Killian and Emma spent most of their morning wandering around the market, picking up little trinkets that caught their eyes and sampling the freshly prepared food on offer. By the time they decided that they'd seen everything the market had to offer, it was already past midday, and yet, somehow, Killian felt like almost no time had passed at all.
"So, where to next?" he asked, as they headed back towards the underground parking garage.
"Castle Hill Park," Emma replied almost immediately. "It offers some of the very best views of the city. You'll be able to take some incredible pictures there to show your mum when you get home."
"Thank you."
Killian was genuinely touched by her thoughtful response - because while all of his friends knew that he enjoyed dabbling with photography every now and then, none of them had ever done much more than compliment a particular shot they liked. Normally, they would simply roll their eyes whenever he pulled out his camera and mutter something about not giving up his day job. He couldn't imagine Regina or August suggesting they visit a specific part of a city just so that he could take some more pictures. His friends would much rather head to a bar and spend the rest of their day meeting the locals over large glasses of wine.
"From there, I was thinking we could head to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral," Emma continued. "I only got to walk past it the last time I was here, but the building is just so stunning; I'd love to see what it's like inside. After that, we could grab some dinner and then maybe head down to the promenade? It's usually quieter there after dark, and you'll get some more fantastic shots of the scenery as the sun is setting. I guess most of the tourists don't really see the appeal of a beach when tanning isn't an option."
"I've never seen the appeal in tanning myself," Killian chuckled, as they came to a stop just behind their rental car. "I'd much rather spend my time exploring the place I'm visiting than just sitting down on a beach when I'm vacationing."
"I can't really say what I'd prefer," Emma mused, making her way around to the passenger's side as he unlocked the vehicle.
Killian watched as she opened her door and slid down gracefully into her seat before he moved to join her.
"I headed down there when I first got to Nice, but I wasn't keen on the sheer volume of people who were using it during the day," she continued. "It just felt too crowded and like it lacked any sort of personal space. But that was the first time I'd ever been to the beach, so I guess I shouldn't judge them all that way."
"You're joking," Killian said, his head whipping around from where he'd been checking his mirrors to stare at the woman sitting beside him.
"Foster agencies don't really have the money to take dozens of kids on trips to the beach every year."
"Of course not. I'm – I'm sorry. I uh – we can spend the rest of the day on the beach if you want to," he offered, because while it wasn't exactly Killian's idea of fun, he didn't want Emma to feel like she was missing out on an experience that he could finally give to her.
"It's fine," Emma chuckled. She reached out to give his thigh a gentle squeeze, and Killian held his breath while she did. "I'm sure I'll get plenty of chances to spend time on a beach in the future. I'd much rather spend the afternoon exploring that Cathedral if it's okay with you? I've never been inside one before."
"That's absolutely okay with me," he agreed, twisting the key to start the engine. "But you might need to Google some instructions on how to get us around the city. I have no idea where I'm going from here."
Emma giggled again as she wiggled her phone at him. A map of the city was already pulled up on her screen with a list of directions written just beneath it. "Already got ya covered," she said, fixing him with a sassy smirk.
After spending an hour at Castle Hill Park, where Killian was able to take plenty of pictures of the stunning views around the city, the pair climbed back into the car once more to head for the Cathedral Emma had wanted to visit.
While Killian was definitely better traveled than she was, he'd confessed to her on the ride over that he'd never been inside a Russian Orthodox Cathedral before and, the moment his eyes fell on the building, his excitement to explore the area began to grow.
"It looks like something out of a Disney movie," he remarked, as Emma once again looped her arm through his on the walk towards the building.
"Right? I mean just from this distance, it looks so spectacular. I've got high hopes for whatever's going on inside."
Killian snorted out a small laugh as he pulled her to one side and fished out his camera again. He knew that these would be the kinds of pictures his mother would appreciate the most, and they were the ones he hoped would turn out the best.
"I'm gonna need a bigger wall at work for all of the pictures I've taken this week," he mumbled absentmindedly, as he centered the Cathedral in the middle of the frame and pressed down on the shutter.
"Do you have many up already?"
"A few," he said, turning to look at Emma over his shoulder as he fiddled with the zoom a little to try and get the best possible angle. "I try and put up one from every country I visit, but it hasn't exactly been easy. Some of those images are corrupt due to age, and in some places, I wasn't able to take any pictures at all due to the nature of the event I was covering."
"What's been your favorite place to visit so far?" she asked, as she found a small bench close by to sit down.
"That's a tough one to answer. It's like asking a parent to choose their favorite child."
Emma gave him a small giggle, and Killian snapped a couple more pictures of the Cathedral before he turned back to face her. She wasn't looking in his direction. Instead, Emma was scanning her surroundings. Killian could still see the traces of those giggles in the light behind her eyes and the curve of her lips, so while she was distracted, he snapped a couple of quick pictures of her and then slipped his camera back into his bag.
"I like Brazil," he said after a moment, as he took a seat on the bench beside her. "I bought a house there a couple of years ago because I fell in love with the country. I don't ever get to spend enough time there but, when I can, I always find myself going back."
"Why didn't you go down to Brazil instead of coming here?" Emma asked.
"I've seen a lot of the world. My job gives me a wonderful excuse to get out and explore it. But I still haven't seen everything. So while I definitely plan to spend more time in Brazil before the end of this year, I like to journey a little further afield during the summer, when I have more time on my hands."
"That makes sense. I uh – I hope I get a chance to visit Brazil one day too, if you love it that much."
