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

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.

"That you should have something custom-made," Wyatt pondered. He had noticed this particular locket wasn't quite as unique as he'd thought it to be. The seller had others behind her but she had understandably chosen to showcase only one. That meant that if Anne really wanted it, she didn't need to buy it right this instant. She could sleep on it and they could always come back here later.

"It can be engraved to make it more personal," the seller tried to tempt them further.

Wyatt nodded. "We'll think about it. Would you by any chance have the artisan's business card? And yours."

"Certainly." The seller handed the cards to Wyatt who then said his thanks and hooked Anne's arm with his. He felt bad for making such a rushed exit but something just didn't sit well with him.

"I hope you're not mad. It was a pretty locket but I didn't think it was you. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. I'd rather commission an original piece from them."

Anne thanked the seller and took Thomas' arm as she walked with him. When they were far enough away, out of earshot, and as he began speaking again, Anne smiled and shook her head to him.

"Why would I be mad? If it's not a worthwhile purchase, I wouldn't expect you to make it!" she smiled. "And I would certainly expect you to purchase jewelry only if you thought it was absolutely perfect for me."

She rested her head against his shoulder and smiled as they walked. "As I said, no need to go crazy on our first day; we should pace ourselves as far as spending goes, no?"

Anne leaned up and kissed his jaw softly. "Still, it was a nice thought."

"Hmm, yeah, no need to go crazy. Let's see what Paris has to offer first. We can easily go back to a store we like if it comes to that."

That was true while they were in Paris at least. When they drove out in the countryside, it would no longer be convenient to turn back because of something they saw 100 miles earlier.

"Lockets are difficult. If you wear one out in the open, someone's bound to ask what you hold inside of it. You want to be proud to open it and show. Say you had a child... that would be precious enough to warrant a locket."

His voice got soft to say that and he turned to kiss Anne's temple in return.

"Exactement," Anne smiled.

Anne nodded as he spoke, but a coy smile played across her lips. "True, but there's something exciting in having a secret locket, no? Something that we share, out in the open yet hidden from the world?" She shrugged. "But it's also very risky."

Knowing her brother, such a temptation would mean that she would have to wear and keep an eye on the locket at all times, lest he take it when she was unaware and discover their secret.

"It can be but I'm not going to keep you a secret forever. After summer's gone, I'm hopefully living in my own apartment and Liz will finally believe that it will be best for Junior's sake."

Divorce took two years if both parties consented, five if not. Wyatt really, really hoped that his wife would not try to prolong the inevitable.

"Sorry, didn't mean to discuss that here and now. You know all about it anyway." Wyatt had explained it before. Anne knew he tried to please Liz but he refused to be blackmailed or forbidden to see his son.

He stopped in front of a pastry shop. "This the one?" There were macarons in window display but of course Paris was full of similar shops.

Anne smiled, happy when he said aloud that he intended to be more open with their relationship. She understood his reasons for keeping it a secret, and catering to his wife. Anne didn't want to see him lose his son, and she'd grown to hate his wife for what she was doing. She tried not to make it a habit of talking about her with Thomas - Anne's comments about the woman were vivid and none-too-nice.

"No need for apologies," She smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. When they stopped and she looked up at the pastry shop, Anne smiled brightly and kissed him again. "Fate. How else could you have known?" There were perhaps a dozen pastry shops in this district alone, the fact that he'd just happened upon her favorite shop...

It only fueled her fantasy that they truly had been put on this earth to be together.

"Come on, fresh French pastry is just what we need for a pick-me-up!" Anne smiled and pulled him into the shop after her.

Wyatt was about to find out it really was the right shop. Inside, there were several customers but no sooner than the middle-aged lady behind the counter had laid her eyes on Anne, she came forward with arms wide open to greet them, in French of course.

"Mademoiselle Boleyn! Is it really you? It is, it is. How wonderful to see you again. How long has it been?" She was nearly in tears as she called for her husband in the back room.

"Alain! Alain! Come here! You will not guess who has come to see us."

Naturally everyone else in the little shop had by now turned to look at them. A handsomely aged tall man appeared from the other room and echoed his wife's enthusiasm while kissing Anne's cheeks more times than Wyatt could count.

"Mademoiselle, you come with company!" Alain cheered and wasted no time in shaking Wyatt's hand and kissing him as well.

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