Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 89: A Midnight Stroll

Chapter 89: A Midnight Stroll

The streets of Paris had quieted, the once-bustling city now a canvas of soft golden lights and whispered conversations. The Seine shimmered under the glow of the streetlamps, casting gentle ripples of silver and gold over the dark water.

Ava exhaled, her breath visible in the crisp night air as she and Ryan strolled along the riverbank. The weight of the day—the competition, the constant battle against Julian’s algorithms, Ethan’s sabotage—was still there, but it felt distant now, swallowed up by the peace of the moment.

For the first time in what felt like forever, it was just them.

No Mei dragging them into mischief. No matchmaking disasters to solve. No sabotage or looming deadlines.

Just the quiet hum of the city. Just the rhythmic sound of their footsteps against the cobblestone path. Just him.

Ryan walked beside her, hands tucked into his coat pockets, his gaze drifting over the water. "You know," he mused, "for someone who constantly complains about chaos, you sure know how to attract it."

Ava smirked, tilting her head toward him. "Oh, and you’re just an innocent bystander?"

Ryan shrugged. "Hey, I’m just along for the ride."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. You definitely didn’t voluntarily dive into a river today just to prove a point."

Ryan smirked. "To be fair, I looked very heroic doing it."

Ava chuckled, nudging his arm. "You looked very ridiculous."

Ryan gasped, placing a hand over his chest in mock offense. "Unbelievable. Here I am, risking life and limb, and all I get is ridiculous?"

Ava’s lips twitched. "Fine. How about moderately impressive?"

Ryan grinned. "I’ll take it."

They walked a few more steps before Ava exhaled, hugging her coat tighter around herself. The night air was cool, but not unpleasant—more refreshing than anything.

Ryan must have noticed because, without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Ava blinked, looking up at him. "You know I’m not that cold, right?"

Ryan simply tucked his hands back into his pockets, his expression unreadable. "I know."

Ava swallowed. It was such a small thing—giving her his jacket—but there was something about the way he did it, so effortless, so natural, that made her chest tighten.

"Ryan," she started, unsure of what she was about to say.

He turned his head, meeting her gaze.

For a second, the city disappeared.

Ava felt something shift between them—something subtle, something unspoken.

This wasn’t just casual flirting. This wasn’t just a moment between two people caught up in the whirlwind of Paris.

It was them.

It was the way Ryan always seemed to know when she needed a distraction. The way he always found her when she slipped away. The way he made her laugh even when everything felt like it was falling apart.

And the way she had let him, over and over again, without even realizing it.

"You’re staring," Ryan murmured, his lips curling into a smirk.

Ava felt her face warm. "You’re staring," she countered, though her voice wasn’t as sharp as it should’ve been.

Ryan hummed. "Maybe."

Ava shook her head, turning back toward the river, but she could still feel him watching her, like he was memorizing the moment.

A comfortable silence settled between them as they continued walking.

Then, softly, Ryan spoke.

"You ever think about what happens after this?"

Ava glanced at him. "After what?"

"Paris," he said. "The competition. All of it."

Ava hesitated.

She hadn’t let herself think that far ahead.

Between Julian’s sabotage, Ethan’s constant interference, and the never-ending chaos of matchmaking, the future had always been something she planned but never felt.

But now, standing here, in the middle of Paris, with Ryan beside her...

She let herself think about it.

"I don’t know," she admitted. "I guess I just assumed I’d go back to New York. Back to my usual clients, my usual work."

Ryan nodded slowly, as if considering something.

"And me?"

Ava’s breath caught.

The way he said it—so quietly, so simply—made her stomach flip.

"You?" she echoed, trying to sound casual.

Ryan’s lips quirked. "Yeah. Do I get factored into that future of yours?"

Ava looked away, staring at the water. "You tell me."

Ryan didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against hers—light, tentative.

And then, in a move so natural it almost startled her, he laced their fingers together.

Ava inhaled sharply.

Ryan’s grip was warm, steady—like he had no intention of letting go.

"You drive me insane," he murmured, his thumb absently tracing over her knuckles.

Ava’s lips twitched. "Likewise."

