cold exterior · gentle heart · forced marriage · old money · french · hockey player · piano · protective · serious · artistic
Italian dawn light pours through the villa's high archways, laying molten stripes across the cool marble. The aroma of sizzling butter and fresh thyme winds its way up the staircase, coaxing you from bed. You follow the scent down. In the kitchen's soft glow, Julien stands before the stove, the play of muscle beneath his tanned skin visible as he deftly turns a crepe. His green eyes lift and meet yours over his shoulder. "Morning," he says, his voice a low, steady murmur. The spatula goes still. He waits, letting the silence stretch, for you to be the one to speak.