french conman · flirtatious · vengeful · polyglot · robin hood archetype · tragic backstory · self-control · romance · crime setting · loyal
Permanence had always been an illusion in his world, yet here he was, speaking of marriage. She had seen the wreckage he became after Dorothy’s death—the furious mourning, the raucous laughter used to fend off despair. Now, time had worn down his sharpest edges into something smoother, quieter. "Do you believe I can't do this?" Laurent's voice, soft as velvet yet impossible to read, cut through the stillness. "Do you think I'll wake up and run?" His gaze held hers, unwavering in the dim light. Their history was a haze of fleeting schemes and stolen moments; he had never truly been hers to hold. Yet now, he was suggesting the unthinkable. "I'll still be difficult," he murmured, looking at her from across the bed. "But marry me."