happyfalcon | [For Thomas] [Modern AU] Secret Holiday

Anne smiled as he opened the door and kissed him softly before proceeding inside. She settled into a seat near the window overlooking the patio and looked over the menu. When the waiter arrived she let Thomas order before giving hers.

"A large tea for me as well, please. And a pain au chocolat with a cup of fruit," Anne ordered in near-flawless French. As the waiter left she smiled up to Thomas. "French breakfast typically only consists of a pastry - they save their calories for rich and fatty dinners."

The waiter soon returned with the tea and Anne added only a bit of milk and honey to hers before she took a sip. "Do you like the city so far, love?"

"Well, the French have always regarded us as barbaric," Wyatt whispered with a smile. He reached across the table and squeezed Anne's hand in a sign of conspiracy before the waiter came back with their breakfast. He drank his tea with milk and nothing else.

"I like being able to see it with you. With your eyes." Wyatt thought of a way to explain while chewing down a mouthful of muffin. "I've been here on business, as you know, but this... you look so happy."

Which made him happy. Though he'd harboured a fanciful crush on Anne before, actually getting to know her on intellectual and physical level had made Wyatt realize he had been in a dire need of a good relationship.

"It feels different being here now."

Anne laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand so as not to be too loud and draw attention to them. As Thomas squeezed her other hand, she squeezed his in turn before leaning back just a little as the waiter returned. She sipped her tea as he spoke, and looked up to him with her dark eyes sparkling with joy.

"I'm indeed happy. Happy to be back here, a city I love so much and considered home for so long," she smiled, reaching for his hand again and lacing her fingers with his for a moment. "But what makes me truly happy is sharing in this place with you."

She had nearly stayed in France. It had been so tempting. She could have stayed, disappeared into the crowd with her father being none the wiser and not able to find her again. Anne could have lived free and out from under the thumbs of her brother and father.

But then she would never have met Thomas, and that thought broke her heart.

She released his hand and took a few bites of her fruit before nibbling on her chocolate pastry.

"Very different - but in a good way, the best way."

"It is. And to think I almost didn't bring you here," Wyatt shook his head. "I was afraid Paris would be too predictable and nothing new to you."

He glanced out. Light from the rising sun didn't quite reach the streets where locals were rushing to their jobs and a group of Japanese tourists enjoying the same window display of an antiques store that Wyatt had been drawn to.

"But just look at that. It doesn't have to be new if you love it, right? Paris is by far the best place to get to know you." He skewered a piece of the crepe into a fork. "Want to taste?"

Anne smiled and shook her head. "Nothing could be predictable, not with you, Thomas."

She followed his gaze out the window to the streets. The tourists made her chuckle slightly. That was a very familiar scene, she almost missed seeing this every day. But seeing it every day would make it less special. Anne looked back to Thomas, she smiled when he offered her a bite of his crepe and opened her mouth, leaning in to let him put the fork in her mouth.

It was silly, but she liked being silly sometimes.

"I don't know about that," he chuckled, but obviously pleased to hear a compliment. It was nice to be able to surprise her although he didn't think Anne needed bells and whistles to be satisfied.

He liked to be playful every now and then, too. "It's good, huh? I like it anyway," he referred to the crepe. Also the muffin had been delicious; it had made him forget eggs and sausages.

"Is the place that sells your favorite macarons close by?"

He definitely didn't need bells and whistles. Anne was used to the finger things in life, that was true. But she was content for the simpler things if it meant having Thomas in her life. Anne nodded when he spoke of the crepe, and swallowed the bite he'd given her after chewing.

She pinched off a piece of her chocolate pastry and held it up towards Thomas, offering it to him. So many times she had started her day this way during her university years. Now she was starting her day, and her holiday, with him. That brought a smile to her face.

"It's a little ways down the street, a ten minute walk, perhaps," she replied. "Plenty of sights and small shops along the way, if you're interested." Not that there was much boring territory in Paris - at least in her opinion.

Wyatt accepted Anne's offer of pastry and swallowed it down with his tea. He couldn't fault the taste even though eating sweet things for breakfast wasn't like him.

"Ten minutes will turn to... an hour, at least, if we stop at every boutique," he said, winking. "Which is good. I doubt we need the macarons right this instant."

He liked old things with stories behind them and Paris was a perfect place to make some finds.

"I can't resist old books stores, as you know, but I promise not to spend too much time in them. And I want to find a brooch for my mom."

At the mention of book store Anne sat upright and smiled. "Ah! I've the perfect place for books," she took a sip from her drink to show that she would keep the location a surprise.

"You needn't fuss. Spend as much time as you like in the shops, we're on holiday after all," she smiled.

