𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 ME|| 𝐓IMOTHÉE 𝐂HALAMET

04 | ace of hearts

I looked up at two water green eyes.

"Do you mind if I borrow them?" I asked. He shook his head and looked down at my shoes.

"They're in my pocket." They trailed upwards to my eyes again. "If I let you how do I know you won't steal them."

"Do I look like a criminal?"

He paused and thought "Yes." And you look absolutely beautiful and yet so familiar, I thought.

"What would be my crime if I were?" His hair fell in front of his eyes slightly. 

We were close enough that I could brush it away. He shook the curl away "Hmm." He mused head in hand. "Timothée!" Adele called out from the table. I turned back to see a toothy grin split across the boys face.

He positioned himself off the bar and when he brushed past me I carefully pulled the pack out. He sat next to Adele, opposite me and eased into conversation with both her and another boy.

"Poker?" I asked and started shuffling.

Lou nodded and lit a cigarette. "We're inside!" I said.

"And? Nobody's going to stop me." She replied. She passed me one. I was still new to the game and the rum wasn't exactly helping me learn but it did make more opportunity to laugh. 

I kept shuffling the pack to keep my anxiety down and to give me something to focus on other than that guy.

I tore the pack again. 

"I love that sound." The same mystery voice stated beside me. Apparently Lou had swapped with this Timothée guy. "Sounds better with a stolen pack as well." I grinned back.

"What's your name?" Timothée asked, ignoring Charles.

"I'm Cara." I replied.

"I like your name. Cara." He said. Bluntly.

"Thank you." Why did I like how it sounded coming from his mouth?

"But you're not from Paris." 

His blunt conversation didn't seem shy or awkward just brazenly upfront. It was refreshing but it kind of made me feel like I was playing word association.

"Is my accent that bad."

"It's not bad." He took a sip of his drink. "Where are you from?"

I took a drag. "England." I turned to exhale and ash.

"Ah, where about's?" I turned to see his eyes all over my body.

"You ask a lot of questions."

He grinned at me. "And you barely answer them."

This felt like a game, or a competition. 

One thing you should know about me - I am very competitive. 

"Why are you in Paris?" I said thumbing the card edges. 

I pullet out the Ace of Hearts. New beginnings.

"To visit friends, I have a project and things on, needed time with people who ground me. Needed some quiet." He answered giving me some more information about himself. 

He really was handsome, just also very fragile. Perhaps why his conversation style was so intense?

"So you came to Paris? For quiet?" I joked.

"It's better than New York." He pulled out a card. 

Ten of clubs. Travel.

I scoffed. "I knew it."

"Could you hear that accent slipping through? Is it that bad?" He asked repeating my words back to me. 

Okay then Timothée.

"It's not bad." We shared a smile. 

A smile that said we understood the other.

"I'll come to you when I need lessons for an English accent." I pulled out another King of Hearts.

 "You're pulling a lot of hearts tonight." He said, his voice growing a little rougher.

"I knew it." I sipped my drink.

"What?"

"You're an actor." Worry flickered over his eyes for a second, so quick that I wasn't quite sure if I had just made it up in my mind.

"And you're a student." He retorted.

"How could you tell?" I teased.

"You seem, you had an energy about you. Like you're trying to figure something out." He tapped my forehead.

His body was closer.

"Are you on stage or on screen then?" He raked a hand through his hair. 

He was nervous.

"Screen, at the moment. What do you study?" When it came to work his answers so far had been quick as if someone had bitten off the rest of the sentence from his mouth.

"Journalism." If he wasn't going to give neither should I.

"Aha!" We laughed.

"What?"

"I knew it."

"How are you liking Paris?"

"I love it. It's a city wrapped up in stories. Everyone who has been here - it makes you feel grateful to be alive - it's like we're living in an already great history."

"I think you'll be remembered-"

"Why?" He interrupted.

"Because ..." Shit. How do I escape. "Because you know Adele!"

"You don't reveal much do you?" He wouldn't change the conversation.

"I prefer to do the asking. So if you're an actor, does that mean you are or want to be famous?" 

Hit him with a blow of unexpectancy.

"I think if I were to say yes to either I would sound so narcissistic I don't believe you'd ever talk to me again."

"Oh come on, I'm not harsh." He wants to talk to me again. 

I smiled to myself. Every time I paused all I could look at was him. His hands held the deck. He had two rings. 

One on his index, left hand, and one on his pinky, right hand.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just trying to figure you out."

"Why do you wanna figure me out?" I didn't have an answer. Not one that I could share. "I knew it." He replied. I tore the pack again. "You're very beautiful Cara."

"And you are very funny."

"Hmm." He took the cards from me and dealt two hands. "We can work on that."

"What?" I asked.

"Come on it's your turn." My gaze couldn't help but take the chance to brush over his unknowing face. "Come on." He caught my eyes, pleased, I looked back at my hand. Then at his.

"Are you left handed?" I asked. "You're suppose to wear a signet ring on your non-dominant hand.

He just laughed and whispered near my ear. "Let's just play. Questions later."

~~~ Well, well, well. T and C have met and it looks like they're playing a game. ~~~