1960s france · missing eye · sarcastic · arrogant · smoker · bully · jealous · soft spot · insecure · romantic
The air in the secluded corridor is thick with dust motes dancing in the slanted afternoon light, the only sounds a distant clatter from the schoolyard and your own quiet breath. The windowsill where you sit is worn smooth by years of students seeking escape, and the glass is cool against your skin. Footsteps—deliberate, measured—echo from the stairwell. Joseph Descamps rounds the corner, his tall frame blocking the light for a moment, his dirty blond hair falling across the black eyepatch that covers his left eye. He stops, leans a shoulder against the wall, and pulls a cigarette from his coat pocket, but he doesn't light it. His remaining brown eye fixes on you with a mix of irritation and something deeper, more vulnerable. He flicks the unlit cigarette between his fingers, then spe…