A Night in Paris

Chapter Four: Strangers

           

18 Hours Left

            The window was open. It was absurd, considering how chilly the weather was outside. Nathan was the one who had done it. Being cramped inside with Paris was a whole other adventure he had not planned on taking when he arrived in the city, though it was one he did not mind. The said adventure was currently fighting a smile as she completed the song with near perfection on a lost track of times. She had an extra coat wrapped around her, courtesy of Nathan. It was the least he could do when he insisted on opening the sliding glass.

            Nathan drew himself out of a never-ending trail of thoughts and focused again on the adventure in front of him. One that he had not conquered; but had carelessly surrendered to. It was simpler than sugar. She had a thousand walls he had to climb over, until they lowered, letting him in. So in a way, she had surrendered to him as well. It was even ground.

            "Would you like to try it again?" Neither one kept track of the time. None knew it had already been some tiring two hours since Paris established a second tie to her mother; six hours since both had set foot onto a quiet, small world that was had made plans for Paris and Nathan long before they arrived.

            Paris nodded eagerly, and Nathan couldn't help himself. His deep chuckle echoed in her maze of walls, making few crumble and open up a clearer path. It was the first time Paris had heard him laugh. Nathan had found this out when he found Paris staring with her crystalline eyes shining brighter than the Tour de Eiffel at night.

            Nathan raised an eyebrow in question. A tint of pink appeared in Paris's cheek before she responded. They both knew it wasn't because of the cold wind that blew inside. "You have a nice laugh," she answered smoothly.

            It tumbled out before he could catch it. "You have a nice smile."

            Her lips tugged higher, and Nathan found himself watching them. He found himself watching her a lot more. Paris's hair was now let down in soft, loose waves around her face, falling right before the black-framed glasses. It was strangely like a fountain of dark chocolate. Nathan's jacket was definitely not the right size for someone as petite as his little adventure, but neither of them minded. Not a single bit.

            Paris sat up straighter and regarded Nathan with a glint in her eyes that he could not recognize. He had unintentionally leaned closer, as if expecting Paris to begin talking. Expectations were meant to be exceeded. "Would you like to sing with me?" Paris considered her statement, and then restarted. "Can you sing with me?"

            Nathan blinked at her with his forgiving, understanding honey eyes. "Of course."

            One. One song to celebrate the unknown, the unwanted, the unaccompanied.

            Two. Two heartbeats, desperately pushing to call out to one another, to find one another.

            Three. Three more hours.

            Four. Four verses were all it took to sew together stories that would end with a forever.

            They were lost in the song. Lost in each other. Two tourists lost in a city made for two. In fact, the two were so lost, they had not noticed him. Not until he spoke. Not until he regarded the two with an expression that was broken beyond repair. But then again, it was the same expression Persistence Waters wore herself until she found her heart.

            The man cleared his throat. "Sorry to intrude, but I just had to tell you that your duet was lovely. It holds the emotion that many musicians lack nowadays."