"When you do, you're more than welcome to use my home," Killian assured her, as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Now, shall we venture inside?" he asked, holding out his arm in silent offering.
"Oh, we shall," she agreed, elegantly standing from the bench. Emma took a moment just to wrap her shawl around her shoulders before she reached for his arm.
They'd only taken a couple of steps inside the building when she let out a gasp of surprise. "Wow! This is – so much more than I thought it would be."
"Yeah," Killian croaked out, as he twisted his head up to look at the ceiling.
The whole building felt incredibly out of place in the middle of Nice. Now that he was inside, he felt like he'd been transported to a different world. Killian wasn't a terribly religious man. His mother had been raised in a Catholic household but, over the years, she had lost her faith. As a result of that, she'd never really raised either of her children with a massive religious influence in their life. But as he scanned the pictures on the wall and the architecture inside the building, Killian knew that his mother would have loved to be standing where he was.
"I can't believe this place exists here," Emma whispered, leaning in close so their conversation wouldn't be overheard. "It just feels so out of place in the middle of Nice."
"I was literally just thinking the same thing."
The two of them shared a small chuckle as they continued making their way slowly around the building.
They spent far longer inside the Cathedral than either of them thought they would that afternoon, but once they'd started exploring, they couldn't seem to stop. Every time Killian turned his head, he was sure that he had spotted something new, and he was certain Emma felt the same way, given the number of times she tugged gently on his arm to get his attention. Neither one of them felt comfortable taking pictures inside the building, so instead, they seemed to be doing their best to memorize every single image and archway they saw.
Stepping back outside over two hours later felt like they were stepping back out of that other world, and it took a moment for both of them to adjust back to the local scenery. The palm trees they could see were just so out of place next to the grandiosity of the Russian architecture behind them.
"We should get a picture together," Emma said, as Killian's eyes were inevitably pulled back towards the domed rooftop of the Cathedral. "I know we won't get us and the entire building in the same shot, but we should have something to remember this day by."
"I agree," Killian found himself saying.
He gently guided her around the corner so they would be away from the main flow of foot traffic in and out of the building, and then a little further down the road. The spot he stopped at seemed to perfectly capture the spirit of the towering Cathedral behind them and the hustle and bustle of Nice on either side.
"Do you um… do you want me to take it?" he asked, feeling more nervous than he should have been. After all, it wasn't the first time someone had asked to take a picture with him, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. "My arms are longer than yours," he explained lamely.
Emma snorted out a laugh as she nodded her head to concede that point. "Sure. Do you wanna use my phone or yours?"
"Uh… mine? I can send it to you when we're at dinner, if you'd like."
"Yours it is," she agreed, as she made her way over to stand just in front of him.
Killian pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up the camera app, then frowned down at their positions. Last time, Emma had told him how close to get as she'd been the one fiddling with the camera. He didn't want to presume that she'd want him pressed up behind her again without her explicitly saying so, but he wasn't entirely sure how to ask her about it either.
"Oh, wait!" she suddenly said, before Killian could overthink things, and he froze in place. "I have an idea. Do you mind?" She held out her hand, and it took him a long second to realize that she was asking for his phone.
"No," he eventually said, as he placed the device into her palm.
"Wait here," she told him, closing her fingers around the phone before she took off at a slight jog towards the front of the building.
Killian was more than a little confused when she came to a stop in front of a man he'd never seen before. From where he was standing, he couldn't hear what was being said. Instead, he watched as Emma gestured in his direction, and the man turned to follow her sign before he nodded his head firmly to whatever she'd asked of him. Emma then jogged the short distance back to Killian's side to explain everything.
"This kind Officer has agreed to take one for us. That should make things a little easier."
The word 'officer' echoed through Killian's mind for a moment until his eyes landed on the badge pinned to the front of the strange man's shirt.
"Good afternoon," the officer greeted, as he finally approached where they were standing. "Your girlfriend asked me to take a picture for you."
Killian's mind was suddenly fixated on the word 'girlfriend,' so he couldn't have given the officer an answer even if he'd wanted to. Instead, he simply nodded his head in what was likely a far too enthusiastic manner.
"Relax," Emma whispered, as she curled an arm around the back of his waist and then brought her other up to rest her palm against the center of his chest. "If not, he might start to think we're up to no good."
Killian snorted out a sharp laugh while he wrapped an arm carefully around her shoulders and then hesitated before sliding his free hand into his pocket. He was aware of just how awkward he probably looked, but he was pretty sure that too much contact with Emma in front of a police officer would land him in trouble. Awkward was better than handcuffs – at least, it was in that particular situation.
"Relax and smile," Emma told him, tilting her head up to offer him a dazzling smile of her own.
It was much easier for Killian to return it than he thought it would be, and before he knew it, the officer was handing back his phone and wishing them both a good day.
"Okay. Dinner?" Emma asked, as she wound her arm around his again and began leading the way down the street, back to where they had parked the car.
"Yeah. Dinner," Killian agreed, without really knowing what he'd said.
He was far too distracted by the pictures that were now at the end of his camera roll and, in particular, one the officer must have taken while Killian hadn't been paying attention. The image showed a beautiful young woman staring up at him with one hand braced against his chest and the other out of sight behind his back while Killian stared down at her wearing a smile he'd never seen on his face before. He had one arm wrapped around her shoulders, and the other was braced against her hip. But perhaps the most surprising part of the image was the undeniable fact that neither one of them looked the least bit awkward in each other's arms.
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