La Belle Etrangère [beautiful stranger].

Jonas liked the name of the restaurant Sierra took him to. The decor reminded the man of old bistros in thirties movies.

"Bonsoir."

"Bonsoir, une table pour deux s'il vous plait." [ good evening, a table for two please].

Jonas's eyes wandered about and settled when they sat. The waiter brought and talked them through the menu before giving them a few minutes to choose.

"It's pretty quiet."

"Yeah, it wasn't the last time I came," Sierra replied while she threw a glance around the room where only two other couples sat.

"When was that?"

Sierra returned her focus to Jonas, "a year ago."

Jonas nodded.

The woman could have taken him anywhere; Jonas was glad to have a one-to-one with her.

Jacob's words came to mind. Sierra was a nice person, and she was going to show to what extent, "so what will you have?"

"I'll have a gratin Dauphinois and a boeuf bourguignon."

"Aren't you vegan?"

"I said I preferred fish. I didn't say I was vegan. I don't eat fish in restaurants; it can be a risky enterprise if the fish isn't fresh."

Sierra nodded, agreeing to the statement.

"What will you have?"

"A fondue."

"Okay."

They both ordered the time had finally come for Jonas to dig for information, "how was work?"

"Good."

"Have you always wanted to sell cars?"

"Well, it wasn't my dream. I kind of fell into it. Cars, clothes, oranges, the product doesn't matter. What I like is the sales process, creating the mood, making people dream and desire."

"So you swindle?"

"No, people want to buy. I just show them the possibilities."

"You give them opportunities to pollute."

"Hey, Mr. Greenpeace, it's work."

Jonas realized he went in the wrong direction. He made a U-turn, "how long have you been working there?"

"Four years, what do you do?"

Sierra did not know Jonas' profession, and the man found himself wishing for the woman to be more curious.

"I'm an architect."

"You design buildings."

"Buildings, interiors, furniture, sculptures, etc. I prefer to say I'm creative."

At this moment, the waiter arrived with their dishes.

"Merci," Jonas said.

The waiter smiled and left.

"Where did you learn French?"

Jonas spoke with Sierra in English, but he expressed himself well when outside.

"I did an Erasmus; that's when I briefly met Cecile."

Jonas remembered the girl who climbed into his dorm room thinking he was Thomas Fribourg, the campus dealer. Shy Jonas almost died to see Cecile crawl into his room like Sadako in the Grunge hair dripping with the winter rain. She ended up spending the night, and the next day she left while the man slept. Jonas told Sierra, who laughed.

"That sounds so much like her."

"Yeah, I only saw her years later at an auction in Sweden."

Jonas recognized Cecile straight away, just like his heart, which beat at least 100bpm. It was providence for the man. How many chances did one have to cross paths with someone, especially in another country, as the encounter occurred in Sweden years after Jonas graduated?

There too, Cecile created a happening event by pushing her date in the pool and running to jump in Jonas's car as he was about to leave.

All she said was, "were you really going to leave without me?"

The story was surreal, almost rom-com movie ploy worthy, but Cecile's life was a novel where she embarked everyone on a beautiful adventure that they never forgot.

"Wow," was all Sierra could say. The woman who believed having a fairytale encounter with Vincent found the first spot of the love at first sight award stolen.

Jonas took a sip of his wine, "how about you? How did you and Cecile meet?"

Sierra smiled at the memory, "we met at church. I thought she mocked me at first. I was wearing one of the dresses Cecile donated to the church, but that girl just wouldn't let me go. She followed me everywhere. I was like, what's with this rich kid? Don't get me wrong; we were not poor, it's just. My dad, heㅡ," Sierra paused, "ㅡ he did the best he could."

"I see."

Jonas watched Sierra laugh; it was the first time Jonas saw her unleash unrestrained laughter that was not for business or strangers, "Cecile was crazy. I mean, she invited herself to sleep at my house the first time. For a week, she kept asking me if she could sleepover, and on Friday, she came to school with a backpack with pajamas and clothes.

Sierra stopped speaking. She recalled how she imagined Cecile was bored at the time, but playing over at the Lennox's house was not only a passe-temps.

"We were inseparable, different but inseparable. I spoilt everything." Jonas wanted to ask what Sierra meant, but the woman's grave face forced him to back down and switch the subject.

"Is it good?"

Sierra looked at the cheese in the pot, "yeah, do you want to taste?"

It was only when the sentence was out Sierra realized what she had done.

"Yeah, can I?" Sierra nodded, and Jonas took a small chunk of bread and dipped it in Sierra's pot of melted cheese.

"So?"

"It's good. Do you want to taste mine?" Jonas pushed forward his plate.

Anyone who did not know them would think they were a couple.

"Eh, I know how gratin and bourguignon taste like," Sierra politely declined.

"Yeah, I guess, how silly of me."

"Don't you miss Sweden?" Sierra asked.

Jonas shrugged, "I'll be back there soon."

"Isn't someone waiting for you?"

"Someone?"

"A Girlfriend, maybe."

"No, no one, I'm single. Jonas did not add that Cecile represented his last relationship. The man remained single in case Cecile came back only to find her in a casket. Cecile was the first woman he loved, and now broken-hearted, he believed he would never love a woman again.

"How about you?"

"Me?" Sierra lowered her gaze, and her cheeks rose in a blush, "I have, I mean I had," she shook her head, "let's say we're on pause."

Jonas frowned, "pause?"

"We had a minor fallout."

"Why?"

"Heㅡ."

Sierra could not say it; she could not tell Jonas Leone was the issue.

"My current situation is a little complicated for him."

"You mean with Leone?"

"No, not exactly. I don't want to talkㅡ."

"What's his name?"

"Vincent."

Jonas could not believe Sierra had someone. She showed no signs of being under Cupid's arrow spell. Indeed the meal gave Jonas some insight.

"What does he do?"

"He owns a restaurant. Why the questions?"

"You said it was a pause. I translate Vincent could come back in your life and therefore in Leone's life. It's important for me to know; I hope what I'm saying makes sense."

"It does; I understand your point. I can only imagine how all of this is for you, Jonas."

"I loved Cecile, and I don't get why she chose you. I mean, I'm a pretty stable guy." Jonas sighed, "I'm a little jealous. I guess."

"I'm sorry, Jonas."

"What happened between Cecile and her parents?"

"What happened is me, I told Cecile to confront them about something, and they disowned her. They chucked out their daughter, and she became a drug addict."

The brutal truth was out.

Drugs were the source of Jonas's and Cecile's encounter, but what was important and the point everyone missed was why?

Why did wealthy and beautiful Cecile start to take drugs?

"Confront them about what?"

"I'm sorry, Jonas, it's something. I haven't dealt with it yet. I just can't talk about it now."

Sierra seemed like a different person; the woman was frightful.

"Sorry, Sierra, you don't need to speak now."

Jonas gave up; it was not the time or place. Non-essential conservations filled the rest of the meal.

"So basically, you don't watch tv?"

"I like movies, but I think the real world is far more interesting. Interacting with people is more important. Life is so fragile, you turn your head a second, and the person next to you is gone. I don't want to spend mine passing by people. I've got five months left with Leone and you. I don't want to pass by either of you."

Jonas's intense stare seemed to pierce Sierra's gaze. The woman's stomach churned, the intestinal pains appeared to amplify.