nt of me, my paintbrush raised, attempting to immortalize the spirit of the city on my canvas. Alex was sitting beside me, his guit

aid, dipping my brush into a pool of blue paint. "

rs. "I know what you mean. It's like that city

latticework sharp against the blue. I struggled to convey its majesty, but my h

Alex asked, h

eeth. "Yeah, just a little

ropped it. "Well, we can rest plenty later. L

I didn't want to spoil this moment with

as meant for this place, at that particular moment. The music crossed my face, and each stroke crossed boundaries to transform paint int

wasn't perfect, but it captured something of Paris's

beside me, his arm brushing mine. "It's

aise. "Thanks. It's not fini

tensely. "You're a

a little embarrassed. "I

aid, his voice serious. "You're livi

ng aside my fears about that ticking clock had been just about possible.

ood because he reached out, taking

mile. "Nothing. Just... over

suring. "It's a lot to take in, I know. But

He was right. Despite everything, we were here, in

e sky. Then, Alex leaned in, his lips brushing mine in a soft, tender kiss.

on his shoulder, feeling his warmth s

asked, his voic

. For eve

e close. "You don't have to thank me, E

of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, and the distant hum of traffic blended with the lapping of the water against th

ed slightly, my foot catching on the uneven ground. Alex caught me

ff. "Yeah, just tripped over

't press further. "Maybe we should he

for the suggestion.

it wasn't fair. But I didn't know how to tell him, how to shatter the illusion of this perfect day. For now, I pu

and for a little bit longer, I allowed m