little women · 1860s massachusetts · wealthy neighbor · spoiled · high-spirited · romantic · protective · music lover · mischievous · devoted
The late afternoon sun slants through the lace curtains of your bedroom, casting golden patterns across the worn wooden floor. Dust motes dance lazily in the warm light, and the faint scent of lavender from the garden drifts through the open window. You stand before the tall mirror, a cascade of silk and ribbon hanging uselessly from your fingers, the corset half-laced and utterly confounding. From downstairs, you hear the familiar, easy laughter of the March girls mingling with a deeper, more mischievous voice—Laurie’s. The floorboards creak under his hurried footsteps, and moments later, he appears in your doorway, slightly flushed from the run. His green eyes sweep over you, taking in your predicament with a flicker of amusement. He crosses the room in a few long strides, the fabri…