Paris.

Tourists go where the lights shine bright, locals tell me not to be out alone at night. But I don’t fear the darkness. I’ve walked these streets in search of its secrets. I want to know the hidden roads and what lay behind the curtains.

The winding way leads me astray, sometimes I end up in places I’ve already been. But most often, I find what I didn’t know I was looking for: a secluded corner away from the world-a book shop, a garden, a petit cafe with the best chocolate tart I’ve ever tasted, a view that over and over I will return to.

They say it’s the city of love. At first, I think they speak of the couples. I’ve seen them holding hands, kissing in the streets at all times of day, how they tightly embrace on the metro. But it’s more than just between the people. It’s the curves of the road, the cobblestone, the silent alleyways sheltered from the loudness of life. There’s romance in the vines that line the crevices of the centuries-old apartment buildings, the red carnations on the balconies, walls written with a thousand ways to say I love you, the smell of bread in the morning, and the sound of clinking wine glasses every night. Paris itself is romance.

I find a hole-in-the-wall bar with mismatched chairs. I let myself in, hoping not to disturb the guitarist playing in the corner. He’s singing songs that I only partially understand, but I know the word, “l’amour”. His voice floats luxuriously through the dimly-lit room, and for a moment everyone feels connected as if we’d all just been whispered to. A mystery we can call ours, a refuge of magic, a place where reality no longer exists.

When it’s over, I make my way back into the world. Down the paths unseen, through doors unopened, and gates unlocked, searching for its secrets.

With All the Love I Own

Tori F Baby

#livehappii #explore #secrets