Reckless Love

4: The Ferris Wheel

~ MAIA’s POV ~

“Listen here Hunter, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about Paris!” I announced proudly.

Hunter hadn’t seen much of Paris and there were too many things to show him all at once in one evening, so for today I just showed him the highlights. We took a drive around Arc de Triomphe and through the streets of the Champs-Élysées. Then we took a walk around Place de la Concorde, stopping by Pierre Hermé and grabbing a couple of my favorite Chocolate au Lait macaroons.

Hunter was really fun and chill person to be around with. It was like I didn’t have to put my guards up when I was around him. He was so easy to talk to, and a great listener. We talked about everything from our favorite books and movies to random things like Japanese anime and DC comics. And oh, the best part, he had an amazing taste in music.

“What’s that?” Hunter pointed at the huge Ferris wheel in the middle of the park.

“It’s called Roue de Paris,” I answered him. “It’s just this big Ferris wheel we have,”

“We should go up there,” he grinned in excitement and I just gave him a bored look.

“What?” he asked.

“That’s such a touristy thing to do,” I replied.

“But it looks fun,” he said simply.

At first, I was skeptical. I never liked doing touristy things. But in order to entertain the American tourist, we paid 24 Euros for two tickets and I rode the Ferris wheel for the first time. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but Hunter was right. I felt a happy tingle in my stomach as our car went higher and higher above the ground.

The sun had set and the city lights came alive. It was truly a sight to behold. We could see the Eiffel Tower shining in all its bright glory all the way from over here. Heck, we could see the entire city from high up here.

Hunter would point to some landmarks and ask me what they were. I’d tell him the answer and he would get more and more excited. It was like seeing a five-year-old in a candy store.

“You know this city very well. Have you lived here all your life?” he asked after he ran out of landmarks to point out.

“Actually, no. My dad’s a diplomat, you know? We’ve lived everywhere. Come to think of it, I haven’t lived in the same place for more than five years,”

“That’s cool. You get to travel a lot and see the world,“

“Yeah. But I don’t get to have a home,” I said in a salty manner.

He turned his face to me and waited for me to continue talking.

“It’s hard to make friends when you move around so much. Everything’s just so… temporary,” I said again.

Hunter remained quiet. He’d probably didn’t expect I was going to unload on him like this. I wasn’t trying to either, it just came out. He had this vibe about him, like you could trust him and tell him everything. Still, I didn’t want to ruin his excitement about seeing Paris, so I quickly switched the topic.

“Hey, Hunter. Do you know what this Ferris wheel and life both have in common?”

“What?” he asked.

“They both cost money and they’re both pointless,” I laughed drily. “All it does it just bring you around and around. One moment you’re down, the next moment you’re up. You go through all these motions, but you’ll end up in the same spot in the end,”

“Yeah, but at least before you go down, you get a chance to see something grand,” he replied.

Whoa, that was… pretty deep.

I looked over to him and I found myself smiling involuntarily.

“What?” he looked at me quizzically.

“Nothing. I just like the way you think,” I responded.

He smiled and turned his gaze down, as if he was embarrassed to receive this compliment.

“So, what’d you think of Paris so far?” I asked him.

“Paris is really… intense. There are so many feelings, I don’t know where to start,” he said as he looked up at the view in front of him.

“Well, it is ville d’amour, or the city of love they say,”

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said with a wry laugh.

He was referring to this couple on the other side of our car that hadn’t stop licking each other’s faces since the ride started.

“Speaking of, doesn’t this make you miss your girlfriend back home?” I asked nonchalantly, but really I was fishing for information.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he shook his head.

“Boyfriend?”

“Maia,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

So he doesn’t have a girlfriend and he’s not gay. Why is he still not making a move on me?

“You just broke up or something?”

“My last relationship was like a year ago,” he sighed. “Anyway, why do you assume that I’m in a relationship?”

“Well, because you’re a nice guy and you’re kind of cute. I just thought it was a given,”

“Whoa, I don’t know which virtual reality you’re living in, but back where I’m from, this does not constitute as being cute,” he said as he gestured around his face and body.

Tall and handsome, but he clearly doesn’t know it.

“Oh come on, I’m sure you got game,” I said as I purposefully touched his elbow playfully.

“If by game you mean Super Mario Bros, then sure, I got game,”

“Yeah, right,” I rolled my eyes at him, but he just stared at me and shrugged.

And suddenly it dawned on me.

“Wait… are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Hunter Allen Rhett, are you a virgin?”

He looked taken aback. He just stood there with his mouth open and his eyes blinking rapidly.

“I… I can’t believe I told you my full name,” he said instead, trying to divert my attention.

“Holy s**t, you are aren’t you?” I demanded, taking a step closer to him as he stepped back.

“It’s not that big of a deal. I’m only sixteen, I have plenty of time,”

“But you have been with girls before, right?”

“Yeah, I kinda dated someone early in sophomore year,”

“What do you mean ‘kinda’?”

“I thought we were dating, but turns out she was just using me to get to my friend, Liam,”

“Aw, you poor thing,”

He looked like a lost puppy. I wanted to pinch those cheeks, but I restrained myself.

Hunter, I am declaring you a national treasure and you shall be protected at all costs.

“Maia, stop looking at me with those pity-eyes. It’s fine. I’m fine,” he said, raising both his hands up to make a point.

