Alpha's and Eiffel towers [On Hold]

-||9|| what a name

We'd almost reached the restaurant, according to him. We had already been walking for more than ten minutes and could've easily passed fifty shops. "Actually, how many languages can you speak?" I asked, restarting our conversation. "Well, French is my native language. But there's also Dutch, English, Italian and Latin," he answered, and I grinned. "Strevertje," I mumbled under my breath, which I instantly heard. "What did you call me?" He asked with a small playful laugh twirling on his face. "Strevertje," I repeated confidently. He looked at me, confused but interested," You're lucky I didn't take Belgian street-language along with the rest. I broke out in laughter," Oh trust me, take a 5-minute walk around Antwerp and you'll know it like your ABCs".

Then he nodded his head towards a covered in greenery frontage of a restaurant. Plants had settled themselves between the old brick and even hung loosely over the window, giving it a somewhat magical feeling. "I do have to warn you about Madame Minous, she loves to talk but understanding her is a different story. She's motherly over everyone, so don't be freaked," he said before pushing the vintage-looking door open. Soft French music greeted us along with a warmth that seemed to hug you as soon as it reached you.

"Maximus!" I heard from deep within the kitchen. I had to barricade my mouth with my hand to stop the laughter from coming out. He looked rather ashamed with his eyes meeting the floor as if he expected this reaction. A woman with raven black hair weaved into one braid and a soft tan came walking towards him; literally with open arms. "Bonjour, Maxie. Je l'ai pas vu si longtemps," she said while pulling the big guy into a firm hug. I just looked at them, amused. "Bonjour Minous, avez-vous une table libre, aujourd'hui?" He asked, still not being let go. Even though I had no idea what he just said, it didn't make the scene less amusing. Madame Minous finally loosened her grip and nodded excessively. "Tout pour vous!" She answered, only then noticing Max wasn't alone. "Et qui est cette belle fille?" Her question made his head turn too. "Elle 's appelle Jane. Elle vient de Belgique," I smiled, I knew enough French to understand he'd just introduced me. She gave me a friendly smile, looked back at Max and all of the sudden started to beam. He seemed to humbly signal her that she had to be quiet, almost forgetting I was following along this whole time. "It's not because I don't speak French I don't know what hand signs mean," I said, crossing my arms with a confused feeling turning my mind upside down and Max gave me that guilty smile once again. It wasn't mad at him, but I was rather curious why she got so excited all of a sudden.

I didn't get an answer to that question, though, because we were redirected to a table at the window which had enough space to let the others join. Minous had given us a plate with what you could consider to be a stereotypical French breakfast and poured a glass of fresh orange juice. "So Maximus," I started for which I got a dead, but ironical glare. "I have no idea what was going through my parent's heads when they named me, honestly," he confessed, and I smiled. "It's okay, Maxie," I said and looked at him daringly. He shook his head which made his hair bounce a little and let the juice within his glass dance by turning it between his fingers. "It's not that bad, though. Maximus is Latin, and it means 'greatest,'" he said seeming more convinced by the words he spoke. "Oh yeah, you know Latin," I said wearily, and his rather serious look flipped to a smile. I looked back at my plate and took my croissant in hand. "Jane's an English name, you know. It means 'God is gracious,'" I turned my gaze back to him, confused. "How do you know that?" I asked while I felt my croissant slip within my fingers. "Well," he stopped as if he just realized the next contents he'd speak weren't allowed to leave his mouth. I saw a hint of stress flash through his eyes, even though the rest of his face remained calm. He didn't start drumming his fingers on the table or biting his nails. He just looked relaxed; his eyes fixed on a point behind me. Both beginning to get lost in thoughts, we got called back to reality by an incoming text om my phone.