Je t’aime

“Yeah, that’s true. I want to explain all that to you, if you want to hear it, that is.”

“Go ahead.” She said. Hoping that what he had to say would eliminate some of her fears.

Remy went on to tell her all the ugly truth about his past. He had started sleeping with the maids when he was only 16. From there he had gone on to sleep with one woman after another. It was easy, he was rich and handsome. Woman threw themselves at him and he accepted what they offered.

He might occasionally keep one around for a while, but they never could offer him what he was looking for, so he moved on. Then he met Bridget. She had been different, had seemed resistant to his charms and money. She had money of her own so his meant nothing. The more she ignored him, the harder he chased her.

When she finally let him catch her, he fell hard. The romance lasted almost three months, the longest he had ever been with a single woman. He planned to marry Bridget, she was perfect. Beautiful, smart, and connected. Everything he thought he wanted in a wife. Then she dumped him, in public, quite loudly.

He had been devastated and responded by sleeping with more women, picking them up where ever he could. Eventually, no decent woman would even talk to him, so he started visiting some of the seedier places in Paris, picking up women of less than great character. Then one morning he woke up in hotel room, which reeked of s*x and alcohol. There was a woman in the bed with him but he had no recollection of where he had met her.

He still felt drunk, but couldn’t remember what he had been drinking last night. On the table in the room he saw the answer. There was a collection of bottles, most of which were mostly empty. Besides the woman in the bed, there was another body sprawled on the couch. His head spinning, he barely made it to the bathroom before he vomited. He stumbled into the shower, hoping that cold water would sober him up.

After a long twenty minutes in the shower, he felt sober enough to drive home. Probably not safely, but he’d had to get out of here. Once home, he looked at himself in the mirror and was shocked to discover that he looked ten years older and felt it as well. Thinking back over the night before, he realized that he was out of control.

He’d made himself a promise, right then and there, no more partying. It turned out to be more difficult than he thought. Several times he’d fallen off the wagon because of peer pressure. It became clear to him that the only way to break this cycle was to get some distance from his old life. He needed to create a new one.

When his trust fund came through, he took his sisters advice and dedicated his life to Community service. While there were many great charities in Paris, he knew that leaving would give him the space to get his head together and grow up a little.

By the time he finished his story, they had arrived at his house. Kendra was quiet as they made their way up to his apartment. His story had made sense. The man she knew, was just finding his way.

At the door, Kendra put her hand on Remy’s arm, “Thank you for sharing that. I know it’s difficult to tell someone about your worst times, but I think I understand you a bit better now.”

“I thought it was something you should know. If this thing between us goes where I think it’s going, someone is sure to flaunt my bad reputation, to try and hurt you. People can be mean.” He said.

Stretching on her tip toes, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.