A.N.: Just for clarification, I do not speak French, it is all translated; please tell me if there are any mistakes! Also, I do own Emilia Harkness, and any other OCs mentioned are owned by my friends, and I have permission to use them. Thank you!
The bell on the door jingled as Nico di Angelo entered the quaint café. He sought solace, an escape from his family, his whole life. He needed to get away. It had taken eight trains and a lot of walking, but he had finally gotten away from Venice, and all the memories that came with it: memories of his mother, his sister, and sometimes even his father that haunted his dreams. He had always felt attached to France, and Paris was always somewhere he longed to visit. However, he was much too tired and short on funds to continue to the city; for now, he would stay in Colmar.
The boy hid within his black coat and sat at a small table by himself, hoping to be left alone. It was much warmer in the café than outside in the rain. It was already somewhat late, and the lights were dim, and it smelled so nice, and he thought maybe he could just drift off for a few moments and no one would notice…
"Excusez-moi, monsieur," a voice distantly called. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he awoke and saw a young woman, hardly younger than him, staring down at him with a coffee in her hand. She had enchanting bright blue eyes and a face speckled with freckles. Her golden blonde curls were swept over her shoulder, and the print on her apron read Café Colmar.
"Sorry, I'll be going now…" he grumbled, standing up and heading for the door.
"Wait!" she called. He turned around, and she looked down at the coffee, pushing it forward, toward him. "This is for you."
"Hm…?" He looked between the girl and the mug in her hand and shook his head, once again trying to leave. "I don't have any money…"
"No, I insist." She left the coffee on the table and returned to the kitchen before returning with her own. She sat down opposite of his empty seat and held her mug in her hand, smiling. Nico attempted to suppress a laugh and smiled slightly, sitting across from the girl.
She sipped from her mug and cringed slightly before setting it down again. "I never really liked coffee all that much, it was always more of my brother's thing…" she admitted. Nico smiled a little bit more in return. "I noticed that you have quite the accent there. May I ask, is it Italian?" He nodded, and she looked at him in awe. "I've always wanted to go to Italy…" she sighed, and he looked into his cup.
"So, what's your name?" she asked him.
"Nico."
"Pleased to meet you, Nico. My name's Emilia Harkness, but you may call me Em, if you'd like. My brother Will is in the kitchen," she said, gesturing her head to the back of the café. Her brother poked out his head and waved, and Nico waved in return. "May I ask, what brings you to Colmar?" she asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.
He tensed, but tried to keep it hidden. "I'm on my way to Paris," he said. He felt it would be best to tell the truth, but not the whole truth.
Em's smile faded. "Oh." She looked down into her coffee, appearing slightly disappointed. "It's just that, well, Paris may be the 'city of love', but Colmar is great too, and hardly anyone ever comes here. Paris is overrated; if you want to get a true taste of France, you should stay in Colmar!"
Nico looked away. "Thank you, but…" He stood, still averting his eyes from Em. "I should probably be, uh," he tried to remember what he had told her before, "continuing to Paris. Thank you for the coffee, and your hospitality." He started for the door, but Em was close behind.
"Wait, please, I can't let you go. You seem very tired, I think I should help you find someplace to sleep for the night—"
"Thank you, miss, but I'm sure I'll find something on my own," he assured her, but with the money he had, an alleyway would be expensive.
"Everything here is in French, do you even have a grasp on the language?" she raised. He winced; that was true. When he didn't respond, she continued, "You don't have to stay in Colmar if you don't want to, I just thought it would be nice if we could be your guides. At least let us walk you to wherever you need to go. There are many hotels nearby, we could…" She was still talking, but Nico had more pressing matters to worry about. He hadn't really thought this far in his plan until she had brought up the many obstacles facing him in France; before, all he knew was that he wouldn't be able to travel anymore that night.
"I…don't have anywhere to go," he muttered in confession.
"…around the corner, and—What?" she asked, suddenly reminded of his presence.
He turned to face her, appearing somewhat embarrassed. His face flushed, and he loudly admitted, "I don't have anywhere to go, okay? But I don't need your charity. I can do this by myself, so just leave me alone!" He grabbed the doorknob and turned it forcefully, exiting the café and running into the darkness. Em stood at the door in shock.
"Em, we should go home." It was Will, and he already had his coat and scarf on, and he was holding Em's things out in front of her. She removed her apron and hung it on the rack, and pulled on her coat and scarf. She hardly noticed that while she was trying to get the mysterious boy to stay, Will had cleaned up the entire café. She suddenly felt slightly ashamed; Nico was never going to stay in the first place. She opened the door and stepped outside, holding the exit out for her brother. She sat in the passenger seat of Will's small car and stared out the window, taking in the very familiar surroundings and wondering about Nico. Will drove silently and only bothered her to tap her shoulder when they were home. Why had Nico pushed her away? She knew they were still only strangers, but she only wanted to help him.
She knew a little bit of help was all he needed to get back on his feet.
