'How's things in Durham, dear?' Edward had dreaded this question from mam. In fact, he had dreaded it so much he hadn't paid his parents a visit for months.
'It's okay,' he answered, without going into details.
'Are ye sure, pet? Ya look a little down.'
Edward stuffed his mouth full of food to avoid having to answer. Mam was right, he was pretty downcast. But he did not want to talk about it to Mam and Dad. What was he going to say? 'Mam, I feel like a loser since I've been off to university for over half a year now, and yet I'm still a virgin.' No, it was better to keep silent and eat his dinner.
Dad filled the silence. 'It's canny havin' ye visit us here in Newcastle, son.'
'Yer always welcome here,' mam said. 'Especially when yer struggling.'
'Aye, I know,' Edward said before stuffing more food in his mouth, hoping to finish dinner as quickly as possible.
'Ye know,' dad added. 'It's normal to struggle a bit when ye've just left yer mam and dad's.'
Edward did not respond.
'Ya remember Amy?' Dad continued.
Of course Edward remembered Amy, how could he not? Amy was his cousin. The two of them had been inseparable all through primary school. Being the same age, they had been classmates and shared the same group of friends. And living in the same street, they had often walked to school together. After primary school her family had moved to London, breaking off their close friendship.
'Of course, dad. How could I forget.'
'Well, I hear Amy's strugglin' too. Ye know, she is doin' hospitality school in Paris.' Dad paused for a second, as if he was expecting Edward to say he knew that already. 'Her mam's tellin' me she's feelin' a bit lonely an' homesick.'
Edward wanted to respond that he was not lonely nor homesick, but bit his tongue. If he would, they would want to know the real reason he was down.
'Aye Edward, why don't you go visit her?' mam suggested.
'Mam, no. I haven't seen her in years.'
'Belter of an idea, that, ya mam's got. I'm sure she'd like that,' dad chimed in.
'I'm sure she has no interest in me. Besides, I can't spare the money.'
Dad decided the matter. 'Ye know what, I'll give me sister a ring. An' we'll sort ya a train ticket.'
It was just past noon on a cold yet sunny Saturday afternoon in March when the Eurostar train rolled into Gare du Nord. Edward had spent most of the train ride reminiscing about his time at primary school with Amy. For hours, he had wondered how it would be to meet Amy again, after all those years. They had been so close all through primary school. And then, so suddenly, she had just disappeared from his life. Sure, he had seen her again a few times at family gatherings, but they hadn't had a real conversation in over six years. And the last time he had seen her was several years ago, at least.
Would they be able to pick up where they had left off? Or would it just be awkward, and would he be wishing he could just take the first train back home? He was soon going to find out.
As the train stopped, Edward took his backpack out of the luggage rack and made his way to the exit. He found Amy waiting for him at the end of the platform. Edward awkwardly kissed her on the cheek, and then they were on their way. Amy guided him through the busy station to the mΓ©tro. The train was already at the platform when they arrived. They entered just before the doors closed, and managed to find two seats next to each other.
'It's been so long,' Edward said.
'It has! I can hardly believe it.'
'So how are you doing? And how is hospitality school?'
'So-so, to be honest. School's hard work, and leaves me little time to make friends. There are lots of expats here, but I don't have any real friends. It's pretty lonely.'
'So I've been told.'
'Oh really? Has my mam been talking to your dad?'
Edward nodded as he looked at Amy. Unsurprisingly, she had changed. Although he didn't remember her as a pretty girl, she was now. She was tall and slender, built like a model. A beautiful smile covered her face, but her green eyes looked tired. Her long brown hair was tied up into a neat bun. 'I'm sure you've heard about me too.'
'Yeah, you're right. Mam tells me you're struggling with living on your own in Durham.'
'Well, that's what mam and dad make of it.' Edward sighed. 'Sometimes I feel...'
'You feel what?'
'I don't know,' Edward said, not wanting to tell Amy the real reason behind his struggles.
'This is our stop,' Amy said as she stood up, cutting the conversation short.
It was only a short walk to Amy's place, during which Edward asked Amy about life in Paris. Edward had never visited Paris before, and was struck by the wide boulevards and elegant architecture. It was so different from home. Soon they entered a narrow cobblestone street, where he was forced to walk behind Amy on the narrow pavement. He found himself looking at her butt. She had surely become an attractive woman.
'Here we are!' Amy said, pulling Edward out of his thoughts.
Amy led Edward into a small hallway with a narrow staircase. 'This is it, all three floors are ours. That makes it sound much larger than it actually is. Here on the ground floor is your room. We have a spare one while we're looking for another flatmate.'
'We?' Edward enquired, as he dropped his backpack in the room, which was just large enough to fit a double bed and a wardrobe.
'Oh, sorry. That's me and Diane. Diane is in my class at school. She's from Lille.'
Edward followed Amy up the stairs.
'Here is my bedroom and our little kitchen. Upstairs are Diane's room and the bathroom.'
They heard footsteps above, and soon enough Diane came down the stairs. Amy introduced them. Diane was much shorter than Amy, and had her long blonde hair in a ponytail. She was not as beautiful as Amy but nevertheless pretty attractive, Edward thought.
'What are you going to do today?' Diane asked.
'You know, see the sights,' Amy replied. 'I was thinking Notre-Dame, you know I haven't been there since the reopening? Then maybe Eiffel Tower?'
'Ooh, Notre-Dame! I haven't been there since it reopened either.'
'Why don't you join us?' Amy asked. 'I'm sure Edward won't mind, right?' Edward nodded.
'I actually really need to sleep. I have a night shift tonight,' Diane answered, looking torn. 'You know what, I'll join you!'
The three of them had a great afternoon, first visiting Notre-Dame which had recently been restored after being damaged by fire. Then they took a walk along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Finally, they went to the SacrΓ©-CΕur to enjoy the magnificent view of the city around sunset.
After spending a couple of hours with Amy, Edward found that it almost felt like they had never been apart for such a long time. It was as if they had just picked up their friendship exactly where they had left off, all those years ago. Except, of course, that his cousin was now a beautiful woman. Hot, even, although he told himself he could not think that about his cousin.