182 Making Deals With People You Have Romantic History With Is Always A Tricky Thing

Tarik

June 15, 7:12 pm, Paris, France

"We need to talk."

Tarik instinctively wanted to say no. This conversation was already giving him flashbacks to a time he did not want to recall, but he swallowed his automatic response. It wasn't like he could say anything anyway, with all the guards suddenly appearing behind him.

Not even ten minutes ago, he had just arrived at the Palais, to find Elodie there waiting for him. She wore a simple, black dress, with work-appropriate flats. Her hair was tied in a simply, yet somehow sexy ponytail. A faint, dirty scent hung in the air, the sun hanging low in the sky, turning the sky a darker, more purple color.

Aside from Elodie, no one else was waiting out front, save what Tarik assumed was her bodyguard. He seemed to tense as Tarik got closer, and Elodie had greeted him rather formally once he reached them.

"Everyone is already inside," she had said. "They're waiting for us."