Episode 58: Daylight

"You have to tell me what you're thinking. I'm not a mind reader," he said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. That little move has goosebumps rising over Emily's arms. She knew not to look temptation in the eyes, but she had some questions. How did you do that? What's your next move? Has this been your intention all along? The first two answers elude her, but the last one didn't—a bold, YES, being the only thing the woman could hear in her head.

"Aren't you?" She teased, forcing herself to be sassy.

His deep, masculine chuckle traveled through her soul.

My God, this was going to be torture.

They barely started yet she could already tell that much.

"No, sweetheart. In this case, it's very much imperative that you tell me what you're thinking."

She pursed her lips and placed her index finger on her chin as though this really needed to be thought about.

"How about...no?"

Nicholas shook his head, highly amused.

"Suit yourself. I was only trying to help." He declared but his actions were far from his so called intentions as he made use of the black pawn he had fingered for the past minute. Underneath the table, her feet shuffled impatiently, but her expression remained unswayed as Nicholas tried to tempt her with those sexy eyes and honeyed words.

This mundane game was a fight for her life as every move she made the man had counterattacks for.

When he had shared how good of a chess player he was, the brunette was curious about his abilities and had her bodyguard go out and purchase a set only for them to stay cooped up in the hotel, challenging each other for the past three hours.

In which all five rounds she had been completely destroyed by him.

Having learnt the arts of the board professionally made her highly embarrassed of this outcome to say the least. She wasn't going to stop until there was redemption done on her part and that explained why she was playing as if her life depended on it. More so, she wasn't falling for Nicholas' attempt to curry favor with her in order to essentially make her accept his self-handicaps or clues.

Emily knew he wanted to end this game and move onto something more interesting but oh well, sucks for him because she was as fired up from the moment they had begun.

Nicholas noticed the fire in her eyes and placed his hand under his chin with a deep sigh.

Who knew casual chess could be so competitive? He thought in genuine wonder.

"I'm not gonna reveal my move for you to possibly take advantage of it. You say you're not a mind reader but ever since we started this game you've been eerily similar to one."

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm pro at chess. Perhaps you should have gotten me as your teacher instead then maybe you would be able to win at least one round."

With her gaze wide at his sharp jab at her, Emily scanned the board with blood in her eyes.

Seeing an opportunity, her hand grasped the white king and moved it one space horizontally.

Her heart dropped when she saw the smirk on his face.

Oh no.

She had just sabotaged herself yet again, hadn't she?

Between all his confidence, a thought suddenly occurred to him and the certainty of losing yet again faded as Nicholas covered his face with both hands. Peeking back up at her, he sighed—in an awfully dramatic manner—before moving his final pawn which caused him to miraculously lose the game.

"Damn it. I guess I spoke too soon."

Emily blinked at him in disbelief.

"Maybe you're not so bad at this after all. You know the saying 'try and try until you succeed'? I think it's very applicable for this moment."

She continued to stare.

"By the way, you just have to move your king and you'll win this one,"

"Go ahead." He urged.

Almost stoically, her finger took ahold of the said piece and placed it on the spot which secured her victory.

"Checkmate." She whispered.

Clapping way too joyfully for someone who had just been defeated, Nicholas then cleared the board with a subtle smile.

"You've worked hard. You deserve this."

Still in a state of numbness by his shameless act of practically handing the win over to her with a bow and tie, Emily stared at him speechless.

"I-" She started, gaining his attention.

"Wow, you're more thick skinned than I thought."

Realizing that she had caught on, he gave a light shrug, not agreeing to or denying anything that she said.

"I wanted to win by my own efforts, Nick! Not have you pretend to not see an open win and sabotage your knight so that I could get through unscathed."

"Em, we've been at this for almost four hours. What do you want me to do when you're too stubborn to admit defeat every round we play? You wanted to win and I made you win. Wish granted. Everybody's happy. Now let's move on."

"But-"

"Come on, let's go." He ordered while pushing her towards the closet where their clothes were.

"Are we going somewhere?" She asked as he handed her jacket to her before slipping on his own.

"Yes, anywhere but here. You've made me fear staying in a hotel room with you. Something I never ever imagined could be possible."

His drama earned a massive eye roll from her which he noticed.

"Let's go before I change my mind about what we're about to do."

"And that is?"

"Go on a proper date."

