World Men à la Mode

Chapter Thirty-one - Louvre

        Damn your insomnia! It always had to strike at the worst times. You were happily tucked into bed, laying in a comfortable position. Unfortunately for you, you just couldn't fall asleep. You sighed and pulled on some clothes and left your room to walk around in the hotel lobby. You took a seat on one of the plush couches and decided to check your social media to pass the time, ignoring some late night guests who were checking in. Your legs crossed, and you bounced your one foot, a habit you had picked up since your childhood and performed when you had pent up energy. Twenty minutes passed by with no sight of sleep coming any time soon. You tucked your phone into the pocket of your sweatpants before leaning your head against the backrest of the couch behind you, your eyes closing and your hands running over your face out of frustration.

        "Trouble sleeping, mon amie?"

        Your eyes snapped open and your hands fell to your sides. Francis stood on the other side of the coffee table in front of you. You nodded and patted the open spot next to you. He smiled and sat beside you, his hands placed neatly in his lap.

        "Insomnia sucks sometimes," you mumbled, leaning your head back again.

        "Oui. I couldn't agree more," he responded as he inspected his nails.

        "You suffer from it too?"

        "Much to my misfortune." He let out a light hearted chuckle. "It's something I've endured since my childhood. I remember my mother trying everything to get me to sleep, but nothing seemed to work. She'd say, 'Francis, I heard about this from one of my coworkers. I need you to try it just this once to see if it works.' Ha, she wishes they would have done something."

        "Did she ever find something that worked for you?"

        He let out another laugh, the sound playing like music to you. "For a short time. I wasn't a very big child, so a shot of whiskey usually knocked me on my derrière rather quickly. I outgrew that once I hit my later years."

        You giggled and covered your mouth with your hand. "That must have been a sight to see."

        "It was. Mama said I made a fool of myself before passing out."

        "Mhm. I bet you did."

        He patted your shoulder before suggesting the two of you play a game of foosball. You nodded in agreement and headed to the tabletop game set up on the other side of the room along with a tennis table. You played till one of you scored ten points. Francis ended up winning, but you were beginning to get tired, so you didn't mind all that much. He escorted you up to your room and bid you goodnight before heading to his own room down the hall. You laid down in your bed after changing. You were awake for another ten minutes before being able to fall asleep.

        When you woke in the morning, you were obviously still tired, but you willed yourself out of bed to prepare yourself for the day. Amilia was already up and applying her makeup in a travel mirror she carried with her. You bid her a quiet good morning, then took your shower and took care of the rest of your morning routine. The two of you then made your way downstairs and to the dining area for a relaxing breakfast.

        Alfred gave the run down of the day's schedule while on the bus. You'd be at the Louvre museum most of the day before heading into Paris' sex district to see the Roulin Rouge and get some pictures. You'd then have dinner up the street from the historic location before heading towards the Eiffel Tower to board a boat for a cruise down the Seine River.

        Once you arrived at the beautifully constructed architecture, Francis handed out the tickets and led the group inside. You went through the security lines with the slowness of a snail. You couldn't help but wonder if all the people ahead of you in line and behind you had ever been to the museum before, or if this was a normal activity for the Parisians. After the hour long wait, you were finally inside. Francis then led the group to a baggage storage area.

        "You can choose to leave your bags here in the cases if you'd like. They have instructions on them for how to operate the storage unit. The only person who can get in the one you choose is you or whoever knows the password, so be careful of what numbers you choose," he explained. "Or you could carry your bags with you. It's really all your preference."

        You and your friends nodded. A few of you put your bags in a storage space, but you decided to keep yours on you. Your first stop was the Mona Lisa. While Da Vinci's painting was deep within the museum, you had to see it. Once in the gallery that held the famous piece of art, you noticed that there was already a large crowd gathered around it. You made your way to the front of the group carefully, only moving when you could until you reached the ropes that kept everyone at a good distance from the painting. You snapped a few pictures before maneuvering your way out of the crowd.

        Sweat dropped down your brow before you could wipe it off. You never realized how hot a room could get until there were hundreds of people closely huddled together. With a quiet sigh, you moved on to check out the other exhibits the museum housed. You stopped a few hours in to exploring to find a place to eat within the museum. Now with your stomach no longer gurgling in protest, you continued with your self lead tour until you had to regroup with your friends, Alfred, and Francis at the main entrance.

        On the bus, you checked out the pictures you were able to snap, deleting the few blurry ones you could find before you stopped at the Moulin Rouge. More pictures were taken, but you were in your element this time. Each photograph turned out stunningly, and you couldn't help but smile at your work. Maybe you should have majored as a photographer?

        You were back on the bus after dinner. A few of your friends took a quick nap as you headed back towards the Eiffel Tower. You helped rouse the ones that were asleep, then got off the bus and walked to the docking station for the river boat your would be traveling on. You went through another round of security before boarding the boat at taking your seat among the rooftop seating. Francis sat next to you, Darcy to your other side. One of the crew members came on over the speakers to inform you of approximately how long the boat ride would be and what you were passing as the boat sailed down the Seine at a leisurely pace.

        After the boat redocked where you had boarded, you disembarked the water vehicle and got back on the bus to head to the hotel. Alfred explained that you had a train to catch at seven in the morning to England, but he wanted to be there between five-thirty and six to have enough time to get through security. He also informed the group that the hotel you would be staying at in London would have laundry services available. You nodded and headed back to your room with Amilia, settling yourselves in for the night.

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! The update is a little early today, but I hope you all don't mind! Anyway, prepare for a bit of shenanigans in the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!