11 Miroir D's Eau

July 2, 20xx

Bordeaux, France

The bus stopped and Yan Shi waited for the rest to get down before following. Spending the whole day walking around top spots in the city, her legs are sore. Since Anthony Chen promised to send the recommendation letter in two days, she took advantage of today to see preserved historical buildings in Bordeaux before returning to Paris by train tomorrow.

Her day started with a visit at Saint-Seurin Basilica to see the ancient crypts which history could be traced back to the 4th century. That trip alone took her whole morning as she wandered around the Basilica and admired the artistry involved with the intricate carvings inside and outside of the church. Even the crypts are work of art and it must have taken a long time to produce the fine and detailed output. It was not as mesmerizing as the Sagrada Familia in Spain but Saint-Seurin has its own appeal.

In the afternoon, she sauntered with other tourist along Palais Gallien. It comprises of the remains of a Roman amphitheater dating back 3rd century. It was remarkable on how local people incorporated the gateway and several remaining arches to their houses, attracting tourist.

And tonight, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the world's largest reflecting pool, Mirror D' Eau (1) .

So, she picked up her pace and walked past people who were enjoying the stroll as the sun starts to set in the horizon, signaling the end of the day. However, she spun around when she sensed eyes on her back but like what happened earlier, there was no one. This weird sensation started this morning the moment she left the hotel.

Ten minutes later, she was standing and gawking at the reflection of the 18th century Place de la Bourse. The clear water seemed to magnet and compelled her to snap photos as the famous square was reflected on the water.Plus, there were only a few minutes for the people to enjoy and admire the scenery before the mirror pool will be replaced with 3 minutes of fog.

As she was busy clicking her camera, she never noticed the little boy who was running after two teenagers. He lost his footing and fell behind, pushing her on the process. When she thought she was to fall forward to the pool, out of nowhere, strong arm gripped and pulled her. However — because of the slippery ground — she was unable to stabilized herself and slipped. The next second, she was on the ground, lying on top of something hard that cushioned her fall and an arm was behind her waist.

For unknown reasons, instead of moving away, she leaned closer to the body and sniffed the person, especially on the neck where the masculine scant was coming from. It was mild and addicting

In spite of the pain on his back that resulted from falling and hitting the step —when Li Jie felt her warm breath as though she was kissing her and those glorious chest touched his, the feeling it gave him was sensational. His breathing become unsteady particularly when he can smell faint lemony fragrance coming from her.The compulsion that never happened in two years suddenly appeared.

Reminding himself, he closed his eyes and snapped the rubber band on his wrist to stop himself from doing something unexpected.

When the images that was about to pop out went away, his pulse returned to normal.

"Although I like our current position now, but there are many kids around us. Do you want to show them a live show?" his magnetic voice sounded close to her ear.

Yan Shi took notice of the eyes on them and she blushed in embarrassment.Realizing she was behaving out of the norms, her cheeks got redder.

The man stood and patted his white shirt and the back of his blue jeans.

"Th--thank you."For the first time, Yan Shi stammered in front of a guy.

The attractive appearance made her eyes stay on his face as if scrutinizing for an imperfection. She's unsettled.

'How could a person look perfect?' she questioned.

The black, lustrous, tousled hair framed a symmetrical facial bone structure making him manlier. A pair of deep set brown eyes appeared to be smiling yet piercing with intensity --- as they meet her hazel ones, possibly dark brown now because of low lighting --- are highlighted by his dark eye brows, which curved perfectly.

Before her eyes could continue below the neck, a voice behind her asked in French.

"Miss, is this your camera?"

Hearing those words, she faced him and groaned at the instant sight of water dripping from her travel buddy.

'Oh no!'

The man put it on her extended palm and heard her whisper"Thank you."

Li Jie watched her wipe the droplets of water on her DSLR and heard her say "Slytherin."

Seconds later, the tall woman was darting to the nearest taxi stand and left.

He picked the fallen shopping bag on the concrete pavement and followed her like what he'd been doing for the whole day.

Inside the hotel room, Yan Shi unscrewed the lens and dry them with cloth by dabbing carefully.

Then, there was a knock on the door and she opened assuming it was the hotel staff —bringing the cup of uncooked rice she requested.

However, it was the 6 foot tall man at the square a few minutes ago.

He was holding the shopping bag that contained the scarves she bought and another small transparent container.

Seeing the rice, she grabbed them from his hands.

She spoke, "Thank you." and closed the door in haste.

For the second time, Li Jie gave out a low sigh. He felt helpless.

***

Inside the room, after soaking the camera in a bowl of clean water for 5 seconds, she used a soft cloth to pat it dry carefully. Salt is corrosive inside the camera so she has to clean it out right away. Though it wasn't salt water that got into it, the water at the square might have been treated with chemicals.

Then, she placed the camera body inside the bag of rice to dry it out for a few days— hoping it wasn't damaged. Though it's not the latest model but it has a sentimental value for her. It accompanied her to the thickly forested mountains of northern Thailand, prayed with her in the temples of Tibet, captured the historic past of Angkor Wat, trekked with her in India and etc.

'I should have bought a neck strap and it won't have ended like this.'

When her eyes landed on the blue paper bag, she was reminded of the man. It crossed her mind that he looked vaguely familiar but couldn't recall where she'd seen that strong jawline.

Instantly, there was an unpleasant expression on her face upon remembering that he must have bruised his back due to the fall. Although she's not heavy but the suddenness would cause an impact.

'And I didn't even thank him.'

Seconds later, she murmured 'Sorry.'

***

Whereas the man in question was still standing outside the hotel and was on the phone.

The man on the other line said "Go for Nikon Z6. It's the best one in the market. Why are you suddenly asking about this Nick? You're not planning on becoming a paparazzi, are you?"

Li Jie laughed at his remark and uttered "Thanks" before ending the call.

After contemplating for a minute, he dialed another number and said "Do it."

**********

July 5, 20xx

Paris, France

The sudden buzzer at the door startled her that the sketch pad on her hand dropped to the floor.She was about to pick it up to continue her draft but thinking it was the post she'd been waiting for, she ran out of the bedroom without wearing her slippers. The excitement on her face was evident.

Two minutes later, a brown envelope was on her grasp.

She was smiling in triumph. This is important to her.

'Step two, done.'

But when she opened it and saw what's inside, her eyes widened in disbelief.

**********

Tidbit of Info:

(1) Miroir d' Eau (Water Mirror) is the world's largest reflecting pool which is 37,100 sq. feet in size.

It was inspired by scenes of a flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice and it opened in 2006.