The last two weeks of July sped by faster than Naomi could imagine. Every day she and Kyungsoo would share some kind of interaction; whether it was a few text messages, a phone call or an email didn't matter. They were talking again and it felt really good. And true to his word, he wooed her like she'd never been wooed before.

Every time they talked, she could feel her heart unfurling a little bit more like the petals of a rose basking in the sun.

Olivia would squeal when Naomi would come back from a break. She'd taken to texting or calling Kyungsoo during their breaks now instead of crying on Olivia's shoulder. One day, Lee gently chucked her on the chin and said, "You look like a new woman, Naomi. I'm glad he's making you happy."

Naomi smiled and responded, "He does make me happy, but I think it shows now because I'm happy with myself." That was another one of Naomi's personal realizations. She actually liked who she was. All of the things she didn't have or hadn't achieved, no longer defined her sense of self-worth. It felt like it had taken the full two months for her to reach that point, but it felt so good to get there.

Kyungsoo decided to start running again, though not as heavily as he did before. Naomi thought that maybe, maybe, when she returned home she'd try and do a little bit of jogging with her husband so they'd have a shared pastime. Maybe she'd even grow to enjoy running.

Unlikely, she thought to herself when contemplating the idea, but still possible. What she would enjoy would be the time spent with her husband.

On the last day of the cooking course, they were presented with a bound book containing all the recipes they'd learned as well as a certificate of completion. Jongin and Ness were all smiles, congratulating Naomi on her accomplishment.

Everyone toasted each other and the staff for a wonderful session and milled about the classroom snacking on hors d'œuvres and chatting with each other. Naomi was exchanging contact information with Olivia when Ness and Jongin approached.

"Bonjour Olivia, Lee. How did you like the main course class?"

"Oh! It was divine. I have so many ideas now; I can't wait to get home and try to recreate some of these recipes," gushed Olivia.

"It really was one of the best series of classes we've attended. Thank you, Chef Louvet, for your part in making our experiences memorable." Lee leaned forward and dropped two feather-light bisousonto Ness's cheeks. After Olivia followed her husband's lead, she shifted her gaze over and up.

Ness smiled as she clasped Jongin's hand. "Olivia, Lee, this is my boyfriend, Jongin."

"Enchanté, Madame," Jongin smoothly took Olivia's hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips. He then turned to Lee and nodded formally, shaking his hand. "And how can I forget ma belle? How are you doing, Naomi?"

"I'm doing really well. I'm excited for tomorrow." Naomi was vibrant with anticipation for their last field trip. The day after that, she'd be on her way back home.

"What's going on tomorrow?" asked Olivia.

"We're taking Naomi on one last excursion to Carcassonne."

Olivia's face lit up with recognition and she turned to Lee tugging on his shirt sleeve. "Oh, honey! That was one of the places on my list." She then turned to the trio of younger people and, with pleading in her eyes, asked, "Would you mind if we tagged along?" She threw a pouty lip in for good measure.

"Of course we wouldn't mind," answered Naomi for the group, then immediately worried if Ness and Jongin would be upset. She took a questioning glance toward the couple and was relieved to see both Ness and Jongin nodding in agreement. In truth, she really did want to spend a little more time with Olivia before they parted ways.

Olivia had proved a kindred spirit to Naomi, and Naomi wanted to make sure she knew how much she was appreciated.

Once the soirée at the cooking school had wound down, Naomi accepted the ride home offered by Jongin and Ness. It wasn't terribly late at night, only eight or nine, but Naomi was exhausted. She'd been on her feet since early that morning and hadn't had much more than an hour to sit and relax.

The apartment was quiet, save for the soft swishing of the washing machine. Naomi took her shoes off in the entryway and crept down the hall to her bedroom. She was just about to retire for the night - the soft pillows and mattress calling her name – when Anastasie emerged from the bathroom.

"Ah, Naomi! You are home from your soirée? How was it? Did you have fun?" She looked as though she was getting ready for bed as well, her hair tied up in a loose pony tail and her face freshly scrubbed. The pajamas were also kind of a giveaway that she was ready to curl up in bed. Instead she leaned on the door frame across from Naomi, giving off strong "girl talk" vibes.

"Let me get changed and I'll tell you all about it. Maybe we could have some tisane?"

"I'll start boiling the water."

