I'll Wait Under the Paris Lights

Looking at Paris underneath the stars, I could see how it was the city of love. It was as if this spot- the small, wooden bench sitting in front of Boulangerie Utopie, was the portal to a mystical wonderland. The aroma of bread and pastries filled the air, and the bustling of the crowd felt almost distant, as if I were invisible to every passerby. The street was glowing with a golden aura from the lamps that illuminated the night. The skies were clear, dusted by an infinite collection of constellations, with a full moon hanging overhead. 

I was waiting for someone. I made a promise. Kalia. 

We met in the bakery three years ago, with the whole future in our hands and dreams to be discovered. We had no idea our paths would intertwine here. We walked in not knowing our lives would be transformed the moment we locked eyes. In the instant that we met, it was as if our souls connected.

I've always wondered what a soulmate meant and if such a concept existed, but I finally knew. It was as if we created an invisible string that brought us together. She understood me more with one glance than anyone else ever had my entire life. Paris wasn't just a place for romance, but it was the once upon a time to a special friendship.

 Every day, we'd meet at the bakery, sitting together inside and talking until the sun set. The span of our friendship lasted 14 days but when I left I felt like I was saying goodbye to my childhood friend. On the last day of my vacation, I told her I had to leave. She understood enough, and took me by the hand and lead me to the bench outside, 

 "Someday, come back to Paris. I'll wait here, okay?" 

Without hesitation, I nodded, "Of course.”

I realized much later that it would've been easier and smarter to just get her contact information and talk with her online. Then again, that wouldn't have been what she wanted. She was different. From the short time I was with her, I got a view of her vast imagination and her tendency to go against normality. She didn't like doing things the "right" way. She wanted to find someone who wouldn't view her thoughts as strange or crazy, and I guess she found that in me. 

 Kalia had two different colored eyes. One was the darkest shade of brown, almost black, while the other was a brilliant blue with a touch of orange in the iris. She would be easy to find. Besides, life would somehow bring me back to her, right? 

 Three years later and I did come back for her, just as I told her I would. It didn't seem like a long time, but a lot had changed since then. I wondered if she remembered me or if she really did come here to wait for me every day. Perhaps I took too long. Why would I expect someone to wait for me for three entire years?

 I sat there for a few more minutes as waves of people continued to walk by. The illusion of magic that Paris had created was beginning to fade away- I thought it would be the place where memories were kept and treasured, yet I felt forgotten. I was just about to get up and go back to the hotel when someone behind me cleared their throat,

"Excuse me miss," they said with a thick French accent, "Is this spot next to you taken?"

 I slowly turned around and my gaze met their eyes, one brown, one blue. The stars became dimmer and the brightest light became her smile.

"You came." I whispered. She nodded and sat down without me answering,

"I'm not the one who came. You are." She said, "I've been coming here every night, until the bakery closed."

"But why did you wait for me?"

"Because I knew you'd return." She gazed upwards, a wistful look clouding her face, "I've also been learning more English in the meantime. If you couldn't tell."

I didn't want to ruin the moment, but I had to bring up what we both dreaded- "You know, I'm only here for a few days. Then I'll have to leave again."

"I know. I'll wait for you again."

"Don't make yourself do that, Kalia. I'm not worth it."

She faced me again. She took off a bracelet that she had on her wrist. It was a simple, white band, where the two ends were connected by an infinity symbol. She took a deep breath as she tried to find the words. "I know this is not forever. But, in here," she pointed to her temple, "It is." She put the bracelet on me, adjusting it so the infinity symbol was on the top. "This way, you'll remember me even when you go back home."

'Home.' It felt so distant, as if it was someplace far, far away, in another lifetime. When I was with Kalia, I was in a bubble that floated away from the rest of the world. If I pinched myself, I just might wake up. I wouldn't be surprised if it was all just a dream.

My friends back at 'home,' the ones I saw all the time, the ones I did everything with, faded from my mind. They were my best friends, but the girl next to me... she was different. She was a mystery that I wanted to leave unsolved.

"Thank you." I said from the bottom of my heart. She smiled again and showed me her matching one. I was never one for material objects, but with these bracelets, the string that tied us together suddenly became visible.

As if she read my mind, which would be the least shocking part of this encounter, she murmured, "No matter the time, distance, or place, this bracelet will take me back to you."

This was truly something that came out of a storybook. Perhaps she was an angel sent from heaven, waiting for me when I needed her the most. What was stopping me from moving here and creating new memories with her?

I couldn't. I had a life back in America- my story was just beginning there. Besides, meeting Kalia was a once in a lifetime opportunity; I needed to preserve the delicacy and rarity of what we had.

I had so many questions to ask, yet this was just something that was beyond explanations. Maybe she did come every day, like she said, but I'd like to think she chose this day in particular to come. She knew deep in her heart that today was the day. Soulmates understand these things.

We looked up at the mosaic of stardust and I knew that in that split second of time, I didn't need answers. In that second, everything felt right. It was a friendship that was secretive and true, a friendship that existed outside of my normal reality. Normal was never our thing, anyway. 

In 2 days, I'd leave her again. I'd leave her to wait, to wonder if I would ever come back. This time, though, we didn't have to make a promise; we already knew. Same spot, same time, we'd find each other again. I'd search for her two colored eyes amidst all the crowd. The same eyes that found me that fated day in the bakery. It was all destiny.