A curious smile spreads across her lips. “And how many times would you say Paris has made a lover out of you?”

She wants to know, truly! How many times had he been completely besotted with another, how often did he have to nurse the wounds left by the jagged edges of a heart broken? He’s enjoyed far more years than Himeno has; the silver in his hair and wisdom in his eyes attesting to a life that undoubtedly evolved with the ever-changing desires of the heart.

Before Michel gets the opportunity to reply, their waiter returns, wine in hand.