Fifteen minutes later the two women were snuggled into the sofa, legs tucked under bottoms, warm cups of tea in hand, chuckling over an experience that Naomi had had with Chef Felix.

"He sounds like a real character," Anastasie observed. Having narrowly escaped spilling all over herself from laughing so hard, she set her mug on one of the side tables.

"He really is. You know Disney's The Little Mermaid?"

"Of course! Janie loves that movie. When we first bought it, I think she watched it about five times a day!"

Naomi nodded in complete understanding. One of the little girls she used to babysit for had the same obsession with the movie. She insisted that Naomi sit on the floor while she braided her hair and then demanded that they both sing along with Ariel.

It was a good thing she didn't care that Naomi sounded more like the honking seagull, Scuttle, than the mermaid princess.

"Well, Chef Felix kind of reminds me a lot of the chef that tries to cook Sebastien. I never caught him saying hee hee hee, but I'm pretty sure I heard a hon hon hon."

Anastasie slapped her hand over desperately trying to stifle the peals of laughter escaping through her fingers while Naomi attempted to take a sip of tea. The indelicate snort, as she gave in to her own giggles, sent tea sloshing over the sides of the mug and onto Naomi's leg.

"Ah, zut." Naomi began wiping at the wet spot, not really thinking about what she hoped to accomplish by doing that with her bare hand. A few deep breaths later, her mug safely abandoned on the other end table, she rested the side of her head on the back of the couch and smiled at another fast friend.

When Anastasie sighed and mimicked her position, they both smiled at each other and grasped hands. "Ana, I can't begin to thank you for all that you've done for me." Naomi reeled a bit at the 180 degree turn her emotions had taken. She could already feel the telltale prickle of tears in her eyes. "You and Ricky have been so welcoming and kind to me. You've been the best hosts a person could ask for."

"Ah, Naomi. We've enjoyed having you here with us. You bring a special light with you wherever you go. It just took a little bit of cleaning the windows of your soul for it to shine brightly." Anastasie gave a gentle squeeze to Naomi's hand but didn't let go.

"You've helped me see things from a completely new perspective. I was so wrapped up in my own hurt that I didn't really stop to think about Kyungsoo. I really think this trip and the things we've both learned while apart will help to make us stronger. And I have…gosh," Naomi thought of all the people she'd met during the last two months and nearly all of them had affected her positively in some way. "Too many people to name here, that have been amazing influences for good in my life right now."

"Are you looking forward to going home?"

The ache of missing home pulsed strongly in her chest. She'd come to the point where she was just ready to go back home and face the future. She was ready to go home and repair her relationship with Kyungsoo. She was ready for so much more and she couldn't wait to start.

"I really am."

"We'll miss having you here; even Janie will miss you, I think." Anastasie smiled ruefully.

Janie had taken to sitting with Naomi whenever she was home, snuggling into her side while Naomi read stories to her in French, making her little snotty click noise every now and then when Naomi mispronounced a word. After Naomi shared her pain au chocolat, an unspoken truce had developed, and soon the feisty little girl had become her friend. Of course semi-weekly offerings of some kind of sweet went a long way toward keeping the truce alive and well.

"I'll miss you all too," the last words coming out in an unexpected yawn.

Anastasie glanced at the antique comtoise clock and sighed. "It's late and you have big plans for tomorrow. Carcassonne is a fun place to visit. The land around the Cité Médiévale is beautiful, full of farmland and the pont vieux, ah. C'est magnifique!" Anastasie looked toward the open balcony doors and sighed.

The evening air had cooled somewhat and stirred gently around the cozy living room, bringing with it the barely-there scent of the Mediterranean Sea. "Are you all packed?" she asked turning back towards Naomi.

"Almost. I have a few more things I need to put into my suitcases. But I'm pretty much ready for my flight on Sunday. Thanks again for everything, Anastasie." Naomi stood at the same time as her hostess and gave her a tight hug.

Naomi laid out one outfit for her day trip and a second, more comfortable outfit for her quickly-approaching departure. She glanced around what had been her personal world for the last two months and smiled. This had been a safe haven for her.

She'd learned a lot about herself in this space.

Yes, it had been lonely at times – especially after she and Kyungsoo began communicating regularly – but she'd really enjoyed staying with the Chêniers; they had been a huge support and example for her.

