Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 84: A Night to Remember

Chapter 84: A Night to Remember

The rooftop of their Parisian apartment was a pocket of quiet above the city’s golden glow. From up here, the soft hum of laughter and clinking glasses from nearby cafés felt distant, like a song playing on low volume. The Eiffel Tower twinkled in the distance, its light reflecting in Ava’s eyes as she leaned against the wrought-iron railing, exhaling slowly.

Ryan stood beside her, hands in his pockets, stealing glances at her every few moments.

For the first time in days, there was no competition, no plotting Julian, no matchmaking mishaps. Just the two of them and the vast expanse of the Parisian skyline.

"You okay?" Ryan asked after a beat.

Ava let out a slow breath, gripping the railing a little tighter. "I don’t know."

Ryan’s brows furrowed. "That’s not like you."

Ava turned slightly, facing him. "This competition... it’s bigger than anything I’ve ever done. It’s not just matchmaking. It’s strategy, it’s pressure, it’s—" She hesitated before continuing. "It’s making me second-guess myself. And I never second-guess myself."

Ryan tilted his head, stepping a little closer. "Ava, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Not to Margaux, not to Julian, not to the entire matchmaking world."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Tell that to my overactive brain."

Ryan reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against hers where they rested on the railing. "Then let me say it in a way your overactive brain can’t ignore."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be good."

Ryan smirked, then turned fully to face her. "You are the best matchmaker here. And that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. You see things others don’t. You connect people in a way that’s not based on data or algorithms, but on who they are. That’s something Julian will never understand, and it’s why you’ll always be better than him."

Ava blinked at him, caught between wanting to roll her eyes and wanting to let his words sink in. "You really believe that?"

Ryan let out a soft chuckle. "Ava, I’ve believed in you since the moment you locked me in a storage closet."

Ava groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

Ryan grinned. "Never."

She shook her head, but when she lowered her hands, he was still there, still looking at her with that steady warmth in his eyes.

The wind picked up slightly, making the strands of her hair dance around her face. Ryan reached out instinctively, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. The simple gesture sent a shiver down her spine, her breath hitching slightly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The world shrank, the distant noise of the city fading until all that remained was the space between them.

Ryan’s hand lingered at the side of her face, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheekbone.

Ava’s heart pounded, her pulse drumming in her ears.

He was going to kiss her.

And for once, she wasn’t overthinking it.

She wanted it.

Ryan leaned in, his breath warm against her lips, his hand moving to her waist, pulling her just slightly closer—

"Midnight croissant hunt!"

The rooftop door banged open, and Mei’s enthusiastic voice shattered the moment like glass hitting pavement.

Ava and Ryan jumped apart as if they had been caught doing something illegal.

Mei, completely oblivious to the tension she had just obliterated, grinned at them. "What are you two standing around for? We’re in Paris! And Paris at midnight means croissants!"

Behind her, Harold peeked in, holding his phone. "Actually, Mei, I think the bakeries are clo—"

"Hush, Harold. No one needs that kind of negativity."

Ava groaned, rubbing her temples. "Mei, seriously?"

Mei gave them an innocent blink. "What? It’s tradition!"

Ryan, still standing entirely too close to Ava, exhaled and muttered, "Unbelievable."

Mei waggled her brows. "Oh, were you two having a moment?"

Ava’s cheeks burned. "No!"

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, looking half-annoyed, half-amused. "I hate how much you enjoy ruining my life."

Mei smirked. "Oh, darling, I don’t ruin it—I enhance it."

Harold, ever the peacemaker, clapped his hands together. "Well! Croissants, anyone?"

Ava took a deep breath before shooting Ryan a look. "Guess we better go before she drags us there herself."

Ryan sighed, but the small smile on his lips gave him away. "Guess so."

As they followed Mei and Harold down the stairs, Ryan leaned toward Ava, voice low and teasing. "This isn’t over, you know."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "What isn’t?"

Ryan smirked. "The moment you owe me."

Ava rolled her eyes. "You’re ridiculous."

Ryan’s grin widened. "And yet, you’re still here."

Ava huffed, but she couldn’t quite fight the smile tugging at her lips.

And as they stepped onto the Parisian streets, the cool night air wrapping around them, she couldn’t help but wonder—

When the next moment came, would she let it happen?