Her head snapped towards him as her scarf became twisted around her neck. "What?"

Gently he pulled her close and untangled the article of clothing.

She offered him a smile of gratitude but it evened out upon recalling what he just said.

Seeing her reaction, his finger trailed across the defined line of her jaw before whispering, "Why? You don't want to?"

"No, I do." Emily assured slowly, because what else could be said?

Turning down a date with Nicholas would have made the top ten list of the craziest things she has done in her life.

But...

"I don't know how we're going to enjoy going out without planning ahead though."

"Spontaneous events are always the most memorable. Don't worry about it and just take my hand."

Biting down onto her lips, Emily shyly took ahold of his hand as he charmingly requested.

"Good girl." He appraised her and damn did it give her the shivers in anticipation of what they were about to do.

Inside the hotel, he made a beeline for the elevator right as they exited their suite, all while dragging her behind him. In the elevator, Nicholas tapped his feet impatiently as they made their way down to the ground floor. She didn't know why he seemed so excited but assuming it was because of the thought of them going out together made her accordingly giddy. He flashed her a smile as the elevator went down freakishly slow. When the doors finally opened, both their heads turned to each other in surprise at the concurrent sigh of relief that left them. Emily giggled, blushing a little. That triggered a wave of dopamine in his brain, making Nicholas return the gesture with a deeper smile.

"Is Crush going to accompany us as well?"

The man was standing on guard by the front door as if it was his duty to be there. Emily couldn't help but acknowledge that she had never seen him not look tense in the entire time of knowing him.

"Yes, I thought it would be better to have him around. Just in case anything is supposed to happen."

"Oh."

His eyebrow raised at her small expression which unexpectedly held so much depth to it.

"If you don't want him to tag along, you can just say so. I think we'll do mighty fine on our own in the city for a few hours."

She shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?" He stared at her intently making her falter for a second.

Clearing her throat, she coughed out a breathless, "Yeah."

With eyes still glued onto her face, the man studied her for a few more seconds before tearing his gaze away when he was convinced. "Okay then."

"Good afternoon, Christian."

Crush greeted them both with a stiff posture and emotionless face per usual.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. King."

Ooh, he finally called me Mrs. King! Emily noticed like an overexcited child who was having a field day.

"I've prepared the car in advance for the two of you. Where will you be headed today?"

"Forget the car," Nicholas said, taking them both by surprise.

"We'll be going on a walk. All we need you to do is trail behind us quietly. Is that possible?"

"Of course, sir."

Emily hadn't had a chance to question him before he took her hand and headed through the doors. However, she did manage to slip on the facial mask in order for her not to be easily recognized by anyone. He gave a lopsided smile when she looked up to catch his reaction. Her body relaxed when she realized he was perfectly fine with it.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Her nose crinkled adorably.

"You know how I feel about surprises."

"Some can be great, you know. Take this entire trip for example. In the span of these past few days, you've been taken to the city of love, proposed to in the most theatrical way, been made love to...multiple times-" She slapped him on the arm, her face burning red as her focus drifted to the bodyguard at a distance from them.

Thank God he hadn't heard.

How embarrassing that would have been for her.

"And not to mention, we had a nasty fight but thankfully made up. Thus, we learned how much more we mean to each other. Just like how it's always supposed to be. Of course not the fighting but the resolution aspect of it."

Snuggling up closer to him, Emily leant her head against his shoulder. "You have a valid point."

"I always do."

"Okay, Mr. Know It All."

He chuckled before wrapping his arm around her to pull her impossibly close, almost as if to intentionally cause discomfort for being sassy with him.

She hit him playfully, making him give way.

Nicholas could hardly fight the grin that wanted to overtake his face as he placed a solid kiss to her forehead.

"Be good."

Tossing him a resilient look, Emily promised, "I will if you are."

He blew out a breath at how naughty she was being but deep down his interest was piqued because this part of her never failed to stimulate him.

"If I told you that where we're going is at a forty minute distance what would you have to say?"

The unflattering change of topic had her stopping in her tracks.

Nicholas smoothly pushed her forward so that Christian wouldn't notice that something was wrong. He would need the bodyguard's divided attention for what he had in store for them later on.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to walk that far in these." She gestured to the wedge heels on her slender feet.

Nicholas shrugged. "I told you to wear sneakers."

