let's get down in barcelona // summer && adrian; december 2016 flashback thread

Summer found herself wishing he wouldn't smile so much. Every time he did, she couldn't stop herself from smiling back. And though she was normally the sort of person to hold someone's gaze in a conversation, she found herself looking down at her feet, as if looking at her shoes could get the giddiness out of her system. I'm just excited, that's all, she told herself. Just excited by the spontaneity of all this. Though she had mostly gone around Spain without an itinerary and a schedule, she never really had someone to travel with, and for some reason going on a photography walk with someone else just made it seem a lot more adventurous. Perhaps it was the fact that she was trusting this man not to do anything funny. Not that he could do anything to her—DADA was her favourite subject in Hogwarts.

Sometimes being a witch had its advantages, especially when dealing with muggles.

It must be interesting, though, to be in Law Enforcement and chase bad guys around with guns instead of wands. Sometimes Summer wondered if it would have been better for her to stay in the muggle world instead of studying in Hogwarts. Though she had enjoyed her DADA classes, becoming an Auror just never crossed her mind, and the other wizarding careers weren't very interesting or exciting. Adrian would probably have loved being an Auror if he had been born a wizard. He seemed to love his Spanish MI5 job, a passion she wished she could find within herself as well. Still, despite her envy, she was glad to know that Adrian was doing something he enjoyed. 'Good job,' she said with a sideways smile. 'Glad to know I can feel much safer with you around.'

Of course, the wand concealed in her charmed handbag helped her feel much safer, but Adrian didn't really need to know that. And since Adrian's story seemed truthful enough, Summer figured that she could trust him. And though she wouldn't admit it to him, she was impressed by his courage. It made her want to get to know him more.

Without even just an ounce of hesitation, she followed him as he led the way to wherever it was he wanted to go. She noted some of the landmarks they passed by, awed by the beauty of Spanish architecture. The smaller roads made the city feel more intimate, and the air sizzled with the smell of fideuà and tapas. She would have to stop by a night market after their photo walk—if Adrian was still free by then, maybe she could even treat him to some food as her way of thanking him for the lessons.

Adrian's voice cut through her thoughts as they walked down the streets of Barcelona. While they weren't exactly extremely personal questions, Summer had to pause for a second before answering him. During her travels, she often told people that she was simply 'soul-searching'. Jacinta loved the idea of Summer finding herself in Spain and discovering what could allow her to channel duende. With Adrian, however, she felt as if she wanted to tell him more. Soul-searching was suddenly such a cliche millennial answer. With a look of wistfulness in her eyes, Summer looked up at the buildings they passed as she spoke in Spanish. 'This is my fifth month here in Barcelona, although I spent the first few months visiting lots of places outside the city. In about a month, I'll be leaving for Paris to stay there for another six months.' She then looked at Adrian with a bright smile. 'Your city is beautiful. I've been here before, but I never stayed for more than a week. My mother is Spanish, you see. That's why I wanted to practise my Spanish and get to know my mother's home country.'

Isabel, her mother, had been surprised to hear that her daughter wanted to live in Spain for half a year. Isabel had grown up knowing more English and French than Spanish due to living in the UK, but Summer had always been fascinated by her mother's Spanish roots. And now that she was here, she was glad Isabel had been (reluctantly) supportive of her decision. Summer felt more at home in Barcelona than she did in the UK.

'The short answer is that I'm doing some soul-searching,' she chuckled, 'but that's such a cliche millennial answer, isn't it? In a way, though, I am trying to figure out who I am, what I want to do for the rest of my life, that sort of thing. I don't really know what I'm passionate about.' It felt a bit strange confessing all this to a stranger, but for some reason, Summer felt comfortable telling Adrian all of this. 'I was thinking about how envious I am of you. You seem to be doing a job you enjoy. So now it's my turn to ask questions. Why law enforcement? I thought you were an artist or a journalist at first, since you've got a camera. And how did you get into photography?'

In another life, going to Spain with her mother would probably be the ultimate travel experience. As a painter and lover of all things beautiful, Summer was sure that her mother would take her to offbeat places and make her see what was so interesting about them. Summer, however, did not exactly have the best relationship with her parents, and though they tried to make up for her difficult teenage years, the damage was irreparable. In the end, Isabel not joining Summer's soul-searching was one of the best gifts they could give to her. After spending most of her life trying to free herself from the identity her parents had imposed on her, a year of freedom in foreign countries was a huge blessing.

She wanted to tell Adrian all of this, but in the end, she had to stop herself. The story might darken the mood, and the last thing she wanted was for her issues to get in the way of enjoying Barcelona. So instead, Summer simply answered, 'My mum's a painter, and she's got an exhibit in a few months. She might come and see me in Paris, but that would probably be just for a week.'

The idea of finding herself in the beauty of Barcelona or the passion of Paris was certainly sweet, but another dread threatened to surface as she thought about all the soul-searching she had done. So far, despite having lived in Spain for five months, Summer still had no idea what to do with her life. Though she enjoyed taking on au pair jobs and working at cafes while travelling, it wasn't exactly a sustainable lifestyle. Sure, it held adventure, but in the end, it was tiring. And while she could make her coffee art as pretty as possible, there wasn't as much room for creativity as she'd like, so it could be quite suffocating.

It was times like this when Summer feared that maybe, she was indeed nothing but a disappointment, and that living in Barcelona was just her way of escaping that fact.

It didn't help that it seemed as if law enforcement was just something that naturally came to Adrian. But then again, that was the way of the world—some people found their passion easily, others just had to dig through crap before finding treasure.

