Page 46 of Everything About You

Rhodes and I are a bit awkward together, and I wonder if Noel or Celeste will catch on. After all, at Roland Garros, he wasn’t

super shy about a little bit of affection. Now, even though there’s only about an inch between us, he’s much more distant.

seen in loads of movies and films and social media posts. Celeste and I took photos outside the famous little pink restaurant

with its green shutters, La Maison Rose, before we went off for dinner. The quaint buildings still stand from the days when

it was a small village, and there are vines sprawling across many of the facades.

Now that the stars are out and the lanterns light the streets, it’s an entirely new kind of magical.

Noel and Celeste aren’t holding hands or anything. It’s been interesting to watch them navigate their new dynamic around me.

They’re sort of like two middle schoolers who aren’t sure if they can brush hands around an adult, eyes darting around before

they steal a little kiss or squeeze the other’s arm, like they’re sneaky and I don’t see.

I want to tell them I don’t care; I want them to enjoy every moment of this new, delicate stage of whatever this is.

“Okay, I know I have said this, like, a hundred times already, but I cannot believe you guys are working the Maison Dauphine

fashion show tomorrow.” Celeste gawks, stopping on the sidewalk to shake her head with wide eyes. “That’s, like...”

“It’s mad,” Rhodes agrees.

Noel, with his hands in his pockets, pushes his toe into the stone wall we’ve stopped beside. “You’ve been to fashion shows,

I’m sure?”

“I have,” Rhodes says with a nod. “With my mum.”

“Is she going?” Celeste asks. “I love her style.”

He smiles. “She is. She gets a plus one....”

Celeste’s eyes bug, but Noel brings her back to earth. “You’ll be in Florida.”

“Milo, I bet your mom would love to go,” Celeste says.

“She’s got the fundraiser in the Hamptons this weekend,” I say.

Then I turn to Rhodes. “And anyway, I’m sure your mom has somebody she wants to bring.”

He chews on the inside of his cheek.

“Right?”

Then he nods. “Right. Yeah, I’m sure she will.”

“Will you guys get to watch it?” Celeste asks.

We both shrug.

“Maybe?”

“Either way, it’s still pretty cool,” Rhodes says. “I’ve never really seen it up close like this. The behind-the-scenes is

intense. I’m sure Milo has told you all about it.”

They look at me expectantly.

“He’s been too busy,” Celeste teases. “But that’s okay. We understand he’s got a few distractions right now.”

Grunting, Noel eyes Rhodes. Heat flushes my cheeks.

“Well, what can I say?” Rhodes reaches out, puts his arm around me, and pulls me in tight.

Celeste grins. “I knew everything was going to work out.” She points at me. “Didn’t I say that? At the start of the summer,

didn’t I say it’d all work out?”

“I’m sure you did.”

“I did,” Celeste says. “And you were all like, ‘This summer is not about love,’ but...”

Noel laughs. “Leave them alone.”

But I want her to be right. I want it all to work out. Because when I’m cozied up to Rhodes like this, it feels like the stars

above Montmartre are shining just for us.

I’ve never had such an unexplainable feeling in my entire life. Before Paris, I was always able to map out a game plan and

strategize. But ever since I met Rhodes, it’s all gone out the window. Whatever strength my brain has is overpowered by this

flurry of feelings, like butterflies covering a window so there’s no light, leaving me to navigate through intuition and emotion.

The affection I feel for Rhodes is overwhelming. I want to right all my wrongs and undo all my mistakes so I can stay in his

arms for all the starry nights to come. When I glance up at him and he looks down at me with those big blue eyes, I want to

capture this and keep it forever.

Celeste holds up her finger and then takes a photo. She squeals that it’s adorable, pinching her fingers on the screen before

showing it to us.

The photo is indisputably adorable. I fit perfectly under Rhodes’s arm, nuzzled into his side, and we’ve both got these happy, sort of lazy grins.

Rhodes chuckles, seemingly pleased.

At the sight of the photo, my eyes burn. My mind is flooded with thoughts, but foremost is that this photo will one day be

a distant memory, and that whatever she’s captured between us here isn’t even real. It’s just a brilliant act.

“Come on, let’s keep walking.”

I pull myself away from Rhodes and walk a few steps ahead, composing myself. There’s no need to get emotional over this now.

After all, I’ve got a night of staring at the ceiling in solitude ahead of me.

“Like I said...” Celeste hums. “Things always work out.”

“You can’t post that or anything,” Noel says. “It’ll be all over the tabloids.”

Celeste scoffs. “I wasn’t going to post it .”

“Well, I’m just making sure.”

With my back turned to them, I’m fairly certain I hear Rhodes pat Noel’s shoulder.

