Déjà Vu - Chapter 3

Walking the streets hand in hand with this stranger made everything all the more awkward. I felt like yanking my hand away from his in an instant, but quickly erased that thought from my mind. No, I couldn't do that. It would hurt Francis too much. Wait, why was I even caring about him? From what I knew, he was just a local Frenchman who I had met about thirty minutes ago. There no possible way that I could care this much about how a complete stranger feels. But, for some odd reason, I did care. It felt as if something inside me was screaming out against my thoughts of coldness. No matter how much I try to resist this feeling, I couldn't.

The silence between us was unbearable, to say the least. I was beginning to wonder whether or not it would be broken anytime soon. If not soon, then I might go crazy. And nobody liked a crazy Joanna. As if on cue, a noise did happen to break the silence between us. But, it wasn't the normal coughing, mumbles, or anything like that. No, it was far worse and more embarrassing than everything combined. My stomach growled; it wasn't one of those small rumbles that you dismiss, no, it was a full out growl that everyone passing the two of us could easily hear. My face flushed bright red and I quickly looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment, as the stares weighed heavily upon me. My thoughts returned to the forgotten lunch at the restaurant I had abandoned not too long ago. I really should have eaten something before deciding to go along with this man; it would have saved me from the humiliation I was experiencing at that time.

I heard a light chuckle beside me and looked up a brief moment to catch Francis' soft gaze. He smiled kindly before saying, "How about we go get something to eat? I know this wonderful restaurant that you would just love!" Francis' eagerness caught me slightly off guard as his hand gripped mine tighter and he turned to redirect us towards an unknown eatery. The entire trip there, everything remained quiet. I was beginning to become anxious again; the awkwardness of his hand in mine returning to my thoughts. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't take my hand away for one moment. To be honest, I actually kind of liked it.. My eyes grew wide and cheeks turned a bright shade of red. No, I shouldn't be thinking of that. This is some man I have just met right off the streets of France, I could not possibly have any feelings for him!

When Francis suddenly stopped, I snapped out of my thoughts, wondering as to why he halted. That's when I realized that we had arrived at our destination. I lifted my head upwards to read the huge sign above the restaurant before I was led inside. Printed in golden letters was the title 1728. I remembered that name from somewhere. It was in French class from which I heard the title. My eyes grew wide a second time in realization. 1728..that was a famous restaurant in France! Not only was it famous, but pretty expensive too! My thoughts immediatly went to my wallet and the current amount it held. Not enough to afford this place, I was sure of it.

My jaw dropped when we entered the building. Yes it was beautiful with its decor and whatnot, but that wasn't what was bothering me at the moment. The line. The freaking long line. There must have been at least a hundred people standing in it! Somehow they had made a snake-like fashion in the front of the restaurant, allowing so many to stand there. I was just about to ask Francis if we could go somewhere else, but, to my surprise, he made a right and went along the small path employees took to get from the back to the front door. Nobody seemed to mind as he did this. Well, I didn't hear anybody yell at us or anything, but they might have been glaring daggers at me and him as we walked in. I wanted to ask how and why he did that, but decided to keep the question to myself. I could ask it at the table when the time came.

A small waitress with long, light brown hair tied back into a braid and peach-colored skin approached us. Her kind, green eyes were hidden behind black, oval-shaped glasses and she wore the normal uniform everyone was wearing in this restaurant; the uniform consisted of a nice, white dress shirt, a black vest with matching tie, black dress pants, and black shoes. Wow, whoever created the uniform must sure like the color black.

At first when the woman approached us, I was scared she was going to kick us out or something. But, luckily, she wasn't going to do any of the sort. Surprisingly, she seated us at a table for two off to the side of a room filled with people at other tables. Francis, like a gentleman, pulled my chair out for me and I quietly thanked him before sitting down. The few seconds he took to sit in his own seat, I gazed around to take in my surroundings. The walls were crafted carefully out of what seemed to be wood, showing as much detail as possible. The floors weren't much different being that they were also made out of France's finest limber, it seemed. The details on the floor were diamond-shapped, filled in with the same wood right to left which gave it an elegant appeal. All across the room were pieces of artwork, scupltures, even a fire place. Every detail was breath-taking, especially the chandelier hanging above the center, illuminating the entirety of the room. My gaze shifted towards our table to see what lie before me. The table was just as elegant as the rest of the room with its pure white tablecloth lying flat upon it's wooden top. Two wine glasses-not going to use those anytime soon-were arranged on either side of the table and small dishes along with white cloth napkins containing the utensils were also laid accordingly. All in all, this place was stunningly beautiful.

