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

Back in London, they had gotten pretty good at taking use of any small opportunity to be together but there was no denying this was way better. They had to stock up on hugs and kisses now that they could. Even simple things, such as window shopping with Anne, was something Wyatt took enjoyment from.

"We have all day tomorrow, and Monday morning to do last minute sightseeing before leaving for the vineyards," he reminded her at the hotel.

Last night they had missed dinner because changing clothes after the flight had made Wyatt want Anne more than food. This time he was determined to show more restraint. He pulled out a new white shirt and a black suit.

"Which one, to match your dress?" he asked, holding a few different ties in his hand.

Indeed the simple things were best; walking, talking - that was the incredible part to her. That they could hold hands, he could tuck strands of her hair lovingly behind her ear and she could kiss his cheek without fear of scolding looks was beyond wonderful.

"The vineyards? My, my you are indeed spoiling me, Thomas Wyatt!" Anne smiled.

She stepped away from him to retrieve a new dress. The one she'd worn all day was a bit sweaty from clinging to her skin and had subtle grass stains in some places. Not that she minded, they would come out in proper wash. But it wasn't the best choice for dinner. She had a simple purple dress she could wear, and she pulled it from her suitcase to lay it flat on the bed.

Anne began to undress, discarding her jacket and clothes onto the floor beneath her, letting the fabric pool at her ankles until she was clad only in her bra and panties. She glanced up when Thomas asked of the ties, and playfully stepped towards him. Anne pouted her lips as she considered the colors, as though her being in her half-naked state were the most natural thing in the world.

"This one," she chose a wine-purple tie that was slightly lighter than her dress.

It was the most natural thing, just as it was for Wyatt to watch her. Not quite so carefree with his own clothes, he put his jacket neatly on a hanger by the door. When Anne stepped up to him, his new clean shirt was unbottoned still.

"Thank goodness I'm carrying a selection," he laughed and dropped the other ties on the bed. The one Anne had chosen, Wyatt then held on both ends so that he could lasso her with it and pull against himself.

Though he didn't kiss her yet. He just looked at her, and admired her up close.

"Have I told you recently... that I love you?"

Anne yelped in delight as he lassoed her and pulled her in close. She smiled and pressed her chest tight against his and let her fingers roam over his bare chest and warm skin.

"You have - but I won't fault you for saying it again," she purred, leaning in close and brushing her lips over his.

Her fingers tugged playfully at his shirt, fingertips grazing over the buttons and lamenting that they would need to be done up soon. Anne broke away slowly, looking up into his eyes with devotion and love. "I love you too. More than anyone and anything else in the world." She would understand if he couldn't return the sentiment as she had just given it to him. He had a son, after all - and his son should be loved first and foremost. Anne understood that.

"I feel blessed," he replied softly and touched her chin. "There is no woman I love better than you."

It was true he couldn't say the same as Anne but the love for one's child was different kind of love anyway. There was no need for comparison. Wyatt knew that if Anne ever became a mother, she would love her child 'more than anyone and anything'. And that was how it had to be.

Wyatt wrapped the tie around his own neck and started buttoning up his shirt.

"I thought it would be nice to do a bit of wine tasting, or champagne tasting, for that matter. And you know how much I like the countryside."

That was more than enough to satisfy Anne. She smiled and kissed him again. The love between a man and woman was different between parent and child. She knew this, she understood this, she accepted this.

When he started buttoning his shirt, Anne reached up and pushed his hands away to button his shirt herself. She smoothed the front of his shirt and adjusted his tie to lie straight over his chest.

"A wine or champagne tasting? How luxurious!" She smiled. "I'd be all about it."

Anne stepped back and plucked up her dress, stepping into it and sliding her arms into the sleeves. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to the side to reveal the back of her dress and the open zipper, silently asking him to zip it up.

She was the only woman who could make his knees weak and skin tingle. To achieve that, all she needed to do was to button up his shirt so lovingly. Feeling like a schoolboy with a crush, Wyatt watched Anne and almost forgot to breathe.

