on the street where my apartment was located.
I took off the safety belt and sat up, my fingertips touching the cold window, my nose pressed against it because I couldn’t believe what was right in front of me. My favorite coffee shop passed by. “Oh my god…” My eyes filled with tears as the city’s glory hit me right in the face, the place that had become home the second I left the airport. Memories washed over me, of romantic dates that fizzled out after a short fling, of nights out with my friends from school, quiet mornings when I went for a run before the streets and park were packed with people. My vision blurred from my tears, looking like the windows covered in raindrops.
He stopped at a light.
I faced forward and looked around, the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
His head was turned my way, and he watched me, his gaze intense, like he was absorbing my reaction so it would be a memory for him to replay on a lonely night. He’d given this to me—and it obviously meant something to him.
I covered my mouth to hold in my sobs, to force my lungs to relax instead of gasping for air.
The light changed, and he moved forward again.
A moment later, he pulled over to an available spot—right in front of my apartment.
I pushed the door open and immediately stepped into the light rain, my hands out to receive the water, to let the rain wash away the memory of my heartache. It washed away my bruises and scars, washed away the former life that had been hell.
I fell to my knees on the sidewalk and pressed my hands against the wet concrete, unable to believe this was real. The passersby glanced at me but continued on their way.
A hand moved under my arm and gently pulled me upright.
My hand immediately grabbed his, and I pulled him up the steps to the main door.
My name was still there, like I hadn’t been evicted. I took the stairs to the third floor, pulling him with me the entire way, my hair and clothes wet from the rainfall. I made it to my front door and saw envelopes in the crack underneath the door. I grabbed one and opened it.
It was a reminder that my rent was late.
That meant my stuff was still inside, exactly where I left it.
I tried the door, but it was locked. “Shit…” All the things I had with me had been confiscated when I was abducted.
Magnus pulled something out of his pocket and opened the door easily, like it was a universal key.
I didn’t ask questions before I walked inside.
Dishes were still in the sink, the smell noticeable because they’d been sitting there forever. The light over the kitchen table was still on. My laundry was on the edge of the couch with the laundry basket on the floor. I grabbed a shirt and brought it to my chest, feeling my old clothes in my fingertips. I dropped it and explored the rest of the place as if Magnus weren’t following me. “Everything is still here…” I took the stairs to the second floor, to the office where I did all my work.
The Eiffel Tower was there—exactly how I remembered it.
The pictures were on the walls, of my mother, of my friends…of my sister.
She stared back at me…beautiful…innocent.
The flowers in the vase were dead.
Magnus grabbed the book sitting at the edge of the desk…my copy of the Count of Monte Cristo. He stared at it for several heartbeats before he lowered it and looked at me, like he could really feel what I felt, understand how overwhelming this was…because it was written all over my face.
“Thank you…” When I blinked, more tears fell. I never thought I’d see this city again, be in this apartment again, and it was given to me, like I was back in time.
The longer he stared at me, the more his eyes softened, turning warm like a cup of coffee.
“Thank you.” I moved into him and wrapped my arms around him, embracing him like a friend. I held him close and let my tears absorb into his shirt.
This time, he hugged me back. His arms wrapped around me, his chin resting on my head, his breathing escalating…like my emotion permeated his soul. He held me with his strong arms, holding me in front of the window that showed the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
When I pulled away, his hands slid over