'You seem to know a lot about Paris,' she said. 'Have you done much travelling, then? You should tell me about the stuff you've seen. Well, outside of law enforcement, that is.' A chuckle escaped from her throat as she thought about Adrian talking about murderers and thieves while they were on a not-romantic (and yet sort of atmospherically romantic) walk around the city.

Though it was strange how comfortable she felt around this man, she was also glad for the companionship. She caught some of the women they passed by staring at him, and she couldn't help but feel proud to be seen with a charming, good looking man. It made the streetlights of Barcelona seem brighter against the darkening sky. Besides, she was in a strange city with a stranger. Even if nothing romantic came out of it, Summer felt as if she were a heroine in a romantic comedy, and she was determined to enjoy ever minute of it.

His explanations regarding his career and interest in photography struck something within her soul. She felt a pang in her chest, and there was the familiar fluttering in her stomach she felt earlier in the cafe. He was so noble, taking on a dangerous career in law enforcement out of a desire to save the world. And as if that wasn't enough, his interest in Photography was due to his love of capturing perfect moments. It was difficult to think of the law enforcement thing as a lie after hearing those words from Adrian. It also wasn't all that difficult to imagine him as James Bond with all the ladies going after him. Summer could certainly see and understand why they would.

'It's not cliche at all,' she said with a smile. 'A lot of people will say that's why they got into law enforcement, but you really mean it, don't you?' She thought about how happy he seemed to have gotten a criminal off Barcelona streets, and how despite seeming like a flirtatious person, he was ever the gentleman. As someone who had heard about too many corrupt law enforcers in both the muggle and wizarding world, Adrian's desire to make the world safer was just so refreshing. 'I think it's admirable, how you're into saving the world. How genuine you are about your job.'

Tilting her head to the side, she looked Adrian in the eye, her own eyes sparkling with mirth. 'Or maybe, you've just got a thing for capturing. You like capturing criminals, but you also like capturing moments. Is that right?'

Witches and wizards could apparate wherever they wanted as long as it was within the country, but Summer never had the luxury of travel for most of her life. Though her parents made enough to support her and her siblings, travel meant unnecessary expenses for them, and so Summer spent most of her life wondering how it was like outside of the UK.

She could only imagine how life must be like for Adrian, a man who lived the life she had always wanted to live. The life she was supposed to live, in fact, if her mother wasn't so stubborn about refusing to spend Sandoval de Luna money.

'What are your favourite places, other than Paris?' She wished she could keep the wistfulness out of her voice, since she didn't want Adrian to think that she was financially incapacitated, but it was there, and Adrian would just have to accept that about her. Though he didn't seem like a snob in the first place, Summer could be wrong—his expensive watch and clothes denoted that there was more to him than Summer may ever know.

'I love markets as well,' she replied after hearing about Adrian's experience with them. 'In fact, I was thinking of going to a night market after this. If you're still free then, and you want to come along, I'd like to buy you something. As a way of thanking you for this.' She couldn't believe how forward and confident she sounded, but she supposed it was because Adrian was a stranger, and besides, she was starting to feel really comfortable about him. If she does mess things up and make a fool out of herself, she might never see him again, anyway. After all, he was a Spaniard muggle, and she was an English witch. He seemed to have a comfortable life, and Summer was constantly haunted by the fear of not amounting to anything. Whatever happens, they would always be worlds apart.

Internally, Summer berated herself for even thinking such thoughts. What was it to her anyway if they were worlds apart? Adrian was just an acquaintance, just a potential friend. It wasn't as if she lacked experience in the romance department, either. She knew well enough that romances were the most fun when there was still an air of mystery between lovers, when besotted dreams weren't shattered by the reality of baggage and incompatibilities. Adrian was just one of those passing potential romances who she enjoyed for the sake of adventure. And she was quite sure that for someone seemingly as adventurous as him, she was just another dalliance. Another woman between the James Bond action scenes.

Some people would probably consider such a point of view sad, but Summer was a romantic, not an idiot. There was still a difference between the two.

It was difficult to come up with an answer to Adrian's thoughts about keeping the world safe as he slowed down. Summer slowed down as well, and caught herself staring at his profile before she quickly looked away. Unsmiling, Adrian looked like a stereotypical wealthy handsome man, but when he laughed, his eyes softened, and he looked as if he belonged less on a fashion show catwalk and more in a painting with the whimsy of van Gogh and the impressionism of Renoir. He was an art piece Summer wanted to experience and understand. And when he finally showed her the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, Summer deeply regretted not being a good photographer—as the fountain glowed in front of them, sunset and some of the fountain lights reflected on his face, and Summer began to understand why muggle Spain considered the fountain magical.

She had heard about the fountain and even seen it once on the Internet, but she never expected that it would be a dreamlike splash of colour and warmth. 'It's beautiful,' she breathed, meaning what she said, but also thinking about how perfectly Adrian belonged in the scene. Stepping closer to the fountain, she took in everything around her—the grand building behind the fountain, the green streetlights that were starting to light up and complementing the sunset hues, but most importantly, there were the people. Lovers laughed as they held hands, groups of teenagers seemed to tease each other, and an elderly couple was serenely looking at their surroundings as they walked their dog. Summer noticed all of this, and more.

A woman she made eye contact with smiled at her, and she nodded and smiled back. If the woman had come up to her and suddenly kissed her on the cheeks, Summer would have giddily kissed her back. She turned to Adrian, her excitement threatening to burst inside of her. 'Thank you', she said. It was difficult to find other words to say. Words were so constricting sometimes, and they often failed to give justice to beauty in the world.