"Sneakers don't go well on a date. Neither does it with this dress."

He gave her a timely once over before nodding in agreement. "You're right."

"What am I supposed to do then?" She almost whined and like the nuisance her brain was it started to get the thoughts of the pain she would be feeling if she ever walked that far and inexplicably she actually began to feel it.

As casually as he could, Nicholas flung his arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at him confused.

A thrilling spark was alighted in those gorgeous eyes of his then he whispered, "Let's ditch him."

Stupefied for a moment, she attempted to look between him and at the man trailing behind them to ensure their safety.

"Don't look," he hissed, making her jump. "He'll catch onto us."

"Are we talking about the same person here?"

He nodded.

"Are you sure? Because the last time I checked you were the one who called him out to follow us around. If you didn't want him to, then you shouldn't have bothered him in the first place."

"At first I did but then I realized us being alone would be so much better. I appreciate his dedication to his work and am, in no way, trying to insult that, but I've had a change of mind and would prefer us to travel alone."

"Then tell him that." Emily turned in the bodyguard's direction.

She felt it coming from the way he grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"I would, but where's the fun in that?"

And just like that, Nicholas grabbed her by the wrist and started off down the street.

Their security wasn't slow to respond and took off after them, making Emily let out a squeal when she caught sight of the speed at which he was coming.

Her spouse was intent on not letting them get caught though and was taking the lead, making her glance up at him in incredulity.

"You're crazy!"

Only a guttural laugh came from him as he continued to pull her along, the woman struggling to keep up in her shoes. Remembering the little pain in the ass, Nicholas looked around before heading into a corner store which he quickly spotted.

"Get down," he ordered as he gently ducked her head with his hand as Christian's figure rounded the corner.

The man looked up and down the road in bewilderment as he no longer saw any sign of the couple before releasing a frustrated groan. Without much thought of them possibly hiding out in a store, he proceeded to run down the length of the street and away from them.

Nicholas' face had a triumphant smile which only solidified his wife's suspicion of him losing a few screws upstairs.

"Why," she panted heavily, "Why would you do something like that?"

"Let's get out of here before he comes back and finds us. We're going to have to take the train to where we're headed and I don't wish for us to be caught before then."

Growing tired of questioning his intentions, Emily only nodded before allowing him to lead the way again.

"I've never been on a train before." Nicholas suddenly confessed as they stood at the station waiting patiently for the aforementioned.

She looked up at him, taken aback by the revelation.

"Not even the ones in New York?"

"No," he said, "I never really had a reason to seeing that I walked almost everywhere and if not, I took the bus. After becoming who I am now, I'm always being driven or flown to my destinations."

"When I was younger I remember ditching my parents like we did Crus- Christian and taking the train by myself. My friends always talked about how dirty and deplorable it was but I always envied the simplicity in it. They're really cool in my opinion."

"I hope so."

The train was late according to the arrival time an old lady who regularly took it told them when they had asked earlier on. They were left shivering on the platform with ten minutes of numbing silence. The gentle clunk of a lip balm lid caught Nicholas' attention as the brunette coated her lips, trying not to have the cold affect her as much. She looked like a daydream. Short, soft curls and rosy cheeks. As Emily was picking at her hair she felt someone slide their hand in hers. Her entire being felt a surge of warmth as her eyes met a pair of brown she adored greatly.

A raucous, metallic shriek announced the arrival of the train and broke their little moment. The thing was all iron upholstery which seemed to keep defying time from the slightest strain in its sound.

Emily's vision cleared at the relief she felt at finally seeing the train arrive.

The doors eased open with force and the passengers departed and boarded appropriately.

There was a telltale of anxiety in Nicholas' stare as he assessed the extremely occupied space, trying to find a suitable place for them to stand.

Feeling her heart go out to him, the brunette tugged him in a small corner next to a door which closed beside them as the train started up and began on its way to Montmartre.

"Are you okay?" She checked in a low whisper as the hold he had on her hand tightened considerably.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It doesn't seem like it." Her eyes gestured down to where their fingers were intertwined.

Giving her a sheepish look, Nicholas loosened his grip.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. And you will be too. I'm here after all. You'll see that a train ride is not a big deal in no time."

"I guess so," he reluctantly agreed, "I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be but the lack of personal space sure comes as a...how can I put it?"

"Culture shock?"