Anne thought for a moment on where they could find a nice brooch for his mother. "The antiques stores would be good. The jewelry stores are far too ritzy and overpriced I think."

"Yeah, that's why I want to pop into that one across the street." Wyatt cocked his head to indicate the antique store they had just passed. "You can show me others. I'm not sure what exactly I'm looking for but maybe I know when I see it."

He finished eating and leaned back in the chair, strecthing his legs under the table so that their ankles made contact.

"We'll compromise," he smiled. "I'll be patient when you shop for clothes or shoes."

Anne nodded in understanding. "Luckily, Paris shops are the perfect place for just such a thing." Her ankle rubbed against his as they made contact.

She smiled up to him when he mentioned the compromise. "Sounds fair enough. Though you'll likely need to wait for me longer in the book stores than with clothes and shoes. Jewelry you'll be waiting even longer still."

Anne laughed softly as she finished her tea and set her cup down on the saucer. "Shall we pay the check and be off then, lover?"

"A lover, am I? Do lovers need to pay for their breakfast?" Wyatt's eyes twinkled mischievously but he wasn't about to let Anne pay despite of his words. He waved at the waiter to take care of the bill himself. "Merci beaucoup."

He lifted Anne's hand to his lips as they crossed the street to look at the vintage shop. The window display showed old china and silverware, glass and gold cigarcases among other things. A selection of renaissance era hat pins caught his attention for some reason. Wyatt pulled Anne to his side.

"Look. Had I been a young lad in those times, I would've given you a hat and a fancy pin to go with it."

((ooc: I though it would be fun to make a connection to our canon thread :). Wyatt brought Anne a hatpin from his trip to Dieppe, France.))

((ooc: Too cute! I love it :) ))

"Only in France," she teased right back. She rose after he paid the bill and moved to take his arm as they walked.

Anne would be content to walk the streets of Paris all day long arm in arm with Thomas. Even if there was no destination in mind. When they came upon the shop, Anne smiled and looked into the window display with Thomas.

"They're so beautiful," Anne smiled as she looked at the pins. She leaned into him and kissed along his jaw. "You spoil me now, so it's only fitting that you would spoil me then too."

She spied a locket and pointed to it. "In return I might give you something like this to remember me by. Or perhaps I would settle for letting you compose a poem on my back..." the latter sentence she whispered against his jaw.

Wyatt turned his head so that her lips didn't merely meet his jaw but his lips as well.

"I would have guarded a locket from you as my prized possession. Now I just have you in my phone," he said and patted his pocket.

Having Anne's pictures in his phone had nearly cost them their secret one time. He had taken photos of all his friends at a club once and was later showing them to George. A one too many close-ups of Anne could have raised suspicion in her brother's mind but thankfully there were close-ups of others as well. He'd dodged a bullet that time.

Unfortunately the shop wasn't open yet and Wyatt couldn't go in and see if there were any brooches mother. But that didn't matter. He had plenty of time to find souvenirs for everyone. Smiling, he hooked Anne's arm with his and let her walk him wherever she wanted.

After a while he had to ask her to clarify something. "What was it about composing a poem on your back? Like how?"

Anne smiled as he turned so that her kiss touched his lips. She was truly happy here, did they have to return? Could they not just...run away? They could see the world together, just the two of them.

George had never mentioned seeing pictures of her on Thomas' phone. But he was in a habit of taking Anne's phone and posting social media statuses and sending texts to people she didn't speak to anymore, so Anne was worried that one day he would stumble upon their secret. She tried to guard her phone more carefully.

Anne squeezed his arm as they walked and leaned into him a bit.

"Like taking a pen perhaps, pretending to write on my skin while composing your next masterpiece," Anne explained. "It just popped into my head - it's silly, pay me no mind!"

"No, milady. I will pay you all the minds, whatever that means. And your idea appeals to me very much," he chuckled. Indeed, Wyatt was already imagining naked Anne on a bed and himself settled next to her with a pen-

"A quill, not a pen!" he pointed out. "I want to do that. I want to write on your back." The lack of a quill was a minor obstacle.

They came onto a little square where a street performer, a living statue, was motionlessly waiting someone to notice her. She had dressed up to look like Mona Lisa and was holding a picture frame in front of her face.

When Wyatt tossed a coin for her, she changed positions but kept the mysterious Mona Lisa expression.

Anne smiled and gave an almost haughty laugh. "Ahh, yes! How silly of me, a proper quill for my poet!" She kissed along his jaw. "Shall we make it a point to do so before our little holiday is over?"

