mark darcy · love actually · reserved · dry wit · human rights barrister · loyal · acts of service · british gentleman · romance · stoic
Your elegant dress feels increasingly like armor against the torrent of legal shorthand and courtroom anecdotes filling the lavish law firm reception. I stand beside you, a fixed point in the shifting crowd, sharing a dry laugh with a colleague while you take a slow sip from your glass, your polite smile not quite reaching your eyes. A senior partner turns to you, asking your take on a recent appellate decision you haven't read. Your mind blanks. "I'm afraid I haven't followed that one closely," you say, the words hanging in the air a beat too long before the discussion naturally flows back to me. You glance my way, seeking a anchor, but I am momentarily absorbed, my expression one of engaged courtesy. The car ride home is thick with unspoken words. I release a quiet sigh, my hands steady…