It was a dark evening as you were strolling through an alleyway of the city lit only by a lamp on the corner. The rain was hitting the floor as the drains were overworked and water lurked on the street. There was no wind as you took shelter in a shop and put your umbrella up. You were glad you had prepared for this weather as you walked along the street. The trees began to flutter gently as the wind started to come in. Was there some sort of hurricane you were not warned about? The rain seemed too much for regular weather. You turned the corner as the wind began to pick up more and more. There definitely was a hurricane coming. You began to sprint, not caring if your clothes got wet or not. There were French and Canadian flags flying wildly in the wind. You rush as you see a café of some sort. You don’t even bother to check the name as you rush inside.
You quickly wipe your shoes on a mat inside as the heat of the café hits you. A man walks up to you and begins to ask you a question in French. You had no idea what he was saying, and you say “Non parle Français.” The man raises an eyebrow at you and walks behind the counter to talk to somebody. Another person walks out and comes towards you.
“Hello, what would you like to order?” The man spoke with a heavy French accent but could still be understood perfectly. You also found your eyes drawn to his collection of military badges that were on display.
“Where did you get those badges” you say almost automatically.
“Ah, les insignes?” There was a short pause as he continued, saying “I was in the war. They said I was très bien. But now, I am stuck here.”
You didn’t understand all of the words he was saying but you really liked his voice and wanted him to speak more.
“Oh, wait, I forgot to order, didn’t I?” you say slightly chuckling to yourself “I’ll have....” You look at the menu. Most of it is in French, so you can’t understand it. Luckily, the food came with images, so you chose the one that looked most appetizing. “I’ll have this one, please” You point to a picture of a sandwich with lettuce in it. “Oh, and some water, too, please” you add on at the end, almost forgetting it.
“Ah, so some water and a sandwich?” The waiter confirms.
“Yes, exactly” You respond
“Parfait.” The man almost mutters to himself.
While the man’s quiet demeanor wasn’t ideal, you did find yourself quite attracted to him. Once your order arrived, you noticed the man that you were attracted to was serving you again. When he brought you your order, you began to speak
“Ah, you’re serving me again.” Instead of seeming annoyed, the man actually seemed to like the social interaction.
“Oui, that is right” The man seemed interested in what you had to say
“Tell me, what did you do in the war?”
The man seemed to think for a while, formulating his thoughts carefully. “I was a foot soldier.” He spoke slowly. “I did lots in aiding the strategy.”
“So,,, Why are you here now?” you say inquisitively
The man pauses and grimaces, and you realize immediately that this was a mistake “I... my friends all died in the war... I needed to get away from the meat grinder... so I came here.”
“Oh.” you have no idea what to say to such a depressing comment. You decide to change topic quickly.
“I never got your name, what is it?” You ask
“Napoleon Bonaparte, yours?”
“Ah, I’m y/n” you say quickly.
“Well, I can’t stay here for much longer, but why don’t you meet me when my shift is over? It ends soon enough anyways.”
“Sure! How long will I be waiting?”
“30 minutes I think”
“Ok, see you later!”
After that the man returned to serving other customers. You still enjoyed his voice and accent and wondered about his tragic past in the army. The rain was still going strong, and you could hear it dropping gently against the window, and the wind was blowing strong as ever. It was clear whatever hurricane brought you here was now in full swing. Your meal was good, and you felt full. You went back to your normal hobbies of scrolling through fanart of your favorite characters online and reading fanfiction.
As you went outside the cold air hit you like a truck. You didn’t exactly want to be waiting for him in this weather but at least the rain had subsided partially. Besides you really wanted to meet that man, Napoleon, again. You went over to a bus stop on the opposite side of the street. Hopefully Napoleon will notice you from here. As time went on the rain continued to pick up. After a while of non-stop staring at the door you notice a man leave. You run over to him, and he greets you.
“Ah, hello again. You must be very excited to see me.” The man seems to be partly tired
“Oh yes! Where do you want to go?” You say emphatically
“Ah, what’s stopping us from going to la house!”
“Y-your house?!” you exclaim surprised. You weren’t 100% trusting of this man you had just met. Sure, he was attractive, but he was also only a stranger. However, after remembering his sad and lonely past, you decide to go to his house anyways. You do know self-defense pretty well after all
“Sure, why not?” You say
“Here, ma voiture” he says, the French accent still being as strong as when you first met him.
You get into the car, and it is very clean. The rain was becoming even stronger, and you could hear the wind howling. It was a quick ride, maybe about 5 minutes. During the ride you decided to read some more of that fanfiction you were reading earlier. Napoleon seems to notice and says
“Ah, so you read some fanfiction?”
“Oh um... yes...” you admit, embarrassed.
While it seems that Napoleon didn’t care, you were still slightly embarrassed. As the car drove further towards its destination, you felt a bit anxious about whether this was the right decision or not. Had you really gone to some stranger’s house just because you thought he was hot? Well, it was too late to turn back now. As the car went into the driveway you noticed he lived in an apartment. Not exactly uncommon for somebody living in the city, but still strange for you, as you had never actually seen somebody living in one before.
You both climbed the stairs in silence. As the key unlocked the door to his apartment you wondered what the inside would look like. The door opened and you walked in. There was one main hall with 2 doors. The carpet was white along with the walls.
“Here, through this door” Napoleon said. He pointed to the door on the left. You follow through the door silently. Inside the room there was a countertop, some stools and to the right there was a couch and a TV. The walls were painted white, and the floors were made of brown wood. Napoleon turned the lights on.
“So, I managed to convince you to come here even though you barely know me. Is there a reason you came here?”
You look for the words but can’t find any. While your true feelings were very easy to articulate, you couldn’t reveal them yet. “Well...” You stammer. “Why shouldn’t I? After all it’s free hospitality and it seems like you’re a good guy. I trust you”
“Hm. Well I’ll take the compliment; besides, you seem nice too.”
You begin to blush and you’re sure he knows your true feelings. You try to derail the topic.
“So, do you like history?” You start
“Well, yes, of course I love history” Napoleon responded.
“Oh, what time period is your favorite?” You say, trying to derail him further.
“y/n” Napoleon says, coldly.
You’re so shocked that you jump
“I can tell you’re trying to derail the conversation. y/n, you love me, don’t you?”
“Um.. I-I- YES!” You begin, and then scream “I love you so much Napoleon. Your voice is so nice, and your face is so sparkly, and your eyes are like orbs, and.. And.. And..” You find yourself out of words. Your heart is about to explode as Napoleon responds.
“Je t’aime, aussi”
You don’t know what he meant, and your heart was dying to know the answer. You could hear the rain turn into thunder. Perhaps this was the unexpected hurricane?
“What does it mean, Napoleon?”
As his mouth opened your lungs gasped for air. Was this going to be your first romance? Napoleon responded with
“I love you, too”