6 Ch 6: Oh, that’s not necessary

"You're very brave. Paris isn't an easy place to live, but it's okay once you get used to it." "I heard you were engaged?" Maya asked abruptly, and Isaac smiled. "Where did you hear that?"

"Are you kidding me," she laughed. "A little thing called Facebook." "Right… News central," he said, playfully rolling his eyes. "Well I was, but she didn't take too well to the lifestyle.

I was always away and she wanted more, so I guess she found it somewhere else." "That's insane," Maya said seriously. "She's insane." "Why do you say that?" He smiled. "Well, for starters you're quite a catch.

Any girl that has you in the palm of her hand is either insane or downright dumb. I don't think you would go for dumb." "Not quite," he laughed. "But she didn't have me in the palm of her hand; there was always something holding me back.

We were together for a few years before I finally asked her to marry me, just to get her to stop nagging. Guess she just finally gave up." "I see," Maya replied. For a moment they were silent, and Maya gazed around the restaurant.

"That's so sweet," she said, seeing an elderly couple sitting together at the other end; they were holding hands, and it seemed that to them there was no one else in the room.

"It is," Mateo replied, seeing the elderly couple and then catching her gaze in his. "I have always wanted that, but I guess no one is going to put up with the time I spend away from home."

"I don't know," she said looking away again. "I'm certain you will find what you're looking for someday." "hilarious," he smiled. "I remember you telling me those exact words a few years ago." "Yeah I did, didn't I…?"

Their eyes locked again, and Maya started to feel a bit anxious. "I better get back to the office. I was late this morning, and the boss will want to see me about my article." "You wrote an article?"

"Yeah, one of our journalists was involved in an accident this morning," she explained. "So he asked me to write an article in her place. I don't know how well I did, so I guess he'll want to see me when I get back."

"Well, let me walk you back then," he offered, standing to his feet. "Oh that's not necessary," she replied nervously. "Oh nonsense," he smiled. "I'm on leave now until March, so I got lots of time to kill."

For a moment she hesitated, and then she smiled and let him lead her to the door; and like a true gentleman, he opened it for her chivalrously.

They made small talk on the way back to her office building, and then in the lobby, he told her he wanted to see Dylan as they didn't quite get to finish their conversation that morning; as he reminded her, she had cut it short.