"Chloé? What are you doing here?" Frey asked with a surprised look.
In fact, he already visited her apartment and knew Chloé lived in a completely different neighborhood.
"Well I had an errand to run around here, and I saw you and Mike parting ways in front of the room" Chloé replied. "I thought I'd take this opportunity to see how you were doing after today's announcement and give you a little scare. It seems to have worked a little too well..."
Indeed, Frey had almost jumped into the air when he felt two hands press behind him.
"Yeah, I've been a little on edge lately, so it'd be good if you didn't do that again" Frey said.
"Oh, sorry about that, Chloé apologized. Otherwise, since you were in front of the room, am I to understand that Mike decided to take up sport?"
"Yep, just recently."
"Wow, that's really brave of him. Well, sorry to leave you like that but I've already done my daily stuff and I need to get home quickly before it starts to rain."
As if the sky had been waiting for this precise moment, fine drops of water began to fall from the sky.
"Dammit" Chloé swore. "And of course the metro entrance had a problem, so I'll have to walk..."
Chloé bit her thumb worriedly, losing her usual smile. Seeing a distressed expression on his face, Frey couldn't help but suggest:
"Um, if you want, maybe you can shelter at my house until the rain stops? it's right there".
Frey pointed down the street.
"Would you do this for me? Thank you, that's really nice" Chloé said.
"No problem, it's normal to help each other when we're friends"
They quickly reached the door of the building where Frey had his apartment, just before the rain suddenly intensified, causing loud thuds as it crashed against the windows.
"Looks like we had good timing" Frey noted as they arrived at the landing of his apartment.
"Yes, on that occasion you really saved me" Chloé replied without trying to deny it.
Chloé took off her coat, and Frey couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was: a thin, slender figure, long straight brown hair, beautiful orange eyes, and quite a tall figure, Chloe being 5'8" tall, only eight centimeters shorter than him. She ends up noticing his look:
"Hey, it's not because I'm grateful to you that you can stare at me like this, rascal" Chloé said with a small laugh.
Even though she had said it in a humorous tone, Frey was no less embarrassed, blushing and looking away.
He didn't often have people coming to his home, and therefore felt all the more uncomfortable by what had just happened. Seeing this, Chloé smiled and flicked his forehead:
"Relax, I was joking, dummy" she mocked.
Frey felt relieved, but not for long:
"And then… it doesn't bother me that much, when it's you who does it" Chloé added.
He blushed even more. Seriously, it was cheating!
To change the subject, he offered to cook dinner, which Chloe happily accepted. As he cooked, he thought about what the creature had told him earlier. Was he really going to go back there the next time he fell asleep?
Frey's stress level increased as he prepared dinner, so much so that he nearly cut his finger while peeling a tomato.
After that, he decided to just focus on his preparation, and a moment later he returned to the dining room, where Chloe was waiting for him.
"It's just a steak with salad, so don't expect too much" dit Frey.
They started to eat and, once the meal was finished, Chloe let out a small cute sigh of satisfaction:
"You're really too modest" she said. "I feel like I ate a dish prepared by a star chef, are you really perfect in everything or what?"
"No, there's no need to say that to flatter me" Frey said. "And then there are lots of things I'm not good at: I'm bad at swimming, at video games, at assembling furniture, and then I'm not very good at social relationships either."
"Oh really ? Does that mean that the great and mighty Frey himself has his faults? I wouldn't have bet on it, but it's good to know"
"Hey, sorry to disappoint you."
"Come on, I was joking. And I also have lots of faults: I'm terrible at cooking, pretty bad at orientation, too impatient, and I'm often told that I'm too tall and that my eyes are weird"
She looked slightly sad when she said that.
"What are you talking about ? You are the most beautiful person I have ever met!" Frey exclaimed.
He realized too late what he had said as Chloé raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly.
"You really think ?" she asked.
"Yes…" Frey replied without hesitation.
The more he thought about it, the more beautiful he thought she was. She had caught his eye from the first day they met, but at the time he just thought it would pass.
Except now he was starting to reconsider, as Chloe placed her hand on his cheek.
