Change of direction

— "So where will you go after the exams ? What's on your list ?"

Frances' fork paused, the stabbed piece of sea bass still stuck between plate and mouth. After the surrealist morning they had spent together, Tristan didn't want to put out the future anymore. He wanted to ensure he could be by her side, and it started with a very, down to earth, geographical question. Frances gave him a weary look before pursing her lips.

— "I… have not so many places of interest. Agronomy it out of the question. Forests… could be nice, but there are not enough spots, and I would hate stealing one from the passionate guys. There's geology in the north east of France"

— "Nancy, right ?"

— "Yes. But that would mean oil industry, mines perhaps. I don't know how to fit into an engineering world. I don't even know if I can. Productivity, money, environment… humanity. The first ones go against the second ones"

He could see the stress creeping up, her shoulders tensing. He already knew that this choice wouldn't suit her, but right now, she needed a way out.

— "What else then ?", he asked, his voice flat even if he felt anything but calm.

— "National Superior School, if I can make it."

A difficult choice; only the best ranked students were accepted there. Less than 5% of the lot.

— "You are brilliant, Frances. All your teachers say so. I'm sure you can"

— "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but even if I did, that would mean working for the government for ten years at least"

— "Because you get paid while you study, right ?"

He wasn't up to par with the system; it had been his first time teaching those special classes.

— "Yes. And I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of engagement."

Engagement, the word twisted something in his chest. Fortunately, Frances was too lost in considerations of the future to watch his face. Else she would have noticed his uneasiness.

— "But the programm there… it's just so great. Cosmology, planets, geochemistry…"

There were literal stars shining in her eyes now and Tristan smiled at her enthousiasm. The geek hidden within was shedding her layers... and he still found her beautiful.

— "Well, your boyfriend is a teacher after all"

The piece if whitish fish disappeared between her so lovable rosy lips before she scoffed.

— "You're hardly a boy. And you're contractor, right ? You're free. If you want to take off to a foreign country, you can."

— "Good point."

Yes, Tristan was like a leaf, taking spots where he was needed, and flying to another place the year afterwards. It was a strange life that suited him. Had he been born a nomad, he wouldn't have been so out of his element. He had been nearly ready to settle with his wife; if she had agreed to childen, he would have filed for a more permanent post.

What were Frances' aspirations like ?

— "Is that what you want ? Freedom ?", he asked.

She bit her lip, taking a sip of the excellent white wine she had chosen – Chassagne Montrachet, to honour the burgundy roots – before answering.

— "I think… yeah. I think I need to not be tied up to something because I'm still unsure about what I want to do. Doesn't it feel immature ? Twenty one, and still no idea what I like ?"

So this was what worried her; a judgement. Well, she was going to be disappointed for he had none to offer.

— "You know… People change career at thirty, forty, or fifty. This world is too big for us now, there are too many possibilities to get a good grasp on it so early"

— "But some people have vocation. They know what they want, from early childhood. I never quite felt that, I am interested in too many things"

Playing devil's advocate now, uh ?

— "Praise your wisdom, because you can never truly know before you've tried."

— "Flatterer", she smirked.

He lifted a faint eyebrow in an expression he always used on his students. It usually worked, but even before … all this, Frances always smiled when he used it. Perhaps because she had noticed that gleam of playfulness in his eye at the time.

— "Never"

The conversation settled for a moment, but he could clearly see the cogs turning in her mind. What, where, when ? Eventually, she seemed to brace herself and asked:

— "Where will you be, Tristan ?"

There it was, the turning point of this fantastic moment of paradise. They had lounged all morning, made love again, bathed in the hot saltwater spring in the basement of the hotel and spent more time with their lips locked than separated. He'd held her while the water carried her around in the circular pool, felt her skin hum against his, watched her scarf down the best chocolate cake at breakfast with a smile upon his face… laughed when a hungry seagull had stolen the rest from her plate. She had mocked glared, then laughed along with him. Naughty bird.

Most of all, Tristan had marvelled at how simple things were between them.

So, now, came the moment of truth.

— "I will be… where you are. If you want to"

— "Are you serious ?"

A spark of hope swelled in Frances' chest, something that told her this man was just to good to be true. That any moment, the dream would come crashing down. And by the uneasy look that marred his refined features, she expected the other shoe to drop anytime now. So she braced for impact.

— "Unless… you don't want to be tied up", he added.

Frances' breath caught.

— "Tied up to you ?"

Tristan nodded, confirming her worst fears. This was too much to bear, so nonsensical that her logic was throwing a feat. So she leapt above the table and grabbed both of his hands.

— "Tristan."

Her former teacher froze, and in this moment, she could see all his insecurities come forth. He may be thirty-one, but the boy still lurked behind the curtain, ready to spring forth at any rebuke. How best to convey the scrambled mess of her thoughts?

— "I'm free. I chose to be with you and I've never felt so free. There is nothing I wish more than to have you by my side"

The slump of his shoulders told her he had been ready to be sent on his merry way. Could he not see how she loved him ? How she never wanted to be parted from him ? She'd told him twice already, but it didn't seem to dawn much. So she chose another strategy.

— "I could ask for a dossier in geology section, in Lyon. That would keep me from a government contract if you ever have to move."

— "But without a salary", he stated.

The young woman nodded thoughtfully.

— "Yes. It would be the same in an engineering school so I doubt my parents would mind much. And all this, of course, provided I am ranked high enough to chose"

His smooth voice was filled with confidence, his eyes boring holes into her.

— "You will. And once you have your choices spread before you… maybe you could crash at my place. It's not big, but there's room for two. If that helps, of course"

Crash at his place. A big blank replaced her running thoughts for a moment before questions rose. Because she couldn't possibly believe he meant what she hoped it meant.

— "Stay with you until I find a flat ?"

— "No. I mean, yes. But … without looking for another place"

Frances' heart skipped a beat as she searched his gaze. His grey eyes didn't falter this time, back to the teacher's unwavering strength she knew well. He had made up his mind about this.

— "I… I don't want to intrude. Are you sure ?"

Tristan reclined in his seat, nodding his assent while he swirled the white wine around his glass.

— "Quite sure. Never been so sure, in fact, of anything in my life. Past marriage included"

Frances' eyes widened, floored by this very indirect declaration. She didn't even remark how he downed the rest of his glass in one big gulp. Liquid courage, he had said once, to act upon his feelings. Little by little, she was starting to paint an accurate picture of Tristan Kristiansen. He wasn't one to profess love like a schoolboy. His actions spoke for himself, and what he offered… Well, it was more significant than anything. After all, he had been the one to fish her out of her tree under her parent's nose. He dragged her here for the best concert of her life, and now offered … that she moved in with him. Just to keep her horizons open.

What kind of person plunged head first into a relationship like this ? Biting her cheek, she realised how courageous she found him. And perhaps… it only would take a bit of faith to follow.

— "Thank you, Tristan. It means a lot to me, and it will give more leeway regarding my choices. A lot"

Her former teacher shrugged, as if he'd just offered to delay an essay.

— "Anytime."

The fact that he meant it caused her chest to swell with love. What a man ! He was kind of all or nothing, and she liked that immensely. So she sent him a very frank look, one that conveyed, she hoped, her admiration before he asked for the check.

— "That one is for me, and no arguments. You paid for everything else, so I'll take it."

Tristan lifted his hands in surrender, probably aware of her stubbornness. A graceful bow that left her quite emboldened.

— "Right. Now's the future more or less set, and I know you're in it… Let's get to that beach !"