Rainy Nights in Paris | Matthew Fairchild x Reader

Part 2

Inside the carriage, it was warmer than you had expected. 

Matthew sat right next to you, his warmth helping your wet form feel less like you were dying. The lights flickered through the drawn curtains as you watched how the buildings were passing by.

The fog had thickened even more and when the coach stopped, you could not see anything farther than seven meters before you, but you knew the place you had stopped at, right at the steps before the National Opera. You could determine the vague form of the entrances from your place.

Matthew had dropped next to you and had turned to talk to the driver before you had the opportunity to. You saw him drop a handful of coins in the man’s hand, certainly more than the ride was worth. Your companion stepped next to you after the chauffeur had pocketed the money and the carriage had left the two of you in the humid night. He looked like he was admiring the scenery before him, but the fog surrounding you made sure it was all an act.

So, you just spent more time there, in the now warmer night, as the clock neared dawn. You had no idea why you kept looking at Matthew. His hair was now somehow dried, soft curls covered his forehead. His coat was as wet as before, while the ends of the scarf from around his neck seemed to also start drying.

“We might get hypothermia if we keep standing in the cold.” His tone broke the silence, you just rolled your eyes and started walking towards the street on the right side of the Opera House. You crossed it, passed two great wooden doors and at the third, you stopped, pulled out your stele and drew an open rune with ease.

The inside of the block was dimly lit by oil and gas lamps. When you reached the first set of stairs, you heard the door closing and the soft ruffle of clothing. Matthew was unbuttoning his coat while walking after you and you continued to rapidly climb up the steps. 

When you reached the third level, you had an iron key in your palm. The stairs stopped in the middle of a dark hallway and you chose to head left. At the end of the corridor stood a door that led you to another dark room, this time warmer.

Matthew followed suit, closed the door after himself as you skirted around him to lock it and to switch the light on. The bulb had only sparkled twice before you realised that it would not work, a possibility of a power outage.

You turned and you could hear both of your breaths even louder than before and tried to sort out your thoughts, calm yourself. Somehow succeeding, you walked towards the table in the entry room and turned on with a match the lamp sitting there. The whole room was suddenly filled with light and turning once again, you could see him clearly.

Not wanting to stay there admiring his beautiful features once more, you chose to try to take off your boots. You lost your balance and thanks to the reflexes of a Shadowhunter, Matthew helped you regain it. In doing so, you ended up a breath away from each other, right in the situation you had wanted to avoid.

His hand was on your forearm, a strong, warm grip over your chilled body. Hot breath filled with the smell of cognac hit your cheek and when you turned your eyes, trying to apologize, the words simply disappeared from your lips. His eyes were more beautiful than you had initially thought. Green sparkled with gold met, pupils dilated, met yours. You took a couple of moments to fully take him in, while the smell of his powerful cologne filled your nostrils. You had never smelt something like that and its fragrance with the odour of alcohol fit well, even with a faint of scent tobacco.

You finally broke out of the trance and dropped your boots on the carpet. The thud of his shoes followed suit and with the lit-up lamp in one hand, you entered the main room. The carpet was cold under your socketed feet, but the friction your bottoms did with its texture, helped you warm up.