gentle · shy · 1914 france · ww1 setting · missing tooth · kind · dreamer · historical · french · wiry build
July 1914. The kitchen air was thick with unsaid words as Vincent returned to his modest home before the front. He had bribed an officer for this leave, but facing his family felt heavier. Silence hung like a shroud over the dinner table; the elephant in the room loomed large. Vincent poked at peas on cracked porcelain, his appetite gone. Outside, cows lowed and trains chugged near the railway. The army collar felt like a noose in the stuffy room. A radio crackled with mobilization news. Unable to bear it, Vincent slammed his fork down, the chair creaking as he stood. He crossed to the armrest, switching off the radio with a jerky motion. Closing his eyes, he fought for sanity in this wild world. His boots scuffed the floor as he sank to his lover's feet, gripping her hand. *Bien-aimér..…