, then smiled pleasantly at the bystanders.

“Let’s start from the beginning then,” she whispered. “Who am I supposedly marrying?”

At that, he realised how incoherent he has actually been. “Charles”, he said with a start.

“Delighted to meet you, then. Seems like your name is appropriate enough for what you’ve just done,” she said with a sideways grin, then continued, “Well, as you don’t look like you’ll speak again soon enough, I’m Christina. Now, let’s get away from this scene, shall we? People are getting way too curious.”

Charles finally came back to his senses and, with a wink, grabbed Christina’s hand and guided her towards the stairways down the hill. With a final look at the towering church that blessed them with adventure and novelty, they both set off running down the steps, laughing at the peculiarity of the situation.

-----

It turned out that Charles wasn’t French either, but he knew the city well enough to get them to a cosy cafe near Garnier Palace, which he insisted was his favourite in the entire city.

“You see, this is where many artists come for a cup of coffee or tea and some crepes,” he said while holding the door open for her to enter. In the half-hour-long walk toward that place, they exchanged some basic information, for they couldn’t completely trust one another if they didn’t even know their respective full names, could they?

As they crossed the brightly illuminated room to the back garden of the cafe, Christina allowed herself to get lost in thoughts for a moment. Was he always so audacious or was that something he did just because he was usually shy and panicked, not knowing how to approach her? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen men make a fool of themselves trying to impress women before. It was more that she had seen perhaps too many of them. The thought brought a smile to her face, and Charles noticed it before she could hide it. Blimey, she should really work harder on controlling her face.

“Does that have something to do with me or with the general fact that a handsome young man just proposed to you in the city of love?” he asked while helping her into a chair. She studied him as he sat down gracefully beside her.

“Probably both. Do you often ask charming strangers to marry you?” she inquired in a joking tone.

“Maybe the question is more if I often find strangers to be as charming as you, my lady.” Charles slightly inclined his head, leaning in in his chair. “But you are not only charming, are you? You don’t look like a person who only has one story to tell, but at least one thousand. And that’s what makes you genuinely exquisite, Christina. You look like an artist, all lovely dress and hair, and classy red lipstick, and enigmatic looks. In that matter, I believe we are very much alike.”

“What, do you also like wearing summer dresses and wear classy lipstick?” she teased.

“Perhaps not in those aspects,” he laughed. “Though I would probably look adorable wearing those, but that is not my point. I was only saying that I am an artist too, a bohemian if you may say so. And we bohemians have many secrets, being tired of judgy faces. I shall, however, unveil mine if you are willing to hear them out and divulge yours as well. I would very much like to get to know you better, Christina.” He was gazing at her keenly, waiting for her response.

Christina was speechless. All she came here for was a relaxing vacation, maybe a little adventure, but she was not ready for this. Not that she didn’t find him intriguing - it was exactly the opposite. A small thought started nagging at the back of her mind, yet as she tried to push it away, it only grew stronger. Was she actually falling in love with a stranger she’d only met only an hour before? 

And yet. The spirit of adventure, of novelty, of passion, called on her so hard that she just couldn’t ignore it. Thinking about it, she realised she was actually enjoying it. She was looking forward to it. A smile flourished on her face again, and she lifted her head up to face Charles and take on his proposal.

“How about this: you show me the city, then we continue with this raving vacation to Gare du Nord?” He made a confused face and was about to start speaking, but she raised her hand to continue. “You said I am an artist, and you were right. I need inspiration. People, yes,” at that she winked at him, “but also places. Cities, mountains, seas… The great big world is waiting for me. For us. And I can only be grateful if you would come with me, for there is so much to see. We would have all the time in the world to talk about everything then. I feel like it could be a great deal of fun as well.”

Charles took her hand in his and gently kissed it. His expression was full of emotion, fascination and tenderness. “Never before have I been so blessed in my entire life. Of course, I cannot lose such a chance of bonding with you, Christina. And then, how could I not follow my wife-to-be in any place she wants to go?”

They both started laughing, looking disbelievingly at each other and thinking about the new unbelievable future unrolling in front of their eyes.