Page 16 of A Prague Noel

“Hmm? What was that?”

Brigit tilted her head and spoke again. “I asked what you like best about Prague?”

I nervously tucked my hair back. “Well, I haven’t been here very long, so I haven’t had much time to explore. But what really strikes me is the architecture. It’s like walking through a fairytale.”

“Ahh, so the enemies have something in common,” Adel teased.

“Oh?” I asked.

Adel nodded toward Ondrej. “He’s a big building nerd too. Always going on about some gothic something or other.”

I lobbed a look to Ondrej, who looked both a little annoyed and a little shy. He shrugged it off. “This city's history is written in its architecture. You can read centuries in the lines of a building. It's hard not to be passionate about that.”

“It’s a total obsession of mine,” I said. “Has been as long as I can remember.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Ondrej said softly. Then, he cleared his throat and said casually. “You should do a walking tour or something. There are many beautifully restored buildings you would find interesting, I’m sure."

“I will.”

"Yeah, they've done a great job with the old Richter building,"Jáchymsaid. “Kept the Baroque façade but completely modernized the interiors. I don’t even really care about architecture, and I still appreciate it.”

“I’ll have to check it out,” I said. “I read about that project. It's a fantastic blend of the old and new, respecting the original architecture while making it functional for today."

“You read about it?” Ondrej said with a skeptical raised eyebrow.

I shrugged. “Like I said, totally obsessed. I even read trade magazines.”

That tickled his lips, and they curled up in a very delicious way.

“It's a delicate balance. Too often, developers bulldoze the past in favor of the new without understanding the value of what's being lost,” Ondrej said.

"True," I conceded, "but sometimes, bringing in the new can also breathe life back into these places. Give them a future."

The conversation hung on a delicate thread of agreement and unspoken challenges. Andel, picking up on the tension, chimed in with a lighter note. "Well, as long as they don't touch my favorite pubs, they can modernize all they want."

A light laughter broke the momentary seriousness, but the exchange lingered in my mind.

* * *

The clock struck 10 p.m., and a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. I yawned uncontrollably.

“I should probably get going. Busy day tomorrow, and definitely still feeling the jetlag.”

Maybe I was imagining it, but I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment in Ondrej’s eyes. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“I probably should, too. Long day tomorrow fighting off corporate wolves.” His mouth turned up into a half smile.

“Do you want to—I mean, should we, um—”

“I will walk you back,” he filled in. “So you don’t get lost.”

I didn’t miss an exchange of amused glances from the little group.

We said our goodbyes and stepped out into the snow-dusted streets. The city was a dreamscape of shadows and silver light.

"I didn't take you for an architecture enthusiast," I said.

Ondrej shrugged apathetically, but there was a flicker of passion in his eyes. "This city's architecture is a story written in stone and mortar. How can one not be interested?"

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