Éloïse sat excitedly in her small apartment, staring at her phone. After the chaotic day at Montmartre, she had finally dared to ask Théo if he wanted to have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower. His reply came promptly: “Sounds great, I’ll bring something to eat!”
She grinned and immediately started planning. A bit of baguette, cheese, strawberries – and of course a bottle of champagne she had bought especially for the special moment. Everything was supposed to be perfect. “This time no pigeon droppings, no broken scooters, just a relaxed afternoon,” she murmured to herself.
Théo, on the other hand, was in a completely different mood. After getting the scooter somewhat fixed, he had set off to get some treats. He had suggested to Éloïse to meet at 4 p.m. at the Eiffel Tower – right below the big lawn. “As romantic as in the movies,” he thought, trying to hide his nervousness.
On the agreed afternoon, Éloïse made her way to the meeting point. She was a bit early, but that didn’t bother her. She spread out the blanket, set the picnic basket ready, and waited excitedly. Only she suddenly wasn’t alone.
“Hey, Élo!” called a voice behind her. Éloïse turned around and saw Marceau, her chaotic cousin, rushing towards her with a broad grin and a bag full of baguettes. “I thought I’d drop by and help save the picnic! Paris without Marceau isn’t really Paris.”
“Marceau!” she laughed, hugging him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Lyon!”
“Ah, the family needs me again,” he winked. “Besides, I heard you have a date here. So I thought I’d be the best wingman in town.”
Éloïse could only shake her head as Théo arrived at some distance – but not alone. Next to him walked a young woman with a stylish hat and a wide smile. “Théo?” Éloïse asked confused. “Who is that?”
Théo stopped and looked at Éloïse as surprised as she was at him. “Oh, that’s Camille. We work together at the café and I thought she might come too. I thought you were bringing someone?”
Éloïse laughed nervously. “No, no, I thought it was just the two of us planning the picnic. No other guests.”
At that moment, Marceau approached Théo and Camille, waved wildly, and called out: “Salut! I’m Marceau, Éloïse’s cousin and self-proclaimed expert on everything fun!”
Camille laughed, but Éloïse felt the situation getting weirder. Théo seemed unsure, Marceau overconfident – and she herself was pretty confused. “So, how about we just see this as a big picnic for friends?” Théo suggested, trying to save the mood.
“Sounds good,” said Éloïse, trying to keep her smile. But no sooner had they sat down than another figure appeared – a young man with a wild beard, looking around frantically.
“Marceau? Have you seen my dog?” the man called, looking at Éloïse and Théo with wide eyes. “I lost him at the foot of the tower!”
Marceau jumped up and shouted: “Oh crap, not again!” while Éloïse could only shake her head. “What a day...”
Théo looked at Éloïse, then Marceau – and all three knew: The chaos had only just begun.
But before they could deal with it further, a loud bang suddenly sounded – and the Eiffel Tower seemed to tremble for a moment.
“What was that?” whispered Camille, suddenly turning very pale.
“No idea,” replied Théo, while Éloïse instinctively held onto the picnic basket. “But I think we should find out – together.”