A Night in Paris

Chapter Two: Rent

24 Hours Left

With no baggage, Nathan set off on his own journey. He jumped on the first subway to nowhere and found himself lost in the glory that was Paris.

            Persistence was alone in a strange city, but she's never felt closer to her family than now. She flagged down a cab and told him the address of a city home she had rented for one day. Persistence knew if she had rented it a single second more, she would've never gone back to her father and her younger sister. The humble abode was nice. A standard building at the front, and an entire woodsy cabin on the inside. The only bedroom was small and cozy, the bed decorated with standard sheets and a single candle on the bedside table. The living room was connected to the kitchen, both just a tad larger than the bedroom. It was painted the same shade as the oak coffee table and the same kitchen counter. The light, black curtains were drawn, a sliver of sunlight floating through the dense material. Just like her mother wrote, Persistence decided. She settled in the bedroom and opened the cream-colored journal, flipping to the one page that was worn from all the times Persistence had run through it. Those almost transparent, diamond-blue eyes skimmed through the passage, her mind already filling in the empty blanks by memory. The guitar pick was in it's usual spot, a little pocket folded into the page. It was a lovely shade of purple and blue. The same color as the dark night illuminated by the lights on the Eiffel Tower, her mother had written next to it. The same color I'll paint the rooms of my future child. I'd want to name her/him Paris. A beautiful child after a beautiful city. God, Persistence missed her.

            Finding a home was number one on the priority list of traveling. Nathan had learned that the hard way when he visited Ireland in the freezing winter. Boy, were the people harsh that stormy night. Nathan made his way down the empty alleyways where his train had dropped him off. The little apartment buildings were beautiful. Nathan took a little bit of time to sit down on the steps of a smaller room to document how the neon strip of sunlight hits the edge of the darkened glass of the window. It was then he saw the sign hidden behind the black curtains of the stained glass. Without any euros in his pockets, Nathan wasn't sure how he would pay the rent that the sign was asking, but he decided it was worth a shot. Anything was worth a shot. After all, what is the point of living life if you're not really living it? It was the saying Nathan lived by, the one that his parents condemned him for. He closed the MacBook he had been typing in and knocked on the wooden door. Whatever happens, Nathan decided he'll be glad. You live and learn, right?

            A young girl stood at the door, far from the grumpy, old man Nathan had expected. She was no older than Nathan, himself. Eighteen, seventeen at least. Nathan moved past the initial shock and offered a polite smile. "Hello."

            She looked confused. Nathan tried again. "Bonjour?"

            Her translucent, blueish eyes sparkled like a diamond. Nathan was sure to write this in his document later. The girl focused her eyes on the ground and then dragged them back to meet Nathan's own honey-colored eyes. "I speak English," she answered quietly.

            Nathan was taken aback. With the way she looked, he would've pinned her as a resident here. After all, she was looking for rent right?

            "Right." Nathan cleared his throat. "I'm Nathan Haloway."

             The girl raised her eyebrow gently, like him saying his name would explain everything. Nathan realized this a second later. He pointed to the sign. "Are you still looking for someone to take the rent? I don't really have any euros to offer, but I do have American dollars."

            She blinked, clearly confused. Then she aimed her focus on the sign by the window. Her rich voice spoke again. "I must've forgotten to take the sign off," she said, making Nathan's hope deflate faster than a hot air balloon with no fire. "I've paid the rent myself," she explained quickly. "It's only my place for a single day. You're welcome to ask the owner after, I'm sure Romero is looking for others to rent the place."