Page 86 of All That We Are Together
He took us to the apartment where we would stay in the upcoming months, and after helping us with our bags, he gave us the key Hans had left with him. When he left, the two of us were standing in the middle of the street looking up at the leaden sky and contemplating the old building done in the style of Haussmann.
Axel opened the door, and I followed him inside. The prehistoric elevator had a sign on it that readhors service, which, to judge from the chain and lock running through the grate, meant that it didn’t work. The stairs were narrow, but I still felt a tingle as we dragged our luggage up them.
“Just leave them if they weigh too much,” Axel said.
“I’m fine,” I replied.
We reached the third floor, the top one. After walking in, Axel cut on the lights and stepped to one side. I turned around, looking up at the high ceilings, the molding, the rosettes, the huge windows. The light glowed off the bright wooden floor, and I asked myselfhow it was possible that a building so old could harbor an apartment so beautiful.
A metal staircase spiraled up toward what looked like the attic, and I assumed that would be my studio. I took off my thin jacket and left it on an arm of one of the sofas, then opened the three doors that led to the bathroom and the two bedrooms.
“You can take the one with the big bed,” I said, and I felt briefly paralyzed, because I hadn’t realized before then how hard it was going to be to see Axel every morning, every night, every day. “That’ll give you room to spread out, you know. Anyway, I like the view from the other room.”
“Fine,” he responded, not really paying attention.
As he took the suitcases to the bedrooms, I climbed up to the small attic. I smiled when I saw how clean and comfortable it was, with its easels already set up, white canvases spread around, and a few tubes of paint and brushes. I knew I’d need to buy much more material.
I heard Axel coming up behind me.
“Man, the light’s great in here.”
“It’s perfect,” I agreed.
He opened a window to let the cool air ventilate my studio. I was content as I looked in every corner and felt impatience overtake me. I was ready to break it in, start painting, look down at the street for hours on end, let myself go, thinking of nothing else, with those walls protecting me.
“You happy with it?”
“Absolutely. But I’m nervous too.”
“We’ll look it over more closely later. We need to meet withHans in half an hour, and I hope the place is close, because I have no idea where we are.”
We went back outside. The wind was cold, especially compared with the mild temperatures we were used to. We were wearing thin, comfy clothes. As we walked along, following the directions on Axel’s cell phone, I realized we’d need to buy something heavier to wear unless better weather was right around the corner.
The restaurant where we were meeting Hans was nearby, just a few steps from the famous Moulin Rouge, below the famous bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre. Le Jardin d’en Face had a facade of Veronese granite, and inside was cozy, almost rustic.
A gray-haired man with a pronounced smile stood when we walked in, and he and Axel hugged each other briefly. Then he looked over at me and surprised me with a kiss on each cheek. “A real pleasure, Leah.”
“The pleasure’s mine, sir.”
“You can skip thesir. I’m still a young man at heart. Come on, I’ve got a table reserved. What are you in the mood to drink? Should I order a bottle of wine?”
We said yes as we were sitting down.
“How was your trip?”
“Good, but I’m still not sure what time it is,” Axel said, making him laugh. “The apartment’s incredible. Same goes for the studio, right, Leah?”
“It’s beautiful. The light is amazing.”
“Great. Thatwasthe idea.”
We ordered a few dishes, and I focused on my salad while they talked about the gallery in Byron Bay and our plans for Paris. Wehad to attend an art fair that same week. With all the proposals Hans was making, it looked like we were going to be pretty busy.
Axel got up to go to the bathroom. Hans was looking at me. I felt nervous.
“So you’ve got art in your genes…”
I cocked my head to the side and looked at him with surprise.