It only took around thirty minutes to get from Peillon to Nice, and once they were in the city, Emma directed him to an underground parking garage close to the market she'd visited earlier in the month.
"At least the car will stay nice and cool down here," she mused, stepping out of the vehicle and closing the door behind herself.
"Yeah. The biggest issue will be remembering where we parked," Killian chuckled.
Emma pointed up at the parking garage roof just a few feet ahead of them, and Killian sighed dramatically when his eyes landed on the sign hanging from it. "Okay, Miss Smarty-Pants. I wasn't exactly looking for signs."
"We never are, but that never seems to stop life from showing them to us," Emma replied cryptically, as she made her way around the vehicle to stand beside him. "Ready to hit the market?"
"Absolutely. Lead on, milady." Kilian swept his arm out to gesture for her to show him the way, and Emma gave a little chuckle as she began striding confidently towards what he assumed was the exit.
"Milady," she mused as she walked. "I could get used to that."
"Trust you," he snorted, falling into step just a pace behind her.
As soon as they emerged into the early morning sun, Killian could tell why Emma had chosen this spot to begin their adventure rather than the usual tourist hotspots.
"Wow, this is amazing," he murmured, as he lifted his head to take in the brightly colored buildings surrounding them on either side and the Mediterranean-style shutters framing their windows.
"I thought you'd like it."
Emma stopped where she was for a moment, allowing Killian the time he needed to soak up everything he was seeing. He assumed that they'd spent enough time together recently for her to have something of a handle on his habits, as she didn't seem surprised when he reached into his bag and pulled out his camera to begin taking shots of the buildings up and down the streets. While he continued taking his pictures, he watched from the corner of his eye as Emma reached into her purse for her phone and opened up the camera app on it to snap a few of her own pictures. However, it wasn't the scenery that she appeared to be focusing on, as she soon turned her phone in his direction.
"Sorry," Killian said after a moment, dropping his camera down to rest against his chest. "I promised my mom I'd take plenty of pictures for her."
"Don't be. I did the same thing the first time I came here," she assured him. "Do you wanna head into the town now or stay here a little longer?"
"Into town. Definitely."
Killian fell back into step beside Emma as they made their way up the street and emerged into an already bustling market square.
"I have no idea which way to look first," he chuckled. The smell of fresh flowers was already battling with one of freshly baked goods, and he couldn't decide which was more appealing.
"We could start at one end and make our way towards the other?"
"Sounds like a plan."
Emma slipped her arm around his and gave it a gentle tug as she led the way down towards the start of the market. Killian expected her to let go the moment she realized that he was keeping up with her, but instead, Emma kept her arm wrapped around his as they strolled between the first line of stalls, pausing every now and then for her to look at what each of the sellers had to offer. Killian was far too busy trying to work out if she even realized that she was still touching him to notice that other people were milling around the space with them, moving back and forth as they made their purchases.
"This is cute," Emma said suddenly, pointing at a small snow globe on the table that rained down tiny flowers over the market instead of the usual winter scene.
"It is," Killian agreed.
It was the sort of thing he knew his mother would love, but it was hard to focus on the desires of another woman when the one at his side was standing so close that he could smell her perfume; her arm still wrapped around his own.
Emma had a quick conversation with the woman behind the table that he presumed was a transaction, as she released his arm briefly to fish inside her purse for her wallet, handed over a few coins, and then accepted a small bag in return.
"Merci," she said, offering the young woman a smile before she turned back to face the rest of the stalls along the line.
Killian watched as Emma slipped the bag into her larger tote and then grasped his arm once more. This time, instead of simply looping their arms together, she reached up to rest her palm against his bicep.
"Wow, these are firm," she told him, offering Killian a slightly shocked smile as she squeezed the muscle gently and then relaxed her grip.
"Thanks," he chuckled. "I think..?"