She curled up one last time in her squashy window seat and pulled out her phone. She pressed the speed-dial and waited for it to connect.

After just a couple of rings, Kyungsoo's smooth voice sounded in her ear. "Hey, pretty lady. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Just wanted to call to say goodnight."

"What do you mean, goodnight? It's only four-thirty in the afternoon. You getting gray hairs?"'

"Ha ha. You're hilarious," Naomi quipped, the smile evident in her voice. "How are you doing?"

"Good. Just trying to... uh... do a little bit of cleaning up before you get home." Kyungsoo's voice was hesitant, like he knew he was going to get into trouble.

"How bad is it?" Naomi closed her eyes and thought back to how Kyungsoo's room had been when they were still in high school and cringed. Kyungsoo wasn't a messy person, but as soon as he's preocuppied, he rather rest than clean his space.

If the apartment was half as bad as high school Kyungsoo Lounge, he'd have his work cut out for him.

"We-ell, it's not as bad as it would've been had Mayu and Mom not helped me a little bit."

"Oh. My. Gosh. Kyungsoo! Your mother and sister cleaned our apartment? I am so embarrassed."

"Don't worry, they know it was all my mess. I made sure they knew that you'd left this place immaculate."

"Still. It's just...ah. Whatever." This wasn't a fight worth having. There was nothing Naomi could do to change anything, and Kyungsoo was admittedly working on it.

"Don't worry about it, hon. I've got the rest of tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday off, so I'll have plenty of time to get things back in shape before you get home." His voice grew in volume and warmth as he spoke of her homecoming.

"It will be really good to come home. I've missed our apartment. I've missed you." Naomi's voice was soft and longing as she thought about sinking into the strong embrace of Kyungsoo's arms.

Kyungsoo groaned and replied, "Babe, you have no idea how empty this place is without you. I can't wait to come pick you up at the airport and have you back."

"Mmmm. That sounds wonderful."

"So, you've got one more sightseeing trip, right?"

"Yeah, Olivia and Lee are coming, so that will be fun. We're going to rent scooters for the day and go to this walled city where they filmed some of the scenes from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and there are a couple of cathedrals I wanted to see. There will probably be a fair amount of wandering." Naomi was speaking excitedly and only barely caught Kyungsoo's mhmm. "We'll probably take the scooters on a little tour of the outlying farm country or maybe up to Montségur. Then head back to Agde later that afternoon."

"Is that safe? Riding scooters? I mean, you've never ridden a motorcycle or a scooter or anything before."

"People ride them all over the place here. They don't go very fast and it doesn't look that hard. I'll give it a test ride and if I don't feel safe then I guess we can just walk, though we wouldn't get to see as many sights. But it's one of those bucket list kind of things; I'd really like to do it."

She could hear the sigh on the other end of the conversation and knew he was biting his tongue.

He'd improved over the years that they'd been together about not being so forceful in vocalizing his disapproval of some of the things Naomi did. She had her suspicions that either Seungsoo or maybe even Mr. Do had pulled Kyungsoo aside before the wedding and explained what his over-protective, bossy tendencies could potentially do to a fledgling marriage.

It was still hard for him, but he'd been able to explain that he was afraid that something bad would happen to her, and he couldn't stand to be without her. At least, that was the usual cause for Mr. Over-protective to rear his wholly unattractive head.

"Sweetheart, I know you're nervous, and I promise I'll be safe. Okay?"

"Please. Please be careful. You know I'm gonna go nuts, now. Right?"

"I promise I'll call when we're on the train back to Agde."

"And at lunch. Please."

"And at lunch," chuckled Naomi.

"Two days, my love."

"I can't wait."

"Sweet Dreams, mon amour."

"Awww, Je t'aime, mon cœur."

"What does that one mean?" Kyungsoo whispered.

"I love you, my heart," Naomi whispered back with a kiss.

A/N: Make sure you brush your teeth, since this one is equivalent to eating a handful of sweets!

Translations

hors d'œuvres : appetizers

bisous: kisses

Enchanté, Madame : Enchanted, Madam

Soirée: Evening/party

Tisane: Herbal tea

Zut: Shoot, drat, darn it

pain au chocolat: Chocolate filled croissant

comtoise clock: Grandfather clock

Cité Médiévale: Medieval City

pont vieux: The old bridge

C'est magnifique: It's magnificent

mon amour: my love