He did set himself to motion, though, when she needed help with the dress. It probably wasn't much of a surprise that while Wyatt slowly pulled up the zipper, he pressed his lips between her shoulder blades and from there up to the base of her neck.

"You taste like sun," he whispered. They had spent a good portion of the day outside so it was no wonder. Wyatt turned Anne to face him and leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Shoes, and jacket, and then I'm all set. What about you? We have time." That was his way to acknowledge that women usually took their time to get ready for an evening out.

When she felt the heat of his breath between her shoulder blades, Anne nearly melted. She sighed in delight and pressed her back towards him, eager to meet his lips, eager to feel them over her skin. Anne chuckled at his words and turned at his beckoning. She leaned up and returned his kiss, letting her tongue brush over his lower lip.

"Mmm...you taste like wine, and chocolate," she smiled.

Slowly she stepped back and reached for a pair of shoes to match her dress. The heels she'd chosen were a bit flashy, but not too tall - they were more like the shoes she wore to work than the shoes she wore to the clubs.

"Just the shoes and finishing hair for me," she replied. Yes, most women took their time getting ready, but Anne didn't like keeping people waiting. She'd learned how to maintain just enough glamour that she could put together quickly. Especially, she didn't like to keep Thomas waiting. She knew he was too polite to tell her when she would take too long, so she made certain that those occasions were rare, if they happened at all.

Anne slipped into the bathroom and set about securing sections of her hair back and away from her face. She secured them in place with tiny jeweled pins, then sprayed it with hair spray to hold everything in place. Her hair fell along her back in dark waves, not unlike the river at night, especially with the pins now amongst her dark curls, seeming like stars.

A quick touchup to her lipstick and eye makeup, and she was ready. Anne stepped into the doorway and leaned against it. "Well? What do you think?"

While Anne made her finishing touches, Wyatt sat down on a comfy chair and texted good night wishes to his son. To be precise, he send the message to his mother's phone because Junior was staying at his granparents that weekend. A call might have been nicer but that he could make the next day.

He was flipping through and deleting old messages when Anne called out to him. Wyatt looked up-

Well, what could he think? She looked wonderful. His opinion was written on his face; first the astonishment, then the slowly widening smile. He had seen Anne more dolled up for clubbing but this sophisticated look was perfect for an evening meal. Wyatt closed the phone and walked up to Anne, took her hands into his and kissed them.

"My heart, my mind, and my affection,
Shall still remain in thy perfection.

Apart from that I'm speechless."

Anne smiled, she loved how he wore his emotions in the open. It was plain to see how much he enjoyed seeing her just so, and she loved it. She loved how he smiled and the astonishment in his eyes. When he stepped up and took her hands, she smiled even bigger, and laughed softly when he spoke.

"My true and noble poet," she squeezed his hands gently. "You're too kind indeed with your words to your lady."

Anne gave a slight bow; mimicking queens and ladies of old as she looked up to him. But she was not mocking such historical ladies. Rather, she was paying homage to them.

"Now then, shall we be off?"

"We shall," he replied in a formal manner and led Anne into that tiny elevator with a decorative wrought iron door. He couldn't quite stop smiling as they stepped out into the street, Anne at his arm.

"It's not far, just around the corner and across a square." That was what Wyatt had learned from looking at the map. He didn't really know how the city looked like in that direction. But unless they came across a terribly uneven cobblestone streets, he wasn't worried about Anne's ability to walk there in her heels.

"I'm curious to see if I've chosen a restaurant you know already or if it's something that's new to you, too."

The square had a fountain in the middle and nice flower arrangements. On one side there was a church, and no less than three restaurants had made their home in this part of Paris. Wyatt stopped to gauge Anne's expression before he started walking towards a cream coloured building with red window frames.

Edited 2016-08-16 00:00 (UTC)

Anne followed and took his arm when they left the hotel room to the elevator. She nodded when Thomas revealed the location of their restaurant for the evening. She was confident in her ability to walk in her heels - they weren't terribly high and the heels themselves weren't particularly spikey. Besides, she had walked these streets before in said heels.