He hesitated. "Something like that."

"Don't worry. You get used to after a while. Not that you'll have any reason to after today but yeah, it's not a big deal."

"It's awfully loud too."

"That I do agree with." She laughed lightly, making his anxiety die for a minute as he took in the carefree image of her.

"I'm glad that I get to have this first experience with you."

She blushed at his words.

"How do you manage to make something as simple as a train ride romantic?"

"I think anything can be romantic as long as you're doing it with the right person. You should know this by now." For added measure, he pinched the bridge of her nose and she pouted, making his eyes darken considerably.

"Don't do that." He warned.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a man who is very fond of public display of affection and I'm sure many people here don't share the same sentiments. Don't drive me to succumb to it."

Realizing he had made reference to her pouty lips, she bit the inside of her cheeks to fight back the grin on her face.

"I think you deserve a personal medal with how smooth you're being."

"Really?" His eyes sparkled in a boyish manner.

Emily nodded.

"Butter has got nothing on you."

Unable to help it, a burst of laughter erupted from him at that.

She cringed a bit as she realized how lame that sounded.

"Delete that from your memory."

His chuckles didn't cease despite how a few heads began to turn.

Embarrassed by the minor audience, she kicked his feet, wordlessly telling him to shut up.

"Okay, okay." He yielded with his hands raised in mock surrender.

During the rest of the journey Nicholas didn't appear as anxious as he was when they first boarded the train, if anything, he seemed like he was really enjoying it. His face was stuck against the window as he admired the view, whispering from time to time about how much of a pity it was that he hadn't brought his camera along. It made a silly smile attach itself onto her face throughout it all.

"We're here." Emily reported a second before the female worker on the speakers who said the very same thing, but with a more detailed and often time unwarranted version.

"Let's go." Nicholas took the lead again, making her look at him with skepticism about their secret destination.

She knew the neighborhood they were headed based on their tickets but as for the actual place there were zero clues.

"I don't mean for this to sound offensive but I hope you know where you're going."

He only scoffed.

"You bet I do."

"After coming to Paris only once? Again, no offense, but I find it hard to believe you're suddenly a master at directions. You're walking as if you're a local with no sense of pondering and that makes me somewhat...uneasy."

He stopped and cradled her face in his hands.

Wide eyed at his affection on the sidewalk, she glanced around consciously.

"I thought you said you weren't going to succumb to your urges of PDA?"

"I'm not. I just wanted to hold your face to ensure that you're seeing this clearly." Revealing the phone in his hands, Emily almost cackled when she saw that the Google maps app was open.

"Well played."

He raised one eyebrow cockily before continuing on.

"Have I eased your concerns, my dear?"

"You have. Thank you for making me not feel like we've ended up somewhere unfamiliar without anyone to rely on. We did up and ditch our bodyguard after all."

He squeezed her arm reassuringly.

"You worry too much. We'll be there in about five minutes."

"That's good then."

"How's your feet by the way?" He glanced down at them.

Her heart fluttered at the genuine concern in his gaze.

"They're good."

Becoming at ease, they made their way down the Montmartre-spirited streets. There were many people present, a handful being tourists based on the cameras swinging from around their necks, foreign clothes and the impressed looks on their faces as they took in the historical sites.

"I've never been to this part of the city. It's beautiful." Emily blew out in awe, her eyes shining.

"I figured you would think so." Nicholas replied, appearing just as star-struck after seeing the real thing.

He had spent so many hours online looking for somewhere special for the both of them that he had worried the reality wouldn't live up to his expectation but boy was he wrong. And for once, the man was glad he was because he got to see such a precious look on Emily's face.

"Let's go to the place we came here for." He led her over in the direction where a bunch of tourists were gathered and when he asked for pardon, causing the crowd to part, her mouth fell open in awe.

"They call it the Wall of Love or Le mur des je t'aime," Nicholas began as she scanned the possibly 10ft tall wall.

With a regular black background, there were words written across the expanse of it. Emily could barely make them out but when she did she felt her heart squeeze within her chest.

The symbolism of the wall was one of the most unique ones she had ever seen. A wall was, of course, a symbol of division and separation, and but here it didn't feel like that was the artist's message. Despite the red splashes on it which could've been misinterpreted as something of ill intention, she had the feeling there was something much more to it.