That's when it hit me. I can't afford all this; there was no way I could on a student's allowance. I turned my head and looked at Francis for a brief moment before saying, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I have enough money to afford all this."

He looked a little confused by this, but just smiled and chuckled slightly before replying, "Do not worry. I will pay the bill."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Francis spoke before I could. "It is the least I owe you for coming along with me."

"But still..."

"It is alright, [1]mon cher. The bill is no problem, I assure you."

My cheeks turned slightly pink at the French he used. Why was he saying that of all things! We hardly know one another! I snapped back to reality when the waitress returned and asked what we would be drinking tonight. I told her water while Francis said wine. I was a bit confused by this, but casually ignored it. As soon as the waitress left to retrieve our drinks, Francis faced me with that soft smile of his which awoke the butterflies within my stomach. I could feel heat upon my cheeks as I stared back into his beautiful, blue orbs. My heart beat increased as this moment dragged on. I tried willing my heart to slow, but it continued its rapid pounding against my chest.

Francis was the first to speak and break the long silence between us both. "You are a foreigner, correct?"

I nodded quickly and replied with a swift, "Yeah."

His expression showed slight curiousity as he continued, "What country are you from?"

"America."

That's when his expression turned to that of disgust. Appararently, this man didn't seem to like America all that much. I was about to change the subject to something else when our waitress returned with our drinks. Thank goodness for that, or I think that this conversation would have made a wrong turn. It was then that I realized Francis was checking out the poor waitress girl. What the hell? I thought he said he was looking for his lost lover, yet here he was making googily eyes at this random woman. A sudden feeling of jealousy washed over me for some unknown reason. Why did I hate Francis gawking over this girl? We've just met today, so I'm nothing to him and he should be nothing to me also. Why is this so confusing?

Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and slammed my hands on the table, startling Francis, the waitress, and everyone currently in the room. I was just about to speak when I noticed how quiet it was and all eyes were upon me. My face turned bright red and I quickly sat down, not wanting to embarrass myself further. The waitress quickly left our table and everyone went back to their normal conversations a few seconds after my outburst. I picked up the menu and hid my face with it, not wanting to look Francis in the eye; I was too embarrassed to do so.

"Mon cher, are you alright?" He asked in a slightly worried tone.

I hesitated for a moment, then replied with a quick, "Yes."

Apparently not impressed with my answer, Francis grabbed the menu I was holding and pulled it down so he could see my face once again. "Mon cher! Your face is red!"

My face grew even redder and I slung the menu up once again, not daring to speak.

"Are you alright?"

"..." I could hear him sigh sadly as I didn't respond to his question. This led to another awkward silence. Of course, Francis was the first to break it.

"Seems you need an explanation." He sighed again before continuing, "Come to my house after this and I will explain everything."

I slung the menu down and got up again, this time yelling, "W-Why would I do that!" The whole room's stares were upon me yet again and I quickly sat, more embarrassed than before.

Francis had a sympathetic look towards me before he responded, "If you want to know the whole story, then I need to tell you there. I do not want to say anything in a public place."

"...You won't try anything, right?"

Francis looked a little displeased, but nodded his head. "I will not try anything. I promise."

"Alright..." I couldn't believe what I had just said. My mind was saying no, but my lips said yes. Francis' eyes lit up and he smiled a larger smile than before. I couldn't but smile also; it was contagious.

Dear God, what have I just gotten myself into?

[1] Mon cher - My dear

Been a while, hasn't it? Hehehe... Really, the irony in my last author's note is killer. Because, after I wrote chapter 2, I got a major case of writer's block when I tried writing the next day...and it just went from there. I've been busy, writer's block, more busy, and even more writer's block. So, yeah, you fanfiction writers know how it goes. Well, I hope you like chapter 3! I worked extra hard on it! Anywho, the next chapter should be up whenever. You know my schedule. I'm all over the place. Haha. Well, enjoy.~