Mikael didn’t show up the next day. Jessica sat quietly sipping her espresso and eating a small pastry for over an hour, but he never showed up. She had a sneaking suspicion that they server hadn’t told her the truth, but she hoped that he had. She gave up and went back to the hotel, dreaming of the conversation that they were going to have the next day. Day after day, Jessica returned to that same café, hoping to run into her mysterious European crush, but to no avail. Maybe the server had lied to her. Maybe he wasn’t really a regular. Maybe his name wasn’t even Mikael. She felt discouraged and tricked, but was willing to give it just one more try.
Jessica had spent most of the day walking around the city, exploring some of the older parts of Stockholm, so the café chair was welcome relief for her feet. She sat, exhausted and sweating. The server saw her and nodded, knowing what her order was before she even had to speak a word. Jessica pulled out her tablet and started sifting through Facebook for updates about home. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was already starting to feel quite homesick. Seeing messages from friends and family at home made it easier, knowing that they were all so excited for her. She smiled when she saw a message from her mother, telling her how proud she was that she was out in the world exploring on her own.
Her espresso arrived, and she thanked her server, without even looking up. But he just stood there, not moving an inch. It was strange, and Jessica wasn’t exactly sure what he was standing there, waiting for. She turned to ask him what he needed. Jessica looked up and she nearly spit out the sip of espresso she had just taken. She couldn’t believe it, but Mikael was standing there, a smirk on his face. She turned bright red, her speechlessness making for an awkward silence.
“Hello!” he said, his voice warm and inviting. His accent was even better than she could have imagined it. “I understand that you have become quite the regular here. I felt like I should introduce myself. My name is Mikael.” His smile was friendly, just adding to how attractive he was. He was even more stunning up close, the green in his eyes absolutely piercing. Jessica had a lump in her throat, as she was sure it had become obvious to him that she had been trying to hunt him down for a few days.
“Jessica.” She responded, coolly. Her voice sounded much calmer than her mind was at the moment. Thoughts raced around her head, wondering what the server had told him, wondering why exactly he was speaking to her. She was so busy thinking that she didn’t realise that she hadn’t said anything more than her name for quite some time. Mikael stood patiently, smiling and waiting for an invitation to join her. Awaking from her thoughts, Jessica offered the other chair at the table to him and Mikael gladly accepted.
“Well it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Jessica. Is that a hint of French I detect in your accent?” he asked, flashing his smile once again.
“Oh….yes. I am here on vacation from a northern part of Quebec.” She said, surprised that he was even picking up on her faint accent at all.
“Wonderful! And how are you liking Stockholm so far?” Mikael was doing his best to set her at ease, noticing her discomfort with his sudden approach. For someone who seemed determined to make contact with him, she sure was shy.
“It’s the most beautiful place that I have ever been. Though it is the only place I have ever really been outside of Canada.” Jessica replied, the heat leaving her cheeks. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. He seemed like a perfectly normal young man. Well, an extremely attractive European man, but a man nonetheless. “I am glad that I chose to come here though. It is somewhere that I have wanted to travel for quite some time.”
“Stockholm is quite beautiful. I am lucky enough to have grown up here, and I still think that I haven’t seen everything that there is to see here!”
“There are so many great places that I want to go before I have to go back home, but it feels like a month isn’t quite enough time to get to them all…” Jessica explained. She talked about some of the places that she had read about online, and expressed that her lack of navigational skills was really cutting into her time to see things. Mikael nodded and smiled, hanging on her every word, engaging her with his eyes. Before long, Jessica was telling Mikael the reason for her trip, explaining that it was her last chance for adventure before she went back home and started dedicating her life to others in need. Mikael was impressed by her selflessness, and congratulated her on finishing school. He told her that he was still working on his PhD in history, hoping to one day teach.
The hours wore on as Jessica and Mikael sat and talked. Neither realised how long they had been sitting there for until the server came up and told them they were going to prepare to close. Jessica looked at the clock on the wall and realised that it was nearly time for dinner.
“Well I guess we should be going then. May I walk you back to your hotel?” Mikael said, standing and offering Jessica his hand.
Jessica smiled widely, impressed with his charm. “I would love that.” she said, grabbing his hand, standing. Mikael led her out of the café and towards her hotel. On the walk back to her hotel, Mikael was pointing out different shops and streets, explaining the history behind some of the names and places. She couldn’t stop staring at him, the way that he passionately spoke about the city drawing her in. She could tell that he loved this city, and took great pride in knowing where he came from. Before she knew it, they were standing out in front of her hotel.
“Well here it is! Thank you for allowing me to walk you home.” he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, not breaking eye contact with Jessica for a second. Jessica blushed, doing everything in her power to keep from giggling like a school girl. “I was wondering if I could perhaps show you the side of Stockholm that I have grown to know and love…”
“I would really like that.” Jessica said, not even attempting to mask that excitement in her voice.
“Great! Then I will be here to get you at around 10am. Does that work for you?”
“Absolutely! I look forward to it.”
“Goodnight Jessica.” Mikael said, giving her another quick kiss on her hand. Jessica smiled, and he turned and started walking down the street. She couldn’t help but stand and stare as he walked away from her, feeling intense butterflies. When he was out of sight, Jessica entered the hotel, dreaming of the events of the next day.