No strict
Blair
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The first day in Paris was memorable despite the collective feeling of tiredness. After having something for breakfast/lunch, we went to Sacré Coeur and explored the beautiful Cathedral. The views from the top of the hill were exquisite. Mr. Turner and Professor Reynolds told us to sketch whatever we wanted around the place and so Maddox and I decided to sketch the cathedral itself.
We must've been a sight to behold, a bunch of college students just scattered around the place, sketching whatever they found interesting. I could tell the tourists were interested in us as well as the locals. Some teenagers asked us what we were doing and where we were from. I gladly talked to them, finding it fun to use some french slang. We also had the occasional child who approached us shyly and asked us to see our drawings.
At 9 o'clock, our teachers let us decide where we wanted to have dinner. Maddox and I decided to join David and his friends and we went to a bistro in the Montmartre neighborhood. That whole neighborhood was so scenic, the small, European style houses breathtaking. Everyone asked me for help to decipher the menu which was completely in French. I had to admit, I loved the attention I was getting, but I would have swapped that night in a heartbeat for a dinner with Felix.
"Hey, who's excited for tomorrow?" asked Maddox, drinking his cold sparkling water. "I've literally been dreaming of the Louvre for the past week."
"The d'Orsay is going to be life-changing, I'm telling you," said one of David's friends.
"I'm just afraid we won't get any sleep tonight and not enjoy tomorrow," I said, swirling my pasta in my fork. "Our bodies think it's lunchtime and we probably should be going to sleep in a few hours..."
"Boy, I know exactly what we're gonna do so that when we get to the hotel we'll fall asleep instantly," said David with a twinkle in his eye. "Let's finish eating and we'll go back to the hotel, put on some party clothes, and then we'll go to one of those clubs I told you about."
"We have a curfew at midnight, remember David?" warned Maddox.
He swatted his hand in the air. "So what? When will you ever party in Paris again? This is our only chance, we have to take it. Do you want to tell your grandkids you had a great time in Paris or not?"
I had to admit, his argument was convincing. None of us was even close to being tired, so we really needed to waste our energies by dancing and having a few drinks.
We arrived at the hotel at around ten thirty. Each of us went to our rooms and put on some going out clothes. Maddox put on a blue shirt, so to match with him and create the french flag, I wore a red one. Red was definitely my color.
Since it was a weekday, the streets weren't that packed, but you could still get a sense of the nightlife. Since it was legal to drink from the age of 18, you'd see many young people in the streets sipping alcohol. It was quite a different culture, seeing so many people just partying in the streets. We, however, had other plans. When we got into a club David was dying to go to, it was evident we were in a gay bar. I didn't mind it one bit because I was with my friends and I only wanted to dance and drink.
As expected, everyone asked for my help to get drinks. Just like in the restaurant, I loved getting all the attention. I ordered a few rounds of drinks, a rush of confidence coursing through me.
As we danced on the dance floor, I felt my phone vibrate inside my pocket. I got it out, my eyes bulging out when I saw Felix's name. Maddox was standing right next to me, he could have easily seen it. I turned the brightness down and read the text.
FELIX: It's past midnight, Mr. De Montmorency.
I knew what he meant by that text, but I decided to tease him.
BLAIR: How insightful, Dr. Reynolds.
I wasn't drunk, not even close. I just had a couple of drinks to make me feel relaxed.
FELIX: Is it a coincidence that only you and your friend group haven't arrived on time?
BLAIR: Maybe.
I chuckled, knowing that my answers would rile him up.
FELIX: Blair, seriously, where are you?
I debated whether to tease him further, but decided against it. He was just doing his job.
BLAIR: We're at The Marais neighborhood, at a club. We knew we wouldn't be able to fall asleep so we came here instead.
He took a while to answer back.
FELIX: Alright, thanks for telling me.
FELIX: Don't drink, please.
FELIX: Tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us.
FELIX: Be safe.
I smiled at how protective he was over me. Suddenly, I had the urge to go back to the hotel just to see him. He'd probably be waiting for us in the lobby, but secretly I was hoping he was waiting for me.
Half an hour later, I told the group I wanted to go back to the hotel. David and his friends decided to stay longer while Maddox joined me on the taxi ride.
When we got there, Felix was waiting in the lobby as expected. He looked very serene, drinking tea and reading some papers in a dark green binder. He was probably preparing for his meeting tomorrow.
"Oh shit." muttered Maddox. He was expecting Felix to tell us off for being late, but judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem mad.
"Boys, don't run away, I see you," he said, calling us to the sitting area where he was. "Did you think you could break curfew and not get caught?"
Maddox and I exchanged guilty looks.
"I'm sorry Professor, it won't happen again," I said. Felix was looking at what I was wearing discreetly, no doubt liking my fitted outfit. "It's just that our bodies think it's super early still."
Felix sighed, handing us his notepad to sign our names and the time we arrived.
"My circadian rhythm is also a mess... Between you and me boys, I think this curfew is a bit too much," he said lightheartedly. Maddox relaxed considerably when he said those words. "But rules are rules and they are for your safety. Now, if you excuse me, I'm still missing a few students so I'll get back to work while I wait for them."
"Thank you Professor," sighed Maddox, relieved he didn't get in trouble.
While inside the elevator, Maddox leaned against the railing and said:
"Wow, I thought he was cutthroat strict... He's actually pretty cool."
I smiled to myself. Little did he know how cool he was.
The next day we woke up at 10 o'clock for breakfast. Maddox and I had stayed up until later that evening, sleep never coming to us. For that reason, we had only slept a few hours. We needed coffee so badly. When we arrived at the breakfast area, we saw some of our colleagues sat together and decided to join them. Everyone looked extremely tired. David especially looked near death. He had probably slept two or three hours by the looks of it.