Unbreakable Ties: An Arthur Leclerc Story

Chapter 1

Newton's three laws of motion define the fundamental relationship between the acceleration of an object and the forces that act on it. First, an object at rest will stay at rest...

I blinked and re-read the paragraph in my textbook for a third time before yawning.

It was a beautiful day in Monaco, and instead of spending hours at the library, I had made the decision to get some fresh air. I had lived in Monaco for a month, moving here just before the start of university, and was still finding the best places to hang out. I had passed this café a few times and it seemed the perfect place to finish the assigned reading for my physics class. But I had been struggling to focus with the sun shining and people chatting around me.

Maybe some coffee, I thought to myself, making my way to the counter. I ordered an iced latte, and the barista made the drink quickly. I was taking my first sip when I turned around and walked into a wall, dropping my coffee on the floor.

"Oh, shit!," the wall exclaimed, as I said "I'm sorry!"

No. Not a wall, I realized as I gathered myself, a person. A tall, broad human with crystal blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" the boy in front of me asked.

"Yeah! Yes, I'm fine. Just a little wet," I said as the boy chucked. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, no. It's my fault. I was looking at my phone and in a rush. Let me buy you another."

"Okay," I agreed as we turned back to the barista and gave her our orders again.

"I'm Arthur, by the way," the boy said and extended his hand to me.

"I'm Emilia. It's nice to meet you." And as I slid my hand into his, I swore my whole body tingled.

We stood there for a few seconds, just smiling at each other with our hands intertwined until the barista let us know our drinks were ready, both of us springing away from each other. I could feel my cheeks burning from embarrassment as I grabbed my drink and headed back to the table.

Without asking, Arthur followed and sat down at my table. "What are you reading?" he asked.

"Ummm, intro to Physics," I explained. "I'm in my freshman year at the University."

"Are you going to be a physicist?"

I laughed lightly. "Not quite. Hopefully an engineer, though."

"Oh, that's cool."

Before I could say anything else, a group of girls approached our table.

"Excuse me," they said to Arthur. "Could we get a photo with you?"

"Oh, sure," Arthur agreed.

One of them turned to me, "Do you mind taking the photo?"

I froze for a second, not quite sure what was happening. Why would they want to take a photo with Arthur? Was he famous?

The girl looked at me blankly before I sprang into action. "Of course, happy to!"

After I snapped a few photos, the girls thanked Arthur and walked away chattering excitedly. Arthur turned back to me, smiling.

"Are you famous?!" I blurted out.

Arthur chuckled. "Eh, kind of?" He said while scratching his head. "Do you really not know who I am?"

I shook my head. "No, should I?"

He chuckled again. I felt the bubble of unease surround us, as I searched for something to say, "Weren't you rushing off somewhere?"

What is wrong with me? Why did I say that? That makes it sound like I WANT him to leave!

Arthur froze for a second, looking offended, and then panicked. "Oh shit! My brother is going to kill me - I'm so late!"

As Arthur stood up, he paused and looked down at me. "I hope to see you again Emilia," he said with a wink before running off.

I sat for a moment, bewildered by the encounter, before getting back to my reading.

Newton's three laws of motion define the fundamental relationship between the acceleration of an object and the forces that act on it. First, an object at rest will stay at rest unless that state is changed by an external force...