Chapter One: The Arrival

I stepped into the airport after exiting the boarding tunnel and immediately felt more alone than I had in months. I walked a ways forward in hopes that I would find my new guardian, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Ah, ma Chérie,” said a deep male voice from behind me. I whirled around expecting to see my stepfather. Sadly, I had no idea who this man was. He was tall, most likely about 6’3”, with dark hair that hung at just the right height around his temples. The muscles in his arms and chest were visible through the thin grey shirt he wore. He looked to be about 19 or 20; definitely not my stepfather.

“I’m sorry. You must have me mistaken with someone else; my name isn’t Cherry.” I replied quickly before turning back around. I couldn’t believe that I’d even managed to get those words out. It helped to know that he probably didn’t even speak English. Moving across the ocean to France may have sounded like an adventure when I was younger, but now it seemed more like a nightmare. I hadn’t thought I’d have to deal with the language barrier this soon.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a beautiful laugh. I turned back to the guy to see that he was laughing. The sight of this caught me off guard.

“No, not Cherry. Chérie. It means darling. And now that you bring it up, what is your name?” I guess he did speak English. And more importantly, he was flirting with me. I couldn’t believe it. While I’d always been told I was pretty, I’d never really taken it seriously. But this god in jeans was flirting with me, so there must have been some truth to it.

“Um, Kala. Kala Jensen. What’s yours?” I replied, as smoothly as I could. And by this, I mean that I stumbled over my words and stared at his shoes. He was wearing black converse.

“I’m Jeremiah Michel. You can call me Jay though. Would you like to go grab some coffee?” He asked before I had fully comprehended his name even.

“Wait, like now?” I asked. While coffee with a gorgeous French man sounded fantastic, I was supposed to be meeting my stepfather and going to my new home.

“Of course I mean now. There is no time like the present. So is that a yes?” He was trying to trick me into saying yes, and I was tempted to pretend to fall for it. There was only one problem. We were at an airport, and he had no luggage.

“Tell me something. Why are you standing in an airport? Are you just standing around waiting to pick up foreign women and then sleep with them before leaving in the morning? I’m sorry, but I’m not that easy.” His shocked expression was enough for me. I grabbed my carryon and went to go find the baggage claim. He quickly composed himself and chased after me. Well, he really just walked. At 5’9”, I walked faster than most people, but his stride was still longer than mine, and I was carrying things.

“Now wait a moment. There’s no need to be making assumptions. I was just dropping off my sister here when I saw you get off your plane and felt the need to go speak with you.” While his explanation was somewhat believable, I still felt inclined not to. He was just too good to be true.

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“Maddi which is short for Madeleine.”

“Where is she—“

“She’s on her way to visit our Aunt and Uncle in the United States. They live in Indiana. Now will you believe me and let me take you out for a cup of coffee?” I had to admit, he had answered pretty quickly. Either he was telling the truth, or he was a fantastic liar. For some odd reason, I felt like it was the first one.

“Well, I believe you at least. But I can’t go out for coffee. I’m waiting for my escort—“

“Kala, there you are!” I was getting tired of being cut off. I turned around to see my stepfather though. He was smiling as widely as he could, and he quickly came and pulled me into a hug. “Oh, I didn’t notice your friend there. Who’s this?”

“I’m Jeremiah Michel. It’s nice to meet you.” Jay responded instantly. I’d forgotten for a moment that he was there.

“Well Jeremiah, I’m Kala’s stepfather, Will. Do I detect a French accent?”

“Yes, sir,” It looks like Jay has good manners. “I’m actually from here in Paris.”

“Oh, really,” I could see the confusion in his eyes. “How did you two meet then?”

“We didn’t, Will. I don’t know him. He was just leaving anyways.” I replied before Jay could interject anything. “Will, could you grab my bag and show me where the baggage claim is?”

“Of course, kiddo,” he answered. I knew that he would get preoccupied with this long enough for me to say something to Jay.

“What about our coffee date?” Jay asked.

“Give me your phone,” I said while holding my hand out. He complied with a confused look on his face. I entered in my number. “If you still want that coffee in a week, then call me.” With that, I turned and followed Will to get my luggage.