Emma giggled a little at his tone but continued steering him up and down the lines of stalls as they exchanged the occasional small talk over what they found on offer. It was nice, Killian mused, to spend time with someone like Emma without the need to fill that time with inane chatter. Instead, they were both able to enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds that truly made up the unique atmosphere of the market. It was exactly why he enjoyed traveling alone so much. Killian wasn't distracted from the places he visited by the people who traveled with him if he went alone. But with Emma at his side, he found that not only was she not distracting him from the market they were exploring, but her presence was also oddly comforting. It was nice knowing there was someone close by that he could talk to about things that grabbed his attention, and yet, at the same time, there was someone close by who was likely appreciating the same things about their trip as he was. Emma was someone he could see himself vacationing with in the future, and that thought was scary, given how little they knew about each other – and how much he suddenly found himself craving those future-hypothetical trips.
Killian did his best to shake off those thoughts as Emma gave his arm a gentle squeeze to let him know that she had found something she was interested in, and he did his best to offer her his full attention.
"Ooo, this is so pretty," she said, releasing his arm to lift one of the silk scarves from the table to their left. "And it's so soft too. What do you think, Killian?"
Killian's first thought was that he didn't know anything about fashion, so he was certainly the last person she should have been asking for opinions on scarves. But when he finally turned his attention down to the fabric in her hands, he could definitely understand the appeal.
"It is pretty. It matches your dress," he pointed out, and then realized that was probably why she'd chosen the light shade of blue from all of the colors spread across the table. "Do you um… Do you think it's something my mom would like?" he asked. "You know, as a souvenir. Women like this sort of stuff, right?"
"Some of us do," Emma chuckled. She offered him a small smile before she turned her attention down to the table once more to scan through the offerings. "And I think your mum would love it. What's her favorite color, do you know?"
"Uh…" Killian trailed off as he racked his brain for some memory of a conversation that involved his mother's favorite color. He knew that she was quite a bright and bubbly person, but he couldn't for the life of him remember her ever expressing a preference for one particular shade. "She uh… oh, she just got these gold sneakers she loves. That counts, right?"
Emma shook her head fondly and then reached for a piece of shimmering yellow fabric at the back of the table. It was so bright that it almost looked golden under the French sun. "This one," she said, holding it up for his approval. When Killian nodded his head sharply she draped the fabric over her arm where the pale blue piece was already resting. "Next time you see your mum, ask what her favorite color is," she told him, as she turned to look at the rest of what the stall had to offer. "I bet she knows yours."
"All moms know that stuff," he defended hotly, before adding, "I will do," at her disappointed look. He then turned away from the clothing stall in front of them to glance around at what the rest of the market had to offer while Emma continued browsing.
"Do you wear a lot of ties for work?" she asked suddenly, just as his eyes landed on a cart selling freshly grilled burgers.
"Yeah."
Killian was busy working out how best to voice his desire for one when Emma gave his arm a gentle tug and said, "Lift your chin for me?"
"Huh?"
"Chin up," she instructed, as he turned back to face her. The moment he did, she raised her hand to hover around the base of his neck, and Killian dropped his chin to try and work out what she was doing. "Up!" she told him firmly as she used her other hand to keep his head in place. "Now, look at me."
Killian was pretty sure the look he gave her was one of the most confused of his life, but Emma simply nodded her head firmly and smiled sweetly at him before she turned back to the stallholder and said, "It's twenty, right?"
The man behind the table nodded his head, and Emma pulled a folded note from inside her wallet, flattened it out, and then handed it over. The gentleman held out three small paper bags, and Killian watched as something gold fluttered into one, something pale blue into another, and something turquoise into the third. When she was finished, Emma said, "Thank you so much," and turned back to face him.
"You got another?" he asked her, as he attempted to peer inside the paper bags that she was holding.
"Huh? Oh, no – I uh – I got it for you, actually. A gift. Something small to remember me by when you have to return to New York and – back to wherever it is that you work."
