No Tears | NR

Chapter 62

Paris, France

Despite Yara's opinion of Paris, she enjoyed being back in Europe. There was something about countries like France and Germany, that was so very different from the US. Of course, the food was different, and dare she say; better. But that was not what she meant. The whole atmosphere and vibe of the place and the people were just different. She wouldn't say it was better or worse, but she had missed it.

The business trip couldn't have come at a better time. She had needed to get out for a while now, even if she hadn't been aware of it. Natasha agreed and told her to go which finally dissolved Yara's initial hesitation. Yara was certain that Natasha would have liked to join her, but the Avenger hadn't hinted at it in any way. It remained just a gut feeling. Yara had debated asking her if she wanted to go, but she already knew what Natasha would have said. She had responsibilities and didn't want to travel and go anywhere. Yara was wondering if this was an excuse.

All these thoughts kept Yara distracted as she wandered through Le Marais, which was located at the center of Paris. She had been here for three days and the trip was going well thus far. She was making good progress with her French colleagues, meaning that the software solution should be ready for implementation by the end of the week, when she was leaving.

The uneven cobblestone underneath her feet had Yara almost roll her ankle. She stumbled a few steps, hoping that nobody had seen her. If they did, she couldn't tell. Although it was getting late and the sun had mostly set, streetlights were illuminating the fairly busy street. Many tourists had settled down in restaurants or their hotels. There weren't many locals out and about either, from what Yara could tell.

She left the main street and walked into an alley to get back to her own hotel. As she was trudging down old, dark streets, her mind wandered off again. Distracted, she passed a busy bar. The music was drowned out by loud chatter. People were drunkenly staggering around outside of the building or just standing there, leaning against the wall and talking to friends.

A waft of alcohol hit Yara's nose when the door opened once more and a man made his way outside, barely managing to stay on his feet. Yara scrunched up her nose and looked at him, not even trying to hide her disgust. Everything about him was warning her to stay away from him.

She continued on her way, no longer letting herself get distracted. The man was staggering in her direction and slurring loudly. Yara was in no mood to deal with him and picked up her pace. Miraculously, the guy managed to stick with her and wouldn't leave or stop, which seemed strange to her. She wasn't about to lead him to her hotel, so she took a detour. The guy, however, wouldn't give up. Yara could lose him, if she wanted to, but she was in no mood to let herself be treated like this. Not anymore. She had sworn to herself that she wasn't going to run ever again. She had been running for decades. Never again. That included this drunk guy. Plus, he needed to be taught a lesson.

Yara rounded a corner and slowed down to a stroll. She let the guy catch up to her until she could hear his ragged breath. He continued approaching her while slurring incomprehensibly. Yara rolled her eyes and took a few long strides towards him, having lost her patience. Without another word, she grabbed him by his collars and pushed him against a wall. Despite her best attempts to stay as far away from him as possible, she couldn't escape his odor, which carried strong notes of alcohol and sweat. Bile rose in her throat.

A burp escaped his throat as he muttered something, Yara didn't understand.

"Je n'apprécie pas qu'on me suive", Yara told him as intimidatingly as possible, that she doesn't like being followed.

The man giggled and flailed his arms at her. Yara made a split moment decision and kicked him hard in his groin. He wasn't going to remember anything, so there was no point in holding speeches. Hopefully, he wasn't going to be able to do anything to anyone for a while after that kick. The guy folded with a shrill cry and collapsed to the ground, where he laid motionlessly. When he didn't move within a few seconds, Yara pressed her middle and index finger against his throat. With a low sigh of relief, she found a pulse and stood back up.

Yara stared down at him, weighing her options. She didn't like the idea of leaving anyone unconscious out in the open. At the same time, he was a white, French man and he deserved it. She didn't think anything would happen to him, so she turned and found herself face to face with a giant. Actually, it was more like face to chest since the guy was towering over her, and she barely reached his chin. Bear in mind, she was by no means a short woman, unlike Natasha. Subconsciously, she took a step back to put some distance between them.

Neither of them spoke as they took in each other's appearance in the dim light of the streetlights that stood a little ways ahead. The giant had frizzy, dark blonde hair which was peaking out underneath a red hat. His face was hidden in the shade that his hat was throwing, but she could make out a fleshy nose that was sitting in the center of this face. His ears were small but protruding, and his eyes looked friendly despite the shade that hid them a little. Otherwise, his stature was wide and heavy. Although it was clearly visible that he wasn't particularly lean, Yara was certain that underneath his wide coat and baggy pants, he was hiding an impressive physical strength that could perhaps even rival Natasha's slightly enhanced strength.

Their short staring contest ended when the giant looked past Yara at the unconscious guy on the ground and spoke up with a slight English accent, asking if everything was alright; "Tout va bien ici?"

Yara, too, turned her head to look at the guy behind her and replied in English, "Yeah. I think so." She looked back up and met the giant's eyes.

"He bother you?"

Yara gave a short nod. "Yeah, but I took care of it. He won't be bothering anyone any time soon, I hope."

The giant visibly checked her out from top to bottom, but didn't say anything. Although Yara wasn't small, she knew that she didn't look like much either. She had gained some healthy weight since that one time when Natasha had taken her out to eat, but it hadn't been much. Still, she was by no means weak, and she had received more than sufficient combat training by the best fighters, she knew. Of course, the guy had also not really posed a challenge in his drunken state.

"If you don't mind, I really need to get some sleep", Yara let him know that she would like to go.

The guy immediately stepped aside, nodding. "Of course. Would you like me to accompany you?"

Yara raised her eyebrow at him.

"Just to keep drunk guys away from you", he added quickly and smiled nervously.

Yara felt bad for setting him up like that. Still, she didn't trust him and preferred going alone. "Thank you for the offer, but I think, I'll be fine."

The guy nodded in understanding. "Of course." As he was talking, he rummaged around in his pocket. A few seconds later, he pulled out a pen and a napkin from his jacket and scribbled something short on a piece of paper, before he tore the note out and passed it on to her. "Here, take this. Call me if something happens."

Yara looked down and found a series of digits on the napkin. She looked back up with a smirk and gave him a short nod before she turned and left.

AN:

This chapter might seem a little random, but I promise, there's a point to it. I hope you like it.