It’s warm inside, something that he’s not seen much of in the rest of the cathedrals on the trip. It’s a nice change, especially now that he’s walking around in wet clothes.
With a small kiss and a lingering squeeze to his hand,Gabriel steps away to find a place to sit down. It’s mesmerizing to watch him decide which spot to choose and what to turn into the focus of his drawing. For just a moment, James soaks in the sight of the other man, curls half matted on his head, wet beanie tugged inside his jacket pocket.
James wanders for a while and learns more about the history and the people. He lights a candle, taking a moment to sort out his thoughts and feelings. The whirlwind these last few weeks have turned out to be show him just how different and fun life can be if you just let yourself experience things.
Gabriel’s support helped, of course it did, but he’s come to realize that he’s grown a lot on his own as well. Taking the chance to go on the trip to begin with, pushing forward after the encounter in Paris and the whole ordeal in Trollveggen. He struggled, yes, but he still persisted.
“Can we go get waffles now?” Gabriel smiles up at him underneath his eyelashes when James comes to a stop in front of his chair. From what he can see Gabriel’s been sketching the outline of the columns and the high ceiling. James smiles at his question. He sighs, pretending to think about it. “We’ll stop for some, and lunch as well.”
Gabriel’s quick to stuff his art supplies in his bag, grabbing James’ hand as he stands up. It’s still raining when they step outside. The stones are slippery from the water. They hurryback to the tram, following Gabriel’s navigation to the right stop and eventually into the city.
Ghent is charming, like most of these cities have turned out to be. James might say that the rain only adds to the nostalgic feeling that fills him as they strut along the streets. The Christmas market is still set up in the center of the city, calling to him to go explore it.
Unfortunately, that will have to wait until tomorrow. Not only because of the weather, but because of their plans to visit the castle as well. What they do find on the square, at the edge of the market, is a cart selling homemade Brussels’ waffles. Gabriel’s immediately sold and settles on a creation of banana, whipped cream and Nutella. James veers to a safer choice and sticks to a classic with just powdered sugar.
Huddled underneath the awning of the cart, trying to shield their snacks from the rain, James can admit that he’s not felt this carefree in years. They’re pressed so close together that he can smell the bananas on Gabriel’s waffle easily. Their bodies are so close that, when Gabriel exhales on a laugh, it causes the powdered sugar on top of James’ waffle to go flying.
It seems like the sugar has it out for them, now that he’s the one covered in the stuff. Unfortunately, with the rain, it’s not as easily wiped off as in Cologne. Gabriel doubles over in laughter, nearly dropping his waffle in the process of trying –and failing – to save their coats.
Even after the waffles Gabriel says he’s still up for some lunch, at least something warm to drink and a place to dry off. With a little help from James’ notebook and Gabriel’s phone they find a nice place to settle down for a little while.
The table by the window gives James a chance to people watch while they recoup. And even if the rain puts a bit of a damper on the day, it’s not enough to ruin his spirits. All the people that pass, huddled inside their jackets and sheltering underneath umbrellas, are a nice way to keep him entertained. The mug of hot chocolate he’s nursing is the perfect companion.
It’s easy to spend a few hours in the small, homely restaurant. The rain’s lessened significantly, making it even better to make their way to the castle. On any other day he would have gone for the fifteen-minute walk, now he’s happy to step into another tram.
This is one of the boring, cultural things Gabriel will like. When he read about the Christmas bar they open every year in Gravensteen Castle, he knew he’d have to bring Gabriel there. Or have him make the trip on his own.
And it doesn’t disappoint at all. The later hour of the afternoon has brought in a lot of patrons, the weather another sure way to get people inside. It feels like a traditional bar, with wooden tables and chairs. The lights are dimmed low,the murmurs of the people echoing around the open space of the castle, and James feels like he’s stepped inside a tavern from a century ago. With the smell of alcohol and the homely feeling of a well-loved bar hanging in the air.
Christmas lights fill up the space, decorations bringing the whole picture together. He’s so happy to see that the Christmas spirit can still be found, even after the holiday has passed.
40 [James] Ghent, Belgium
December 28th
“Ladies and gentlemen, dear passengers, we regret to inform you that we did in fact encounter a slight malfunction during the night on our way into Ghent. Unfortunately, this issue couldn’t be fixed yesterday. They’ve given us the estimate that we should be able to leave early tomorrow morning.” The speaker crackles with static as the person speaking pauses for a bit. “This means that we’ll be staying stationary during the night. Dinner and breakfast will be served as scheduled. We apologize, again, for any inconvenience this might bring.” With a definite click the static vanishes and the moody mix of classic and jazz fills the room once again.
There’s a slow smile crawling up Gabriel’s lips as they lock eyes over their morning cup of tea. “That means we’ll be traveling the route to Scotland during the day.”
James nods slowly, confused. After a moment, Gabrielelaborates. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful trip, upward along the coast.”
Now, James smiles. Sometimes he forgets that it’s the thing that Gabriel enjoys most about the trip, the views along the way.
“And if we can travel full speed again it means we’ll probably be there by dinner time,” James offers, mind settling down from the first bout of uncertainty.
“That just sounds like a win-win situation to me. But today, we still have some parts of Ghent to see.”
“More waffles to eat, you mean?” teases James, while Gabriel holds up James’ coat and helps him into it. The notion seems so familiar he’s stunned that he only realizes what happened as he’s zipping up the front. Turning around proves futile, since Gabriel’s already turned away to zip up his own coat and grab his bag. The flush on Gabriel’s cheeks is telling enough, even if he still reaches out to James while he locks their cabin. He revels in the easiness of the affection between them.
It’s a relief to see that the rain has cleared, leaving the city cast in a light layer of fog and the streets painted with the last remaining puddles. The weather might be nicer, even if the temperature leaves much to be desired, but they do settle on taking the tram into the city again.
The medieval town passes them by, beautiful buildings andold shops lining the pavements and providing a backdrop of daydreams, with high gavels and gothic features. It’s a timeless city; one he’s sure looks as beautiful in spring as it does now.
They return to the market. This time they do wander in, past the tastefully decorated entrance and into the leftover wonder of Christmas.
It’s crowded, even during this early hour, and James takes some steadying breaths to brace himself. Stalls full of trinkets and ornaments line the length of the square. Booths with gifts, baskets full of goodies and food are sprinkled in between them.
Hand in hand they stroll along the wooden tables. Gabriel’s ever so patient as he’s led around by James. Mostly just waiting and people watching while James admires every trinket he finds. They stop for another cup of hot chocolate, with a hefty dollop of whipped cream. Gabriel’s been eyeing every food related cart they pass, but hasn’t been able to settle on anything yet.