---

The streets of Paris were quieter at this hour, the city humming with the soft glow of streetlights and the occasional laughter of late-night wanderers. Mei, in her endless enthusiasm, had dragged them to a tiny bakery that was somehow still open at midnight, proving once again that her instincts—or sheer chaos—never failed.

Ava sat at a small outdoor table, resting her chin in her hand as she watched Mei enthusiastically barter with the baker over which croissants had the best texture. Harold, meanwhile, had somehow gotten himself into a philosophical debate with another elderly Parisian gentleman about whether butter or love made a better pastry.

Ryan, sitting beside Ava, nudged her gently with his elbow. "Admit it. You’re having fun."

Ava let out a reluctant chuckle. "They do make life... interesting."

Ryan smirked, reaching for a croissant. "You mean chaotic."

Ava watched as Mei dramatically gasped over the "life-changing" flakiness of the pastry. "Same thing, really."

Ryan hummed in agreement, then turned toward her, voice lower, more intentional. "You never did answer my question earlier."

Ava blinked. "Which question?"

Ryan’s smirk was subtle, teasing. "The one about unfinished moments."

Her breath hitched slightly. He wasn’t letting it go.

Not that she really wanted him to.

She swallowed, playing with the edge of her napkin. "Well, technically, we did get interrupted—"

Ryan leaned in just slightly, his fingers brushing against hers where they rested on the table. "So let’s finish it."

Ava’s heart stuttered in her chest.

There was something about this city—the warm air, the soft flicker of lights, the way Ryan was looking at her like she was the only person in the world.

For once, she didn’t argue.

She just nodded.

Ryan grinned, taking that as his cue. "Come on, Matchmaker Extraordinaire. Let’s get out of here before Mei declares this place a national treasure."

Ava let him take her hand as they stood.

---

The moment they entered their shared bedroom, something in the air shifted.

The playful banter, the usual sarcasm—they both knew it had been leading to this.

Ryan shut the door behind them, leaning against it for a moment, watching her.

Ava swallowed, suddenly hyper-aware of every little thing—the way the warm light cast shadows across the walls, the subtle scent of Ryan’s cologne, the steady sound of their breathing in the quiet of the room.

Ryan took a slow step forward. "So, where were we?"

Ava tilted her head, pretending to think. "I think you were trying to kiss me—"

Ryan let out a small chuckle. "Trying?"

Ava smirked. "You didn’t quite get there."

Ryan shook his head, closing the space between them. "No interruptions this time?"

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Depends. Did you lock the door?"

Ryan reached behind him, turning the lock with an audible click.

Ava’s stomach flipped.

Ryan reached up, gently cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin. "Still overthinking?"

Ava huffed a soft laugh. "Surprisingly, no."

Ryan’s lips curled into a smirk. "Good."

And then he kissed her.

There was nothing hesitant about it this time.

It was warm, deliberate—like something inevitable finally falling into place.

Ava melted into him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. Ryan’s arms wrapped around her, his hands firm against the small of her back, grounding her.

He kissed her like he had been waiting for this forever.

And maybe... maybe she had too.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, tangled in the moment, lost in each other.

All she knew was that by the time they finally pulled away, her breath was uneven, and Ryan was looking at her like she was something rare, something precious.

Ava swallowed. "That was—"

Ryan smirked. "Yeah."

She let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head. "Are we really doing this?"

Ryan brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I think we already are."

Ava chewed on her lip, then, in a rare moment of vulnerability, admitted, "I don’t want this to be just Paris."

Ryan’s gaze softened. "It’s not."

Her heart stuttered again.

Ryan took her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Come here."

He led her to the bed—their bed.

They both hesitated for just a second before climbing in, settling beneath the covers.

Ava felt the warmth of his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. She let herself relax against him, her head resting just below his chin, his steady heartbeat against her cheek.

For the first time in a long time, she felt... safe.

Ryan pressed a lazy kiss to the top of her head. "Sleep, Matchmaker."

Ava smiled, closing her eyes. "You better not snore."

Ryan chuckled, his grip tightening slightly around her. "No promises."

Ava let out a quiet laugh before drifting off, wrapped in his warmth, in his scent, in the steady certainty that—

Whatever this was...

She wasn’t letting it go.