And would you look at that? It really is three o’clock. His watch beeps at him in warning of dinner in two hours. “Huh, so that’s why I’m starving,” he mumbles to himself.
Gabriel’s eyes darken a little. “You haven’t eaten yet? You didn’t have breakfast either.”
James shrugs. “Hey! I’m fine. I was just on my way to get something.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Gabriel nudges him as the light flickers green. “I walked past a crêperie earlier.” To James’ amazement Gabriel walks with him to the restaurant, orderssomething as well and joins him in sitting next to the Seine while they enjoy their respective snacks.
“Have you been here long?” James asks, gesturing toward Notre-Dame. Gabriel shakes his head, swallowing before he tells James he’s only been there for thirty minutes. “Walked around Montmartre earlier and sat down to read for a while.”
If James wasn’t such a plan and conquer type of person, he would’ve liked having such a whimsical day as well. To be able to sit down in a city such as this and just soak it all up for a moment. The fear of not being able to see everything prevents him from doing so. He doesn’t see it happening that he will be returning to Paris any time soon, so everything he can do, he wants to experience.
His watch beeps again, a ninety-minute warning. Crumpling up his napkin, he stands up and turns to Gabriel. “Want to join me? We can go to the restaurant together after.”
Gabriel heaves himself up from the bench as well, his satchel falling across his shoulders. He smiles, his own version of a soft expression, and agrees.
Walking along the Seine, the two of them make their way toward a little hidden bookstore - something James is sure that Gabriel will enjoy as well. If not for the crowd, then for the atmosphere and vast collection of books they carry. Every video James watched of this little shop made it look like something plucked straight from a romcom.
The wooden panels and green awning greeting them confirm this. The way Gabriel’s eyes fill with intrigue makes it even better.
3 [James] Paris, France
December 3rd
Who knew that sleeping inside a train, stationed in one of the biggest stations, could be so comfortable? James was prepared to wake up still tired, without having had the chance to fall into a deep slumber. The opposite turns out to be true.
While it is the uproar outside the carriage and the aroma of a cup of coffee that wake him, it’s also the first time he finds himself awake since dragging himself inside the train the night before. Dinner lasted longer than he’d dared to hope for, a grinning Gabriel telling him all about the peculiar people he encountered during his sketching.
As the sky slowly turned darker, they found themselves walking along the Seine back to the station. After the forty-minute walk he wasn’t awake enough to take in the beauty anymore. Upon arriving atThe Adventurerhe had to will himself to go through his nighttime routine, making his wayaround the cabin all bleary-eyed and stumbling. Vaguely, he recalls Gabriel sniggering at him from his own side of their shared space. The rest is all a blur.
His eyes find Gabriel, sitting upright with his back against the headboard. He seems lost in the book in his lap, absentmindedly bringing a cup of coffee up to his lips.
James groans, alerting Gabriel of his awake state. “Morning. What time is it?”
“Morning.” Gabriel parrots without his eyes straying from the book. “Last I checked, it was just after eight.”
James hums, turning around to burrow himself into the surprisingly comfortable duvet. It’s one of the few mornings of the whole trip he didn’t make any solid plans for.
He grants himself the extra half an hour to doze before his bladder alerts him it’s time to get out of bed. He finds Gabriel just like he had earlier in the morning, stuck in his book with a wild head of bed hair. James hides his smile as he stretches.
Only when he’s standing next to the bed the full layout of the room connects in his mind. The curtains above the table must be hiding a big window to provide the opportunity of sightseeing. The armchairs next to the table look comfortable and soft, something he can lounge on with a good book after a long day. His bags are still on the ground, next to the chest of drawers that are pushed against the wall.
The one thing his eyes linger on is the lack of spacebetween their mattresses. It’s a queen-sized frame, housing two single mattresses. He swallows his panic as he looks at Gabriel, who’s trying his best to look as casual as possible but is failing miserably. James figures he should be grateful for the separate duvets at least. He’s quick to say, feeling the need to defend himself, “I didn’t book a room with a queen-size.”
Gabriel looks away as he answers, “I know. I only realized after you dashed off yesterday. I checked, they don’t have any rooms with singles left.”
James winces, swallowing around the lump in his throat. They haven’t left yet and things are already going wrong.
“But, we can’t share a bed the whole trip.”
Now Gabriel winces and shrugs. “Looks like we might have to. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything untoward.”
“I’mnotworried about that,” James insists truthfully. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Gabriel’s eyes are kind when their gazes lock again. “I won’t be. It will be an adjustment, but we’ll only be here to sleep anyway.”
James hums, mind running a mile a minute at the adjustment that this takes. While he’s not afraid of somethinguntowardhappening, heisafraid that he won’t be able to resist reaching out for Gabriel once he has him that close.
Not once did he think that this was something that could happen. He supposes he’ll have to try and make peace with it.With a sigh he starts pulling out his clothes and begins emptying his suitcases into the closet. With a sense of relief he spots two spare pillows tucked on the top shelf. Maybe that’s something to work with.
