The Stars That Guide Us: A New Adventure - A TSTGU Novella

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ １７】

   "Good morning, sleepy head." Polnareff smiled softly and leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms over his chest. "Sleep well?"

   I wasn't able to find any words to respond with, so I nodded instead.

   Polnareff chuckled softly at my silent response and pushed himself off the doorframe before walking towards the bed.

   "I was thinking about heading out today, have a look around and see if we can find anything related to that geezer Rita told us about, or anything about the arrow," he said.

   I nodded again, giving him a soft hum for him to know that I had heard him whilst he walked to the other side of the bed and started picking up the clothes we had carelessly thrown to the floor last night. He stood up straight and looked at me with a slight look of concern.

   "Are you okay? You seem a bit flustered. Are you coming down with a fever?" He asked as he stepped over to the bed and sat down beside me, placing the back of his cool hand against my forehead. "You're feeling quite warm, but I wouldn't say you've got a fever."

   "I-I'm fine," I managed to squeak out as he withdrew his hand.

   "You sure?"

    I nodded and cleared my throat, finally being able to find my voice. "Y-yeah... I'm just... I mean... I... I not long woke up and I was slightly taken aback to what I woke up to," I finally managed to say, completely missing out the fact that I was still thinking about the events of last night and the thoughts I was having this morning before the Frenchman had got out the shower.

   "What you woke up to?" He gave me a confused look and I gestured to my covered chest, indicating that I woke up with nothing on. "Ah yes, that. Well, you were pooped afterwards, so can't blame you if sleep was on the top of your list of priorities," he said with a shrug.

   "I wander why I was pooped." I threw him a knowing smirk.

   Polnareff chuckled softly and ruffled my hair. "C'mon, get dressed and I'll take you out for breakfast. My treat," he said as he stood up and let the towel drop from his waist, giving me a full view of his toned ass before grabbing his clothes and slipping them on.

   "You don't need to treat me to breakfast, Pol," I said as I slid off the bed, keeping the covers over my body.

   "You also don't need to cover yourself up," he pointed out as he glanced over in my direction, then added, "after last night, there's no need to hide that gorgeous body of yours from me."

   I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked away, embarrassed.

   "Urgh... Someone get me a bucket," Scarlet Phantom hissed in my head.

   "Weren't you the one that wanted last night to happen?" I asked her.

   "Correction, I wanted the vision to come true so I could prove you wrong."

   "She's never gonna let me live this down..." I muttered.

   "What's that?" Polnareff asked.

   "Huh?" I looked back up at Polnareff. "Oh, it's nothing. Just Scarlet Phantom being Scarlet Phantom," I said as I grabbed my clothes that Polnareff had put on the bed for me and slipped them on. With my clothes on, I removed the bedcovers from myself and straightened my t-shirt.

   "So nothing new then," Polnareff chuckled softly. "C'mon. Let's go."

After having breakfast together in a nice little café on a street corner, Polnareff and I walked through the streets of Amsterdam to look around and also see if we can pick up anything else about the Stand Arrow.

   "It's a lovely day today, isn't it? Why don't we head to a little park and sit on a bench for a little while?" Polnareff suggested and I hummed in agreement.

   We made it to a little park and sat down on the first bench we found. The moment we sat down, Polnareff shuffled closer to me and wrapped an arm around me.

   We sat in silence for a little while, taking in the scenery of the park. Dogs and their owners walked along the field in front of us whilst joggers jogged along the pathway. A mother duck and her ducklings made their way to a small pond in a neat single file line. It was so peaceful.

   I glanced up at Polnareff and let out a soft sigh as I started to think about what he said last night.

   "Hey, Pol?"

   "Hm?" He looked down at me.

   "What you said to me last night. Did you really mean it?" I asked.

   "What do you mean?" He asked as he titled his head to the side slightly.

   "About staying with me and letting me go back to Jotaro and Nori should they ever come back. Did you really mean that?"

   Polnareff took a deep breath and pulled me closer to him. "I meant every word. Like I said, I learned to accept the fact that your heart belongs to them. However, if at anytime you need to take your mind off them in the meantime, I'll be here to do whatever it takes, whether that's as a one night stand, or to just give you that bit of affection you need to fill the hole in your heart, I'll do it."

   "So... Last night, that was just your way of taking my mind off of them for a bit?" I raised an eyebrow.

   "It was a mixture of things really. The pent up feelings I had for you, wanting to take your mind off of those two, the need to make you feel happy, and also... you looked so hot in that dress last night."

   I laughed in response and playfully nudged him. "Oh shut up, you."

   "What?" He laughed. "I'm being serious! The second I walked into your hotel room and saw you standing there in that dress, I was like, 'damn girl, you're lookin' hot!'"

   "I'm sure that wasn't all he was thinkin'," Scarlet Phantom muttered in my head and I rolled my eyes in response to the Stand's comment.

   "But in all seriousness, Y/N. I want you to be happy. You've done so much for me since we met, especially when I went after Centrefold that time. Even though I was adamant I was going to go against him on my own and I said some harsh things to you, you still fought alongside me. I will forever be in your debt."

   I gave him a soft smile and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't be silly. I wasn't going to let a fellow comrade go into a fight alone, even if you were being a douchebag only moments before. If anything, it should be me that's forever in debt with you. You helped Nori plan that date for me back in Singapore and confess his feelings for me, when I was confused and upset with Nori because he was being off with me, you were there to help me figure out why he was acting the way he was and make amendments with him, you travelled halfway across the world in response to a letter I had sent you, and now here you are – trying to mend my broken heart by any means necessary. I really am grateful for everything you've done for me, Pol. You really are like a knight in shining armour."

   Polnareff pulled me into a tight embrace and whispered softly, "Anything for you, ma chérie. I will always be here to be your knight in shining armour." He pulled away from the hug and held me at arms length to get a better look at my face. "Can I be honest with you? If the day ever comes and Jotaro and Kakyoin have come back into your life, there's no lying that I'll be sad. Not because you have gone back to them, but because everything we're sharing together right now and until then will end. But at the end of the day, I'll still have these precious memories of our time together, and as long as you're happy, then I'm happy."