"It was built to celebrate love and peace. In a world where walls and borders serve to divide people I think this one is very special. It's been designed to unite everyone in love with "I Love You" being inscribed 311 times on it in 250 languages. Isn't that simply amazing?"

She felt her eyes well up with tears as she bared as a witness as couples each took turn to look at it, taking pictures and confessing their love in their own languages.

Indeed, it's truly amazing, she thought feeling light-minded as her consideration went further.

"And you brought me here..."

"Because it's a tourist attraction." He deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm kidding," he joked, "I brought you here to build more memories with you. It's a special place suited for an even more special someone. That's you, Em. I wanted to tell you that I love you in 250 languages in case you might forget it one day. When that happens, this will surely appear in your mind and remind you of that fact."

"Oh, Nicholas..."

"Let me guess? You love me too?" She nodded, overwhelmed by him then he grinned mischievously. "Let's try something more interesting than that."

She looked at him oddly.

"Let's see who can say 'I love you' in the most languages. The one who receives the most points wins. How does that sound?"

Emily was so moved by his act of affection that she was willing to agree to anything he wanted.

"Sure."

He took a bold step forward out of nowhere, making her heart beat spike in a millisecond.

"I love you," he declared.

She tried not to melt there on the spot, trying to think of another language quickly.

"There's a five second thinking period." He suddenly announced.

She stuttered. "Um, I- Je t'aime."

"Very fitting," he winked. "Ti amo."

He said it with so much confidence that she was shaken up a bit.

Scratch that.

To be honest, this whole game was wrecking her and they had only just begun.

Not to mention hearing him speak Italian again got to her in ways she should never voice out loud.

"Uh..."

He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at her.

"Shut up." She scolded at his silent taunting.

"Last time I checked that didn't translate to 'I love you' in any language. Five, four, three-"

"Te amo!"

He smirked. "Close call, wasn't it?"

His finger brushed back a lose strand of her hair and she watched his movement keenly.

"Wo ai ni." (我爱你)

Was he trying to make her get a heart attack?

How was it a fair competition if he was going to make those eyes at her that literally made her goo in his hands? Don't even get her started on him and his subtle touches!

She racked her brain for a response but couldn't think of anymore languages to say those words in.

"Is that the look of defeat on your face?"

"You wish," she scoffed. "Aishiteru." (愛してる)

He looked impressed by her ability to remember that under pressure.

"Ya lyublyu tyebya." (Я люблю Tебя)

Emily blinked up at him, not buying it. "What language is that?"

"Russian."

She eyed him with skepticism.

"You can google it if you'd like," he handed her his phone, "But I'm afraid your five seconds won't allow that."

She was at a loss for words.

Literally digging through her memory, Emily was failing to find the phrase in a legitimate language.

"Is this the end?" Nicholas asked rhetorically as he began to count down. "Five, four, three, two, one-"

"Saranghae." (사랑해)

Emily's eyebrows were furrowed as she contemplated if she had said that right.

The shocked look on Nicholas' face was enough to have her confident enough to run with it.

He wasn't expecting another confession from her.

"Where did you learn that?"

"I had a roommate back in university who was obsessed with Korean dramas. I would hear them in the background from her laptop when studying from time to time."

"Did you even say it correctly?"

"You tell me," Emily shrugged. "You can google it if you'd like but I'm afraid your five seconds won't allow that."

He was completely floored by her using his own words against him.

So brutally at that.

With a smug smile she began to count, "Five, four, three, two, one—I win!"

Just as the final words slipped past her lips, Nicholas had already ripped off her mask and pulled her forward by the waist, capturing her into a searing kiss.

It was an understatement to say that she was shocked by his actions but naturally her mouth had a mind of its own, eagerly responding to him.

The intensity of it had her toes curling and her face grew hotter with each passing second.

Pulling away, Nicholas wiped at the corner of her mouth, making a small whimper leave her.

He smirked, "I think we both know who's the real winner here."

After all he had just tricked her into saying she loved him, a task which was usually difficult for her, not in just one but four different languages.

"You're a bully." She accused while hiding her face into his chest out of bashfulness.

He patted her hair lovingly. "Indeed, but one that loves you dearly."

She huffed, making him a thousand times more enchanted by her.

***

A/N: As usual, I love you all so much and I hope you're staying safe.

Question; if this book were to have a sequel what do you think would be an appropriate title for it?