“Appreciate that, but don’t worry, it’s all good. People make up whatever stories they want all the time. I don’t care too

much about all that anymore.”

“Well, I hope you’ll look out for Milo.”

I turn on my heel. “Noel.”

He holds his hands up. “I’m just saying. Sorry.”

Rhodes’s eyes twinkle, I think, as he looks to Noel. They actually fucking twinkle . “No, don’t apologize. You’re a good big brother.”

Noel just raises his brows and looks at me like “See?”

But I know there’s way more to this than that. Way more to the way Rhodes looks both enamored of my brother and so hauntingly

disappointed in the relationship he has with his own.

“Not bad for a Circus fan?” Noel laughs.

“Class, mate.”

They start talking about football—Clyde Circus and Armoury United stats and players and loans and transfers—and Celeste rushes

up to walk with me as they fall behind.

“I don’t want to leave in the morning,” she says, locking her arm around mine. “It’s like I just got here, and I’m being yanked

away all over again.”

I squeeze her hand and nod. “I don’t want you to leave either.”

“I’m glad this time I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, now you have Rhodes.”

My heart skips a beat. “Right. Yeah, I’m glad too.” Eager to change the subject. “So. You and Noel.”

“Me and Noel.”

We both burst into laughter, which causes both Rhodes and Noel to call out asking what is so funny, as if there’s some sort

of Spidey sense that goes off. We fend them off when they try to catch up and badger us about why we’re laughing, and then

they’re settling back into their football discussion, which has evolved to something about the Champions League.

“I don’t think I saw it coming,” Celeste says.

“Somehow I both didn’t see it coming at all and totally saw it coming.”

With a gasp, she squeezes my arm. “Did you really? I think I’ve had a crush on him longer than I realized. And I think maybe he had one on me too.”

“Definitely,” I say. “Looking back, it’s completely obvious.”

“You really don’t care?” she asks, a sincerity in her tone. “Because if you do, I want to know. You’re my best friend.”

“And you’re mine,” I assure her. “Which means I want you to be happy. And I want Noel to be happy too. So, from where I stand,

this is a total win-win.”

“Right.” Celeste has the biggest smile as she glances down at the cobblestones. “A win-win.”

We continue to walk, and Noel and Rhodes are laughing behind us like they’re old friends.

“And look at you,” Celeste says. “You accomplished what you set out to. I’m sure they’re going to keep you on after the apprenticeship.

You’ve been amazing.”

“Yeah.”

Celeste bats her eyes. “What is it? Why are you being weird?”

“No, sorry, I don’t mean to be. Just a bit tired. And overwhelmed.”

“Well, you’ve been busy and you’re doing big things.”

“What about you?” I ask. “We haven’t really talked about everything. I’ve wanted to give you space and all that. But are you doing okay?”

She nods. “I’m good. Really, I am. I’m glad Gran isn’t suffering anymore.

And I’m happy I got to spend more time with her.

And now...” She takes a deep breath. “I don’t know.

This is nice. It’s a bit of an escape, sure, but being here is nice.

In Paris with you and Noel, and now Rhodes.

It’s probably the best possible way to get my mind off the sad parts of life at the moment, and it’s reminded me of what’s important. ”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She stares at me. “Milo, I know you want everything to be perfect, and I know when we got here you said this was all

about business. And you did what you said you’d do, but what do you think you’re going to remember the most when you look

back on this summer?”

This summer is unreal—a sizzle reel of absurd moments, mostly featuring Rhodes. It’s like no matter how I try to position

this summer in my mind, there he is. The boy with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. A wild blond daydream. Rhodes is like the

wind—he’s always there and he’s a breezy type of cool you want on a warm summer day. He made my blood boil at times, but he

also made my heart beat.

“That’s a good point.”

Celeste smiles like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. “You’re like the Billy Joel song. You know? ‘Vienna’? You’re rushing

to the finish line, and I get it, but the finish line isn’t the important thing, it’s all the stuff along the way. All the

people along the way.”

She glances back at Rhodes and Noel, and once again, I’m actively fighting a stinging sensation behind my eyes.

“And what if things don’t turn out the way we plan?” I ask. “I mean, it’s all well and good to enjoy when things are going

smoothly. But what if it doesn’t work out?”

Celeste shakes her head. “I don’t know. I guess I believe it always works out. Even when it seems like it’s not working out, that just means there’s something better. So things not working out are just things working out.” She scrunches up her face. “You know what I’m trying to say.”

I laugh and nod, leaning my head against hers. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

I’m not sure how, but it’s comforting.

Even if everything’s shit, I guess it’ll all be okay in the end.