She made a mental note to find him a quill. But of course, she imagined that a quill would be like an artist's brush - the poet himself would have to choose it for it to be proper.

Anne looked curiously to the street performer, but smiled as Thomas tossed a coin to her. She leaned into him as they continued to walk. "I so love Paris. There's truly no place like it."

"Absolument. You are my muse after all. I will write a new poem on you and you will publish it on the paper when we get back home."

If Thomas Boleyn knew how many poems Wyatt had already created with Anne in mind, he would have had a fit. It wasn't in Wyatt's nature to be deceitful on purpose and he wanted the truth to come out one day but for now, he did derive small pleasure in knowing Boleyn didn't have a clue about what was going on behind his back.

"There's no one like you, and there's nothing better than to be your lover," Wyatt laughed and pulled Anne against himself. "This is my easiest job ever."

Anne smiled and nibbled playfully at his ear. "You'll have to take a picture when you've finished composing the poem. That way its original beauty can be appreciated - even if only the two of us see it."

There was indeed a certain level of arousal to be had in sneaking around everyone. But it did make Anne sad sometimes that she couldn't share her joy with Mary, the one person with whom she'd always shared her secrets. Besides, she too wasn't thrilled of the deceitful nature of their arrangement. She longed to know the status of his divorce and how much longer they would have to wait to be more open.

But she couldn't ruin the moment they were having. She couldn't ask that now, while they were in Paris, of all places. Anne would wait.

As he pulled her in close and teased her, Anne laughed and pushed against him playfully. "Sure, I'm a 'job' - make me sound like such a chore and that it's so laborious to be with me!" She laughed.

"No but I said it's easy! You're easy," Wyatt defended himself but calling her 'easy' wasn't quite the impression he wanted to give. "Not that way," he corrected with a laughter.

"This must be one of those conversations that I can't win," he added and rolled his eyes. It was all in good humour.

"...and distraction on the right." Shoes. There was a shoe store and Wyatt gently guided Anne to look at the window. He stood behind her and held her against his chest, waiting to hear either "oohs and aahs" and possibly "nahs".

As he called her easy, Anne looked at Thomas with a tilted brow. She knew him well enough to know that he didn't mean it how the comment had sounded. But still, that didn't stop her from picking on him for it. She laughed and pushed away from him a bit. "Easy, indeed!" She pretended to huff and looked away.

Again, it was all in good humor. Just playful banter.

When he pointed out the shoes, Anne smiled and looked to him again. "For your biting words, my dear, I'm thinking you'll need something a little shinier than shoes to soothe your lady's ego." Anne pointed to the shop across the street, which happened to be a jewelry vendor.

((ooc: I'm not sure if vendow refers to an outdoor seller or to a normal shop indoors so I'm keeping this vague))

"Wouldn't shoes with diamonds do?" Wyatt suggested but obediently followed Anne to look at the jewelry.

"You're emptying my wallet on the first day... After dinner, I have to stay behind and do dishes at the restaurant," he moaned. "I could be so tired that I end up writing a menu, not a poem, on your back."

He did shut up as they neared the seller, though. Wyatt's talents didn't lie in choosing jewelry but it was interesting for him to watch what kind of ornaments Anne was drawn to.

((ooc: It's fine, sorry! Vendor can be anything from street fare to indoor shops, kind of synonymous))

"Ah! Perhaps a nice heel studded with diamonds, no less!" Anne teased and gave him a playful wink.

She stepped up to the vendor with him and leaned into him as she looked over a few glittering rings and diamond necklaces. There was a heart pendant in silver with diamonds surrounding a ruby at its center. But what truly drew her attention was a simple silver pendant and a locket that matched beside it.

"So many lovely things," she leaned up and kissed him softly. "But I don't want to empty your wallet, not so early in our trip anyway." She smiled.

Her leaning into him was always good. It made him feel warm inside. "I don't mind buying if you have your heart set on something," he whispered in English, rubbing his hand at the small of her back.

The salesperson had of course paid close attention to them. She picked up the locket and held it for Anne to see. "This one, mademoiselle? Beautiful craftmanship if I say so myself. It is made by a young artisan who is slowly gaining name among Parisian silversmiths."

"Very nice," Wyatt agreed, "but I wonder... well, it's up to you, love," he smiled at Anne.

Anne's eyes lit as she saw the salesperson lifted the locket and held it up. She could clearly see all the detail and passion that had gone into crafting such a fine piece.

"It's lovely indeed," she looked to the salesperson with a smile. When Thomas spoke she turned her head and tilted a brow. "You wonder what, love?"

Truly she didn't have her heart set on having him buy her anything; at least not right this instant. It was only their first day in Paris, after all.

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