"You didn't need to do that," he protested, but he still took the small bags from her when she held them out.
"It's nothing," Emma assured him, reaching up to slide her sunglasses back down onto her face. She slipped the other bag inside her tote then looped her arm with his once more so they could carry on making their way around the market.
Killian knew that her actions were her way of ending the conversation, likely because she had become a little uncomfortable with his response to her gift. It suddenly dawned on him that it was probably because nobody in her life had ever stuck around long enough for her to buy them one before.
"Thank you," he told her, in a tone that he hoped conveyed just how grateful he was. Then he quickly changed the subject so he wouldn't push her too far out of her comfort zone. "Over here," he said, as his gaze fell on the smallest stall at the very end of the row and the adorable little girl who was sitting just behind it, beaming brightly at everyone who passed her.
"Hi," he said, as they made their approach, and he finally got a good look at the items resting on her table. "Did you make all of these?"
The little girl nodded her head, and Killian noticed that her legs were kicking back and forth enthusiastically where she sat on a tall stool.
The table was mostly filled with what were clearly handmade friendship bracelets and, while they weren't the sort of thing Killian would usually purchase for himself on vacation, there was something about the small girl behind the table that made it hard to walk away from her empty-handed.
Emma gave his arm a gentle squeeze to get his attention, and he lifted his gaze from the different designs to look her way. She pointed to a small sign behind the table written in French and happily translated it for him when he just stared at it in confusion.
"It says she's raising money for a cancer charity that helped her mum."
Killian looked between the sign and the little girl sitting on the stool, still swinging her legs back and forth. "Well, in that case," he declared, "Which ones should we go for, Emma?"
"I like this one," she replied instantly, pointing at a design made with turquoise, pink, and lilac cotton, "But I don't think it's quite you."
Killian shrugged his shoulders slightly to concede her point and watched as she carried on scanning the table before her eyes settled on another design. It was made from the same shade of blue as the one she had chosen, but the lilac and pink had been swapped in favor of black cotton.
"This one for you," Emma declared, nodding her head decisively.
The little girl behind the table hopped down from her seat and reached for each of the pieces Emma had pointed out, practically bouncing on the spot with her excitement.
"Can you tie them for us?" Emma asked her.
Killian watched as the girl nodded her head emphatically, and Emma held out her right arm, ready for its newest decoration. When the bracelet was tied firmly in place, Emma and the young girl turned their attention towards Killian, each wearing an expectant look on their face.
"Right," he mumbled, flicking a glance down to the watch he always wore on his right wrist before he held out his left for the bracelet to be tied around.
The young girl made quick work of securing it firmly in place, and once it was, Killian slipped his hand into his back pocket to withdraw his wallet. The sign on the table said that each bracelet was only a Euro, but he handed over the largest bill he had with him and instructed the young girl to keep the change.
"Merci," she trilled, before turning to show her papa the colorful note in her hands.
"That was sweet of you," Emma praised, looping her arm around his own once more as she guided Killian around the corner to begin making their way down the next row of stalls.
"It was for a good cause," he explained, shrugging his shoulders again.
Emma studied him carefully for a moment before she dropped her hand down to twist the cotton band now decorating his wrist. "You don't have to keep this on," she told him. "Somehow, it doesn't really seem like it's your style."
She was right - it absolutely wasn't - but Killian found that he rather liked the look of it resting against his skin - and he definitely enjoyed the feel of Emma's fingers as they continued twisting the bracelet round and round.
"I thought you were supposed to wait for them to fall off," he said instead. "Isn't that the sign of a true friendship?"
"I wouldn't know," Emma chuckled, "I've never had one before. But I'll keep mine on if you do."
"It's a deal," he promised, as she slid her hand back up his arm to give it a gentle squeeze.
Killian wasn't entirely sure if she had been talking about the bracelet or their budding friendship, but either way, he was happy to be her first.
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