Page 12 of In the Net (Sin Bin Stories #5)

HARPER

I arrived at our hotel tired and annoyed.

But after I checked in and dropped my bags off in my room, and decided to step outside and take a moment to walk a couple minutes from the hotel down to the Seine River, I immediately came to life.

I’d planned to go back to my room and take a little nap to recharge my batteries before exploring, but the waters of the Seine twinkling in the sunlight, the towers of Notre Dame rising just a slight distance away, and the early morning bustle of the city coming to life, filled me with such a thrill of excitement that going back to sleep was out of the question.

I’ve just been walking around for hours, taking in the city with a feeling of wonder thrumming through me.

For breakfast, I had a coffee and a croissant with jam at the cutest café.

I sat on the terrace and just fell into a daze people watching on the side of a busy street lined with beautiful buildings.

The customer next to me lit up a cigarette, and though I’d normally wrinkle my nose and move away as his tobacco smoke wafted over, here, it didn’t even bother me. It just felt extra Parisian, you know?

For lunch, I had an amazing sandwich of ham, butter, and brie cheese served on a freshly baked baguette, which I ate on a bench with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

I walked all around the Latin Quarter, stood in awe at the facade of Notre Dame, walked past the Louvre (actually visiting it will be an entire day itself) and through the Tuileries Garden, stood at the feet of the Eiffel Tower, went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for an amazing panoramic view of the city, took the metro—which puts public transportation in America to shame—to the Montmartre neighborhood.

Before I know it, the sun is starting to dip toward the horizon, and the exhaustion that my excitement has held at arm’s length is finally crashing down on me. My eyelids feel heavy as I stroll along the bank of the Seine to my hotel.

As appealing as the idea of exploring more of Paris at night is, seeing the city bathed in warm streetlights but teeming with excitement and adventure, I think I’ll have to experience that tomorrow.

Right now, I don’t think I can hold off the need to take a shower, collapse into bed, and sleep for about twelve hours.

I’m walking along the river, just about five minutes away from the hotel, when I spot something that catches my attention.

On the banks of the river, there’s a lower walkway running along that you can walk down to from the street-level sidewalks. I look down and see none other than Sebastian strolling along this lower level, right next to the river. And he’s not alone.

He’s strolling with a girl by his side. She’s wearing a corset top and a knee-length skirt, looking very stylish.

When she throws her head back with a laugh at something Sebastian said, the whole scene just looks so picturesque, two young people on a romantic walk right next to the smooth waters of the Seine.

Boy, wouldn’t it be too bad if someone ruined it for him?

It sure would be. A real tragedy, to have a budding romance crushed on his very first day in Paris.

Of course, if such a thing were to happen to poor Sebastian, it would only be karma.

“Sebastian!” I call out, hopping down the stairway that leads to the lower level they’re walking on.

I don’t even have a plan when Sebastian turns around, apprehension splashing over his expression when he sees me. The girl beside him turns toward me, too. She’s just as gorgeous as she is stylish. Is it immature that that makes me even more eager to ruin this fling for him, like he ruined mine?

Maybe. But what goes around comes around.

“There you are,” I say as I come to a stop in front of them, using the empty words just to buy myself time to figure out how exactly I’m going to torpedo this for Sebastian.

“Uh, yeah, here I am,” he answers, eyeing me cautiously.

The idea of pretending to be Sebastian’s girlfriend—again—pops into my mind. Pretending to be hysterical over seeing him with another woman. But I don’t think I can commit to that bit.

But maybe I can commit to a slightly less dramatic bit …

“I’m glad I found you,” I say. “Is there something wrong with your phone?”

Sebastian lifts an eyebrow, feeling for his phone in his pocket.

“No, my phone is fine …” he says, radiating confusion. He still doesn’t know what I have in mind, and that fact has me biting back a smug smile.

“Oh, really?” I ask, tilting my head, putting a suspicious look in my eyes. “Because Diane’s been trying to call you.”

“Diane?” Sebastian asks.

“Diane?” the girl next to him asks, looking up at him. I notice some suspicion creep into her gaze, and again I have to bite back that grin.