By this time, our Ferris wheel ride had come to an end and it was time for us to leave. We walked out of the car and we were back on the garden of Place de la Concorde. Hunter looked uncomfortable about this conversation topic, but I wasn’t ready to let it go.

“No, you know what? We’re going to do something about this,” I said as I stopped my tracks. Hunter stopped his too and waited for me to continue.

“Hunter, do you want to lose your virginity?” I asked point-blankly.

“Uh… sure,” he shrugged. “I guess…”

“Okay, then I’m going help you lose your virginity before you leave Paris,”

Hunter’s eyes widened at my proclamation. I think he almost choked on his own spit. He was staring at me with eyes as wide as saucers, trying to see if I was joking, but I was deadly serious.

“Wait… what are you talking about?” he asked cautiously.

I put my hands on his face to get his full attention and explained, “We’re going to turn you into a ladies man and I’ll help you lose your v-card before you go back to America. It’s that simple,”

“What? But, that’s in like… four weeks,” he stammered.

And suddenly, I had this eureka moment.

“Oh, I know just the thing! There’s this party next weekend at my friend Marguerite’s house, her parents are out of town. There’s going to be plenty of gorgeous, yet incredibly easy, French girls at the party. That’s your chance!”

This was a great plan. A bulletproof plan. I was so full of confidence, but Hunter just looked at me with eyes full of worry and anxiety.

“Oh… Eh, no thanks,” he muttered under his breath.

“What? Why not?”

“Well, you know… beautiful girls scare me,”

“But they’re French girls,” I stated matter-of-factly. “You don’t even have to say anything,”

“I don’t know Maia…” he still looked unconvinced.

“Alright, look, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about girls. It’s actually very simple. There are exactly five rules you need to remember when it comes to us,”

Hunter didn’t answer right away. He looked uncertain, but definitely intrigued.

As if right on cue, I noticed a group of street musicians at the end of the garden, and they were playing this smooth jazz. My eyes lit up as soon as I heard the music. And Hunter recognized that look on my face very well. He knew I was about to do something crazy.

“Maia,” he warned me.

“There’s music, Hunter. We have to dance,” I said as I grabbed his hand and we ran towards the music.

“I told you, I can’t dance,”

“That’s nonsense, anyone can dance. It’s just our body’s natural reaction to rhythm,” I said as we reached the crowd of people that started to gather around the musicians.

“Maia, people are watching and I’m way too sober for dancing,” he looked absolutely mortified.

“Listen up, Hunter. Rule number one, never let a girl dance by herself,”

Without waiting for his answer, I pulled his arm and brought him to the front of the crowd. The musicians played louder and I was taking it in. I rested my hands on his chest and my movements made his body move involuntarily.

He wasn’t sure of what he was doing. But he was moving, following my every move. When I moved back, he’d move forward, and vice versa. He wasn’t used to dancing, but he definitely has potential.

“Rule number two, listen to their body and not their words,” I whispered to his ears as our bodies were pressed against each other.

“What do you mean?” he stammered.

I didn’t answer him with words. Instead, I took his hand and let them rest on my hips. I moved in a way where my body slightly grazed his groin area— and oh my god, did I just feel a movement there?

I pulled away slightly and he gulped, trying to maintain his composure. He probably felt like he was being tortured, but I was having so much fun. I gave him a naughty wink and proceeded to dance some more.

“That’s crazy Maia, haven’t you heard of the expression ‘no means no’? I’m not aiming to be the next Harvey Weinstein,” he said between his breaths.

“Oh, shush. This is something you need to learn about women, okay? We act all tough, we talk all tough, but in reality, we don’t know s**t about what we want. Our lips will lie to you, but our bodies won’t,”

“You use an awful lot of profanities for a lady,” he commented.

“I never said I was a lady,” I teased as I grinded against him one more time.

“Whoa,” he responded almost instantly.

Teasing him was just too easy. He got lucky the song had come to an end and the musicians started playing a softer tune. We stopped dancing and people were actually clapping and cheering for us. I put some money down on the guitar case before pulling Hunter away.

“But, if girls don’t know what they want, how can we really tell?” Hunter asked as we continued walking toward the Louvre.

“Then it's rule number three, you listen hard,”

Hunter looked confused, clearly he wasn’t satisfied with my answer. I stopped and turned to him. I put my two index fingers on both sides of his cheeks and pushed my fingers up, forcing him to smile.

“Rule number four, smile. A lot,”

When I pulled my hand away, Hunter was still smiling and I caught sight of those cute dimples again.

“And what’s rule number five?” he asked.

“Rule number five, just be your darn self. And I’m only saying this because I know you. Any girl would be lucky to have you,”

I wasn’t just saying what he wanted to hear, I meant what I said. Hunter was the kind of guy a girl would love to marry someday.

“You got all that?” I asked him, as he was being unresponsive.

He didn’t say anything, but he nodded his head.

“Good. Just remember all that and we're going to get you a girl in no time,” I said with a little shove to his elbow, trying to get him all hyped up.

“Look, Maia, it’s okay, you know?” he sighed and murmured incoherently. “I mean, I don’t have to do it… I’d love to, but I’m not in a rush or anything,”

“Hunter, you’re like what, sixteen? You’re probably getting major boner attacks every day,”

“Hey, how’d you know that?” he was taken aback, looking almost embarrassed.

I just smiled and linked my arms around his.

“Don’t worry mon cherie, before this summer’s over, I promise we’re going to get you laid,”

*

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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -