Collecting Polaroids |Slowburn|

Chapter 22

Isla's POV

"Ouais, mais c'est pas-Elliot!" 

I let out a screech as I spotted the biggest spider I have ever seen. And it was right on the wall near the bed where I was seated waiting for Luisa to finish her shower. 

"What happened?!" Elliot asked, bolting into the room. The door banged against the wall as he threw it open. I sat up on my knees on the far corner of the bed, pointing at the spider. 

"Seriously?" he sighed exasperatedly, reaching over to the wall. He grabbed it gently with the tissue. Turning towards me, a smirk took over his features. Elliot stretched his hand out towards me, making me back up into the wall. 

"Elliot, stop. I swear to go-" I let out a sharp scream as he pretended to throw it at me. I pushed myself into the corner, throwing my arms over my head. I heard Elliot laugh and the window open, indicating he'd let the spider out onto the balcony. 

I sat, breathing hard, in a crouched position on the floor. 

"Is everything okay?" Luisa asked, opening the bathroom door. "I heard someone scream. Isla?"

"Isla," she exclaimed, coming to help me up. My breathing calmed as I stood up. 

"I've never seen someone have that severe reaction to a spider," Elliot chuckled, running a hand through his hair that had grown in length. 

"I have arachnophobia dipshit," I grumbled, clenching my fists to stop my hands from shaking. 

"That bad? I'v- are you crying?" he asked, his voice changing tone. I wiped the tears created by panic that escaped my eyes. 

"No, I just panicked."

"Elliot I can't believe you scared her like that," Luisa scolded. 

"I do agree with him though, I have a very extra reaction. I'm absolutely terrified of spiders."

"So are you scared of all insects?" 

"No. Just spiders. But not tarantulas which is really weird."

"So snakes, sharks, roaches?"

"Nah, they're okay."

"That's so weird," Luisa chuckled. 

"I know right? It's so random."

"Anyways, Isla, you wanna come with me to get something from the store?" Elliot asked. 

"Sure," I nodded. "Unless you need me?" 

"No, you two go have fun," Luisa winked, a smirk playing on her lips. 

"See you in a bit," I said, but not before rolling my eyes at her last statement. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Don't you know that I cried tears of gold for you," I sang under my breath as Tears of Gold played from the car. (song up there^ it's amazing :) 

I watched the tree's pass by as we drove through the downtown streets. 

"I was thinking we leave tonight by 7," Elliot spoke up making me turn towards him. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white linen shirt, perfect for the hot weather.  His hair was a chestnut brown in the lighting, something my eyes very much appreciated. 

"Mhmm, sounds good," I agreed. It was crazy how fast 4 days had gone by. 

"Anything you have in mind to buy?"

"No not really," I shrugged, unbuckling my seatbelt. I waited for Elliot to go around the car and open my door like usual. 

I gave him a lazy smile as he smirked, his eyes covered behind dark shades. The sun's heat was harsh, beating down on us as we walked across the car park. You could probably cook eggs on the ground in this heat. 

"List?" I asked as we entered the supermarche. The cool AC provided instant relief. Elliot fished out a paper from his pocket and ripped it in half. 

"You take half and I'll take half. That is assuming you can do groceries in France," he teased. 

I rolled my eyes, plucking the paper from his fingers. 

"See you in a bit," I smirked, turning on my heels. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Elliot no! That's coconut milk not regular milk!"

"What's the difference? They're both white milks!"

"Oh my god," I sighed exasperatedly. "I am not explaining this to your mom."

"Whatever," he mumbled, shutting the trunk. 

"And you were worried about me having issues."

He sent me a dirty look before locking the car. 

"Wait, where are we going?"

"Are you not hungry, because I'm starving," he said, crossing the street to the restaurants. I jogged to catch up to him, walking side by side along the rows of cafes. My converse scuffed against the cobblestone path that was bustling with the afternoon crowd. I followed closely behind Elliot to make sure I didn't lose him. 

We stopped at a small restaurant that had outdoor dining facing the little lake. I was definitely a bit confused but just went with whatever Elliot was doing. He pulled out a chair for me at a two person table and I took a seat. He sat across from me, opening the menu.

"This place is so beautiful," I smiled, looking out at the lake. The greenery reflected in the water and a family of ducks swam across the glassy surface. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elliot's lips quirk into a smile. 

"I thought you'd like it."

I smiled, feeling my cheeks burn lightly. Looking up, my brown eyes met with his serene grey ones. 

"Hello, what would you like to order?" the waiter asked, pulling me from my thoughts. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Elliot," I spoke softly, interrupting the silence that fell over us for the past 10 minutes. He hummed in response, indicating for me to continue. 

"I think I just fell in love with this place," I said and he chuckled softly. 

We had finished lunch and walked down to the grassy bank of the lake. It was incredibly peaceful and made my heart feel content. Elliot lay on his back beside me, watching the clouds, the sunglasses back on his face. I leaned back and pulled them off of his face, placing them on the bridge of my nose. 

"Excuse me? You did not just take my sunglasses."

"Hmmm, looks a bit... dull," I noted, looking around. 

"How do I look?" I asked, striking a pose. 

"Bad," he said making me scoff.

"I would rather see your eyes than have these covering half your face."

He sat up and reached for the sunglasses, but I moved back making him fall on me. 

"Mon dieu, you're fat," I grumbled, pushing him to the side. 

"Yeah right, it's pure muscle," he smirked, placing my hand on his abs. I smirked and started poking his stomach making him scowl. Split second later, I was laughing my head off as Elliot tickled my sides. Eventually, he stopped when he saw I couldn't breathe anymore. I hid my face in the crook of his neck as I tried to catch my breath. 

"Your hair tickles," Elliot spoke, his breath fanning my ear.

"My hair knows what's up," I laughed, sitting up and dusting the grass off my jeans. 

"We should get going," he said, looking at his watch. "I hope the milk didn't spoil."

"Coconut milk," I corrected, taking his hand and standing up. We walked back to the car to head home, but Elliot didn't let go of my hand. And I loved that.