Escapism
"I'm sorry monsieur but the boat is full today," the man said with a crooked smile and in a heavy French accent.
Jellal blinked once but thanked the man, disappointment evident in his onyx eyes. He had really hoped that he could have been able to get a place on the glass boat for a trip down the Danube. A clear voice rang out next to him and he turned towards the female. She was gesturing at him and speaking in French with the attendant and after a minute of discussion, the attendant nodded at her and shot him a smile.
"Ah my apologies monsieur," he said, "please, this way."
Jellal glanced at the female and smiled hesitantly. He did not speak French and was no doubt confused by the sudden turn of events.
The attendant led the two of them towards a table next to the glass panels of the boat. "Here is your table. Mademoiselle here has kindly agreed to share her table with you monsieur. I hope you enjoy your trip with us." He bowed once and left, leaving Jellal looking utterly bewildered.
The redhead smiled at him kindly and instinctively, he moved forwards and pulled back her chair, allowing her to slip in. He then took his seat opposite to her. She started to speak but Jellal laughed nervously and scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Lo siento pero no hablo francés," he murmured.
She smiled encouragingly. "Do you speak English?"
Jellal grinned at her question and replied happily, "Yeah, I do." He stretched out a hand. "I'm Jellal. Nice to meet you."
She took his hand and shook it firmly. He noted that they were soft and warm. "I'm Erza, the pleasure's mine."
Jellal ran a hand through his hair. "Thank you for letting me share a table with you, Erza. That's really kind of you."
Erza shook her head. "No problem, I could use some company anyway."
"You're on vacation by yourself?" The words slipped out of his mouth eagerly before he could contain himself and Jellal mentally berated himself.
She laughed to herself and Jellal grinned as well. "Yes, I thought it would be nice to just enjoy a boat trip here at night. It's quite romantic." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "And you?"
The boat slowly started to move downstream, cutting through the calm waters effortlessly. The ripples in the river panned out evenly and the water sparkled as rays of sunlight peeked out between the parting clouds. The trees were robed in resplendent red and yellow and loose leaves danced with the wind. The scenery was breathtaking but Jellal found that he could not tear his gaze away from her face.
"I'm staying in Paris for a few months," He explained. "I just needed to get away from everything for a while."
Erza nodded understandingly. "Are you from Spain? I think you were speaking in Spanish just now."
The yellow-orange glow of the sunset reflected by the river threw soft shadows across her face, making her features even more prominent. Jellal smiled gently.
"Barcelona to be exact. Are you from Paris?"
Erza nodded and the two of them continued with idle chatter until the waiter arrived with their food and wine. Jellal gazed out the window. The skies were now painted a blend of purple and orange and lavender clouds drifted lazily across. It was refreshing, the way the colours faded into one another so easily, and a sense of soothing and calm washed over him. The blue haired man leaned back in his chair and picked up his Canon EOS-1D and slowly adjusted the add-on lens. The picture eased into focus as he fiddled with the hardware and Jellal turned slightly to the left discreetly so that Erza could be seen on the left through his eyepiece. The camera shutter gave a satisfying click. He examined the results with a barely concealed grin.
The soft glow complimented the redhead beautifully, her crimson hair shining against the background. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she cut her steak and placed the small piece of morsel in her mouth. Jellal chuckled to himself, causing the other to look up with a small smile.
"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Erza asked, glancing out of the window, having no knowledge of what he had secretly done.
His eyes lit up at her question and he smirked. "Oh you have no idea."
The two of them laughed quietly and continued to eat. The band at the back of the ship slowly struck up a nostalgic tune and Jellal looked up at the sky once more, unconsciously swirling his red wine with his hand.
Jellal had met many beautiful girls before, being a handsome fellow himself, but looks were just a bonus in his opinion. He had always preferred girls with character and personality over those with looks only. Now finally, here was someone who had both looks and personality but what was he to do? How was he supposed to approach her? They came from different countries, spoke different languages, had different cultures. So far, it seemed like they had similar tastes and interests but was that enough? His dark eyes flickered in her direction. Did she have a boyfriend? Did she like him? Was he acting like a perverted stalker?
Her laugh resounded in his ears. Jellal looked up at her and blinked. "What?"
"No, it's just that you looked so forlorn and wistful just now," she explained. "And your eyes kind of glazed over and you had this insanely dreamy look on your face. It made me think of those black and white photos where the models just gaze out of the window and all that."
Jellal nodded slowly, his face colouring. "I see." He raised his glass. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment then."
She laughed once more and he grinned. He liked to hear her laugh. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
A man wandered up to them, a professional camera hanging round his neck. "Ah excuse me but would it be ok if I take some pictures of you two? It's part of the service for this trip and you're not obligated to buy anything of course."
Jellal glanced at Erza. She gestured at him and he shrugged nonchalantly. It would be good to have a picture with her but he didn't want to advance too quickly and make her uncomfortable. He looked up to see her nod at the photographer and his heart gave a sudden leap.
The photographer gave them a thumbs up. "Brilliant! Could you two please move closer?" He waved his arms around animatedly. "That's it! Excellent!" He snapped away enthusiastically.
When he was done, the man pulled out the Polaroid picture and handed it to Jellal.
"How much is it?"
Jellal pulled out 20 euros from his wallet and handed it to the photographer, who grinned broadly and wandered to the next table. Jellal gave the photo to Erza. "Here, you can take it."
"I can't take this, you paid for it," the female sputtered.
Jellal held up his hands. "No please, take it as a token of thanks."
Erza smiled. "Well thank you then."
She turned the photo over and scrutinized it more carefully. The two of their faces were very close together and she was smiling radiantly. He, on the other hand, looked slightly embarrassed but happy nonetheless. Her eyes softened at the sight. They looked like a couple, she thought to herself bemused. What were the odds?
The lights on the boat dimmed suddenly as silver flashing lights sparkled in the distance. The Eiffel Tower came into view as the boat travelled along the bend. Soft orange lights illuminated the sky and the looming structure glistened beautifully over their heads.
"It's beautiful," Erza whispered in awe.
Just like her.
Jellal laughed easily. "Yes, it is." He stared straight at her as he replied and Erza could feel her face heat up. "Wonder what it'll be like to look out from the top."
"You know," she said, "since you're in town for a while, maybe I can show you around."
"That would be great," the man looked up at the sky with a grin. "I'd really like that."
They sat under the dark sky on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower, looking up at the twinkling stars that sparkled like diamonds in the pitch black background.
Jellal turned towards Erza. It was too dark to make out her expression but as he leaned forwards, she did the same as well and he knew that all was well.
Everything was working out.
4/8 of today's update! For a longer explanation, go read the author's note in chapter 17 of Retribution
I actually got this idea after a boat trip in Paris. The details about the trip are mostly true, with the exception of Jerza and star gazing. I've been drawing a lot of inspiration throughout my trip throughout Europe which is good news!
I think I wrote this in Paris, London, Manchester and Hong Kong. Didn't touch it in Rome.
I omitted all of the French in this fic because I can't speak French. On the other hand, I can speak simple Spanish. Took 3 years of it for my GCSE :P
I did go for a few titles. One was Escape With Them, the other was Escape With Him but I settled with Escapism. They're all forms of Excapizem basically :P love you Pika ~