“Right,” I continue, “you know how she gets. Especially since she hasn’t heard from you today yet, and it being your anniversary and all …”

“Anniversary?” Sebastian asks, voice still flat and bewildered.

“Anniversary?” the girl next to him asks, her voice sharper with suspicion. She takes a step away from him. Biting back my smile becomes even harder, but I manage.

Furrows dig into Sebastian’s forehead above the frames of his glasses as he huffs a laugh. But when he turns to look at the girl next to him with a can-you-believe-this? expression on his face, he notes the expression of wariness on hers, and his smile disappears.

“Wait,” he says. “There’s no anniversary.”

I frown, my eyebrows pinching. “Of course there is. America is on the same date as us now. Don’t tell me you forgot that you and my sister started dating five years ago.”

I don’t know where the idea that Diane is my sister came from, but hey, I’m winging it.

“What’s going on?” the girl asks, stepping even further away from Sebastian and eyeing him with contempt. “You’re dating someone? For five years ?”

“Wait, no, I’m …” Sebastian fumbles his words.

“Wait, yes ,” I pronounce with authority. I swing my gaze to the girl at his side, paying attention to her for the first time. I pull an appalled face and look back at Sebastian. “Oh, Sebastian, don’t tell me you’re cheating a gain .”

Sebastian’s jaw drops, and I’m privileged to witness a very rare phenomenon indeed: him being lost for words.

He looks at the girl and finally recovers his capacity for speech. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but this isn’t true at all. She’s?—”

The girl cuts him off. “You don’t know her?”

Sebastian shakes his head. “No, I mean, yeah, I know her, but …”

She takes one more step back and shakes her head, her body language turning frosty. “Look, I’m only here for the next couple days. I don’t have time to deal with whatever this is,” she says, wagging her index finger between me and Sebastian.

Sebastian’s mouth forms a silent O shape as his tongue seems to be struggling to find words.

But his would-be date tonight doesn’t bother to stick around to hear them.

She quickly takes her leave of us, and Sebastian’s disappointed eyes follow her as she walks up the stone stairway back to street level and disappears into the Parisian throng.

Finally, I don’t have to bite back my smile anymore. It takes residence on my face, broad and very, very petty.

But it’s a smile of justice, because I only did to Sebastian just what he did to me. The only difference is, he started it.

“Harper! Why the hell did you do that!” Sebastian exclaims, turning back to me.

I just tilt my shoulder, my smile still beaming. “Why? I guess for the same reason you said whatever you said to Clement on the plane that made him suddenly lose all interest.”

“Hey, who’s to say I even said anything to him? Maybe the seven hours of quiet reflection helped him come to his senses and realize that he can find better company for the next week.”

He’s trying to play it off, but I can read the defensive edge in his eyes.

I square my shoulders. “Right. It was a total coincidence that right before I left him at his seat, he was literally asking me on a date tonight, then I see you two talking and looking back at me, and when we get off the plane, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

Sebastian gnaws on the inside of his lip. “You should thank me. I did you a favor.”

My eyebrows explode upward toward my hairline. I had no doubt that Sebastian did something to sour Clement’s opinion of me, but I feel a fresh burst of outrage at finally getting the full confirmation.

“A favor!” I exclaim, incredulous at the word.

Sebastian’s nose twitches as his forearms fold over his chest. I try to ignore the thick veins that swell over the muscle. “That guy was like twenty years older than you. It was weird.”

My jaw drops. “He was barely five years older than me!”

Sebastian has nothing to say. From the way he rolls his lips, I know that he knows the reasoning he just gave was full of shit.

I prop my hands on my hips. “Well, I won’t claim that I was doing you a favor. I did do her a favor, though.”

He huffs. “Whatever. Let’s just stay out of each other’s business for the rest of the time here.”

“That was my intention from the beginning. You’re the one who fired the first shot.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “First shot,” he repeats my words sarcastically. “If helping you avoid getting groped by some old guy is?—”

“He was twenty-seven!” I cut him off in exasperation.

Having no comeback, he just shifts his eyes to the side and tightens the fold of his arms.

“Whatever,” I breathe out. “I’d love to think this is the last time we’ll talk before we’re back home, but unfortunately, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. Just try not to ruin any more dates for me, and I’ll do the same for you.”

“Fine.”