Looking back the signs were clear.  In all the months we had spent apart, FP and I were growing closer.  Our feelings were apparent in every word we said, every email we wrote and every conversation we had.

Several times FP had tried to show how much he cared for me.

“I never want to see you get hurt.  You’re a wonderful girl.  You deserve only the best,” he’d write to me.  My heart would skip a beat and the smile that only seemed to appear when we spoke crept slowly across my face.

Two days after FP’s birthday and the day I was ‘set free’ from an unfortunate relationship, FP and I spent the whole day talking to one another about everything and nothing at all.

There came a pause in the conversation.

“Princesse…”

“Yes?”

“Princesse…I’m in love with you.”

A pause.  

“I love you.” He repeated, his voice a little gravelly.

My heart skipped a beat, my palms grew clammy, my eyes filled with un-spilled tears, brimming, but not falling. 

Did he just say he loves me?

Seconds passed that felt like minutes.  Minutes passed that felt like hours.  I tried to hear the words he had said, over and over again in my head I repeated it.  Did he really say it?  Or was I simply dreaming?

If I had heard wrong, imagined that he said something that he hadn’t actually said, then I was about to make a huge fool out of myself.  But I was ready to take that chance.

I cleared my throat, slowly leaned forward and took a deep breath.

“I love you too.”

As though he had been expecting laughter, there was a shocked silence.  What did we say next?  We had just declared our love for one another, what do you say after that?

Breaking the growing silence I uttered softly, “Do you really love me?”

“Oui,” he replied, his own voice soft and shy now.  “Je t’aime Princesse.  Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerais…”  The famous words to my favourite French song; I always loved you, I love you and I will always love you.

I blinked, releasing the tears to roll slowly down my cheeks.

This man loves you, I thought.  And I love him.  I love him!  I LOVE him!

All of a sudden joy filled my heart, my soul and my whole body.  There was a surge of electric excitement buzzing through me.  A million butterflies fluttered inside my tummy.

“FP, I’m coming to
France to see you!” I exclaimed.

“But I’m still in
Germany…”

“Oh yeah…”

“I’ll be back next week.  Come then!”

And so I did.