"You know… I also find you really handsome, and honestly, you also crack me up" she said
As she said this, Frey placed his hand on her cheek, caressing it with his fingertips.
"Frey, what if we were a little more than friends?"
He responded to Chloé by pressing his lips to hers, initiating a long kiss which she accepted with joy. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a strange shape watching them, but he didn't worry about it much.
The next day, Frey had the excellent surprise of waking up in his bed, and not in this kind of boat called the Ark. As he tried to move, he realized that something was pressed against him, or rather someone.
It was Chloé, who hugged him. He found her so beautiful like that, asleep with a peaceful air. Frey gently released his arm and went to take a shower to clean himself and freshen his mind.
He put on a clean T-shirt and pants and went to the kitchen to prepare a surprise breakfast for Chloe.
After cooking her pancakes and orange juice, he went to see how she was and saw that she was waking up.
Surprise, Chloe, he said in a low voice so as not to rush her, as he handed her a tray.
"Oh, did you actually make me breakfast? You're so adorable, I swear, someone watching could almost believe we're a couple" Chloé said.
"And we're not?"
"Who knows" she replied, standing up and stroking Frey's back. "Well, I would really like to stay but I have work and I'm going to be late at this rate"
She hurried to eat before getting dressed. But before leaving, she kissed Frey on the cheek:
"This evening, you're the one coming to my house, Mr. Actor" she said.
And then she left, leaving Frey alone with his thoughts. Suddenly, he had a sudden urge to go back to bed. He had gotten up early to make the pancakes and was pretty exhausted with everything that was going on lately, so that was understandable.
He settled into bed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he felt invigorated, and enjoyed the gentle sea breeze that passed over his face.
Wait a minute, sea breeze? In Paris?
He looked around him, and his fears were confirmed: he had arrived on the Ark again without knowing how.
"Oh not again..." he grunted.
"Oh, is it you again, Frey?" asked a voice. "At least this time you remembered to put on clothes, there's progress."
It was Lum the fairy, who had just used her wings to fly here, before landing a few centimeters from Frey.
"Hey, be a little careful, said the latter. I don't believe my insurance covers injuries sustained in other dimensions. Wait, do fairies know what insurance is?"
Lum looked annoyed, because she patted him on the head with the edge of her hand:
"Idiot, I still know the minimum required, she said with a reproachful tone.
Like not hitting people for example?" Frey asked sarcastically.
"It's obvious that you spent more time in the gym than practicing"
"What?! I've read more books in the last ten years than you ever will, including a few on dress codes, and I feel like you need them"
"Eh!? What? Do you want to teach me how to properly walk outside in my underwear?"
They bickered a moment before finally calming down and regaining their seriousness:
"Anyway, how come you're back here already?" Lum asked.
"I don't know exactly but I do have something that could help us: there is a strange black creature that appeared in a mirror and told me that I would find myself here when I slept. Well, that's not entirely true, since I slept the first time and was still at home."
As he spoke, Lum's expression darkened. Frey noticed that she was sweating profusely and was even shaking a little.
"What's the matter ?" Frey asked, quite worried.
"U-Uh, th-it's n-nothing."
When Frey didn't look convinced, Lum changed the subject:
"So, since you find yourself here again, how about getting a first look on what this place is like? Since you might keep coming and going for quite a while and I might not always be there to help you if something goes wrong, it would be nice if you could manage on your own at least a little bit."
Frey knew there was a problem, something Lum didn't want to tell him, but he preferred not to press:
"I'll take the offer, it helps me a lot, thank you" he replied. "So, last time, you said that this boat was called the Ark? Like Noah's Ark?"
Lum seemed happy with the change of subject, as her expression returned to normal.
"Precisely", she said. "Moreover, it is this Ark that inspired Noah's Ark."
"What ?! Frey exclaimed. For real? How old even is this boat?"
Lum smiled like a teacher would in front of a middle school student asking a question, but with a laugh that was reminiscent of a primary school student.
"It is even older than the first myths and stories created by humanity" she explained. "But this is only a detail, the most important is the function of the Ark: to travel between the Primary World and the Platonic Sea. In other words between the real world and the imaginary, or fiction if you prefer."