Parea - Greek: A group of friends that get together to enjoy nothing else but sharing their life experiences, philosophies, values, and ideas.
Isla's POV
"Mierda," I mumbled, trying to get my camera to autofocus.
"What happened?" Saskia asked. We had decided to do a photoshoot in front of the Eiffel Tower... at midnight. I wanted to do it right when the lights came on but Saskia insisted it would be more of an adventure if we went at midnight.
"It won't stop auto focusing on the wrong object."
I always had this problem and it annoyed the hell out of me. The camera focused on the blinds behind Linette instead of Linette herself. I heard Mathieu talking to Linette about something but I was too focused on getting the stupid camera to focus.
"Then who's going to drive us?"Linette asked.
"Isla?"
"Huh?" I looked up, hearing my name.
"I can't drop you guys because my car is at my parent's house."
"Oh looks like we can't go," I said, glad to get out of the situation. I wanted to sleep.
"No!" Saskia said loudly. "Ask Elliot."
"Sure," Mathieu shrugged, despite my frantic hand motions telling him not to.
I heard low voices talking before Mathieu shouted that we'd leave in 5 minutes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I pinched the bridge of my nose as I found myself sitting beside Elliot for the second time.
"Do you mind holding this?" he asked, getting into the drivers seat. He held out a Sony camera with a small lens attached.
"Sure," I nodded, taking the camera and setting it in my lap gently.
"Wow see guys. I made this a family outing," Saskia said from the backseat.
"For once you're right. Mom and Dad with the camera's in the front seats and us as the models," Yann grinnned. I rolled my eyes, a smile forming on my face.
It was a 15 minute drive through the nearly empty streets of Paris. I sat up straighter in my seat as we neared the landmark. My mouth fell open slightly as I finally got a full glimpse of the stunning tower. Despite the late hour, the surrounding area of the Eiffel Tower was crowded with people - about 200.
The smell of coffee hit my nose as I exited the car. A bakery had the smell of fresh hot chocolate and churros wafting out of it. The group hurried towards the tower, exited to see it after so long.
"Saskia slow down," I heard Linette laugh, running to keep up with her as the blonde sipped through the crowd. I was about to follow when I realized Elliot was still by the car. He had grabbed a jacket from the trunk and was locking the car.
"Why are you still here?" he asked, coming up to me.
"I was waiting for you."
"You didn't have to do that," he said, taking his camera from me. I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it. I hurried after him, coming to walk beside him. There was a nice summer breeze that cooled me down. A stark contrast to the high heat of the day.
"You're so freaking slow, even the grandmas who cut in line at the supermarche are faster than you," Saskia complained, grabbing my arm. I frowned , a bit annoyed. The converstation - if you'd even call it that - with Elliot had thrown off my mood. I was just being nice by waiting for him. Plus I had his camera.
"OK, pose for me Kendall Jenner," I joked, fixing the settings on my camera. Saskia winked before getting into position. I clicked a few pictures in portrait, the Tower's lights illuminating her face. Then I took some silhouette pictures with Linette.
Elliot was doing the same with Mathieu and Yann, except he knelt on the floor for a different angle.
ISLA'S PICS (I couldn't find many good ones sorry 😬)
"What about you guys?" Linette asked after we all came together to review the pictures.
"Can I take some of you?" Saskia asked, pouting her lips. I hesitated, knowing she could very possible drop it.
"Fine, but wear the strap on your neck," I said, handing her my precious baby.
"Bold move," Yann commented, a teasing smile on his face. Saskia simply flipped him off.
I let Saskia take a few candid shots of me before deciding it was enough for me.
"Ok, that's it," I said, taking the camera from Saskia as she handed it to me.
"Elliot's turn," mischievous look on Linette's face. that you don't see very often.
"I'm freezing, let's get hot chocolate," Saskia said, dragging Linette away. Those little shits.
Mathieu and Yann immersed themselves into a conversation about some political incident they had seen on the news.
I turned to look at Elliot who was looking up at the Eiffel Tower. His face was illuminated solely by the flashing light's of the glittering landmark. It created the perfect shadows, making a good facial profile. Without giving it much thought, I lifted my camera to my face, snapping a shot. I looked back at the review, proud of the outcome. When I looked up, Elliot was already looking at me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, my cheeks heating up. "I thought it would make a nice picture."
His face remained stone cold and impassive as he came closer to me. His eyes flitted down to the camera in my hands and I quickly handed it to him. He nodded in approval at the picture. My hands brushed against his as I quickly took my camera back. I felt a burst of confidence as I walked around him to the other side.
"Stand here," I commanded. He raised an eyebrow at me but, did as I asked. As I looked through the view finder, I got a chance to look over his features. He had a chiseled jawline, amazing eyebrows, and the most stunning grey eyes I had ever seen. His hair moved gently in the wind. Dark chocolate curls that were so shiny and healthy, it out my own locks to shame. I quickly took a few more pictures before bringing my camera down.
"I bought hot chocolaaate!" Linette sang, handing me a cup.
"Thanks," I grinned, taking a sip of the delicious liquid. We chatted and drank our hot chocolate. I sat on the edge of the ledge, watching people walk past.
"So you're a Canon lover too?" Elliot said, coming to stand behind the wall I was sat on.
"Definitely, never used another camera," I confirmed. I didn't really want to get into a conversation because he always left me confused. One second he was nice, the next he was cold.
"I am too, but my camera had a sensor issue so I sent it for repairs. I'm stuck with a Sony."
I hummed in response, taking another sip of my hot chocolate.
"You said you didn't want to go to film school? Why is that?"
Oh so now u wanna talk? I debated on answering, knowing I would definitely get sucked into a conversation. But at the same time, I couldn't be rude.
"My parent's don't support it. They're both in healthcare and I can't be a filmaker, it doesn't sit right."
Elliot was quiet, but I knew he was thinking. I turned to look at him.
"No hot chocolate for you?"
"No, I do not really like sweet things."
"No way! Are you serious?"
"Yes, it tastes weird."
"You're weird."
He scoffed and rolled his eyes, turning to walk back to the rest of the group. I frowned - he did not just scoff at me. I noticed his right hand fidgeting, his index finger rubbing against his middle finger.
"That was fun," Linette said, as we sat in the car.
"Thanks to Elliot," I piped up, "he drove us."
"Thank you Elliot we love you," Yann exclaimed, leaning over the console, making kissing noises.
"Ugh, tu es dégoûtant (you're gross)," Elliot gagged, leaning as far back as possible. I chuckled, pushing Yann's head lightly.
"Tu es un double de Saskia (you're a duplicate of Saskia)," I said, shaking my head.
"Excuse me! I have a di-"
"EW! Yann ta gueule!" Linette exclaimed, covering her ears. Everyone laughed at her innocence.
We broke off into our own conversations. I sat silently, watching the buildings pass by. I could feel Elliot glancing at me every once in a while. There was an odd tension between us, I can't really explain it. The corner of my eye picked up movement and I looked over. Elliot's right finger was tapping on the steering wheel again. I caught his eyes flit down to the cup holder twice.
When I looked to see what was there, I realised why he was so fidgety. A pack of cigarettes was sitting in the cupholder. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked away, not wanting him to realise that I had noticed.
He really wanted that cigarette.