"But you’re also..." Ryan exhaled, shaking his head with a small smile. "You’re you."

Ava looked up at him, their faces mere inches apart now.

She could see everything in his expression—fondness, amusement, something deeper, something that made her heart stutter.

Ryan took a step closer, his free hand reaching up, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

"You know, I’ve been patient," he murmured.

Ava swallowed. "Have you?"

Ryan smirked. "Painfully so."

Ava let out a breathless laugh. "And here I thought you were just playing it cool."

Ryan shook his head, his voice dropping lower. "Oh, I gave up on cool the second I met you."

Ava opened her mouth to reply—

But then Ryan leaned in, his lips brushing hers in the lightest, most teasing of kisses, like he was waiting for her to meet him halfway.

And Ava—god help her—did.

She reached up, her fingers curling into his coat as she closed the gap, deepening the kiss.

It wasn’t hurried.

It wasn’t rushed.

It was soft—slow and sure, like they had all the time in the world.

The city faded into the background.

All that mattered was this. Him.

When they finally pulled apart, Ava was breathless.

Ryan pressed his forehead against hers, his smirk lazy, satisfied. "Took you long enough."

Ava huffed a quiet laugh. "Shut up."

Ryan just grinned, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Come on," he murmured. "Let’s keep walking."

And so they did—hand in hand, their midnight stroll through Paris now something infinitely more.

The quiet hum of Paris surrounded them, the soft lapping of the Seine against the embankment, the occasional rustle of leaves in the cool night breeze, the distant laughter from late-night revelers. But for Ava and Ryan, everything else had faded into the background.

Their fingers remained intertwined as they walked slowly along the riverbank, neither of them in any rush to let go. The weight of the evening, of everything left unspoken, lingered in the space between them.

Ryan squeezed her hand lightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So... does this mean I’m officially your boyfriend now?"

Ava, who had been watching the flickering streetlamps reflect off the water, turned to him with a raised brow. "Boyfriend?" she echoed.

Ryan shrugged, all casual confidence, but there was something in his gaze—a quiet seriousness beneath the teasing. "Yeah. Y’know. A steady partner. Exclusive. Committed. Official."

Ava narrowed her eyes, feigning deep thought. "Hmm. I don’t know. It has been fun keeping you in emotional limbo."

Ryan let out a dry laugh. "Right. Because that’s what we’ve been doing."

Ava smirked. "Isn’t it?"

Ryan exhaled, shaking his head. "Ava, we’ve been attached at the hip since New York. You wake up next to me every morning. You let me steal your coffee. You drag me into every matchmaking scheme imaginable."

Ava tapped her chin. "Okay, fine. You also steal my food."

Ryan grinned. "And yet, here you are. Letting me hold your hand. Making out with me by the Seine. Blushing when I call you out on it."

Ava scoffed. "I am not blushing."

Ryan leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. "You so are."

Ava swatted at his arm, but Ryan just chuckled, swinging their hands playfully between them.

"Alright, fine," Ava said finally, tilting her head toward him. "I suppose you can be my official partner. But—"

Ryan arched a brow. "But?"

Ava smirked. "As long as you don’t try to make me sign a prenup."

Ryan let out a surprised laugh, shaking his head. "That’s your condition?"

Ava grinned. "Well, you are a divorce lawyer. I need to protect my assets."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Ava, the most expensive thing you own is a limited edition coffee mug."

Ava gasped, clutching her chest in mock offense. "That mug is priceless."

Ryan snorted. "See? This is why we work."

Ava shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the small smile pulling at her lips.

Ryan slowed their pace, his voice dropping to something softer. "So... we’re really doing this?"

Ava glanced up at him, her heart skipping a beat at the way he was looking at her—not just amused, not just teasing, but steady, unwavering.

Something deep inside her melted.

She exhaled. "Yeah, Ryan. We’re really doing this."

Ryan grinned, lifting their joined hands and pressing a lingering kiss to her knuckles. "Good."

Ava rolled her eyes, but her fingers curled around his, holding on just a little tighter.

And as they continued walking, the city stretching out before them, Ava finally let herself admit—

For once, she didn’t mind letting someone stay.