Anne tried to picture in her mind the street in the direction he had identified. She remembered that there were a few options for restaurants there. But she wasn't certain which one he had picked.

"I'm curious as well. But I know either way, it'll be wonderful," she smiled.

She followed beside him to the square and looked all around. It was beautiful; her memories did it no justice. The fountain, sparkling with the lights of Paris all around it, caught and kept Anne's attention. She recognized the restaurants in the square, but when he brought her to the cream-colored building, she tilted her head.

"Actually - I don't recognize this place," she looked to him and smiled. "Something new for the two of us."

It might have been a new resturant but it was an old building. It had exposed brick inside and columns that gave much needed privacy to customers, as did plants and lightweight room dividers. The overall atmosphere was contemporary still. Wyatt and Anne were greeted warmly and shown to a round table by the window.

"My internet searches served me well again," Wyatt mused. Not that he'd minded terribly if Anne had been to this restaurant but it was nice that she hadn't.

"I thought we'd have a full six course meal to balance our simple picnic," Wyatt suggested as he looked through the menu. "And because I enjoy being here with you, taking things slow and French-like."

((ooc: my internet searches gave different results for six course meal, but I'm sticking now with: appetizers, small soup, main course, salad, cheese plate and sweet dessert - just so we're both on same page))

Anne laughed softly at the quip, and marveled at the historic charm of the building. How did she not remember this place? But then again, she liked that this was new to her; new to them both. When he mentioned a six course meal, Anne's eyes widened and she looked to Thomas.

"Six full courses in Paris? Thomas, that's..." incredible. Six French courses, that took a great deal of planning. "You went to a great deal of trouble then, didn't you? Darling..." she trailed off to kiss his cheek.

He spoiled her, he made her feel loved and adored. Each and every day was new and exciting when she was with him. Anne settled into her seat and again took in the view of the restaurant.

"This really is incredible, I can hardly believe we're here," she had said it over and over again, and she had a feeling that she would be saying it again even more before their holiday was over.

((ooc: Sounds good to me!))

"I'm not preparing the meal, so not so much trouble," he said, amused of the idea of him making a six course meal. Although, why not...

"I should totally do that. Or we could cook together." Even if the outcome was a far cry from the feast they were about to get here, Wyatt would enjoy an evening messing about in the kitchen with Anne. Neither of them were very good cooks, but that was the whole point.

The waiter approached to take their order and enquire about wine preferences. For the appetizers, they suggested smoked salmon in tiny puff pastry cups with lemon zest and cream cheese, or mango and melon bites wrapped in prosciutto ham.

"I'm tempted by the salmon," Wyatt contemplated.

"Either one goes very well with Riesling or Pinot Blanc. Both are produced locally," the waiter explained about the wine. "What would be your choice, mademoiselle?"

Anne laughed softly at his suggestion. "You know I'm absolutely useless in the kitchen," she replied with a smile.

She knew her way around the kitchen enough to pair fruit with wine and cheese - she knew how to make simple things like chicken and soup and toast. Anything else? Anne had nearly started a fire when she'd attempted roasting a pork loin. Thank God George had been there that day to point out to her that setting the oven temperature higher would not make the meat necessarily cook any faster.

But at the same time, she liked the idea of cooking with Thomas. With each passing minute she fell more in love with the idea of them trying to come up with some elaborate dish, failing, and ordering a pizza instead. "I'd be up for trying it when we're home again - cooking together."

When asked of the appetizers, Anne considered the options and nodded at Thomas' suggestion. "Salmon sounds good. I'm partial to Riesling myself, would that suit you, love?"

Her eyes widened for a moment in fear, realizing she'd called him by an intimate pet name so openly in public. But then it dawned on her - they could do that here! Here in France they were safe, far from anyone who might turn them in to their parents and reveal the relationship. They could be more open here. She had known it before, but it truly hit home in that moment, and once again the smile was on her face and a pink blush rose in her cheeks.

They had used so many endearments during the day that Wyatt didn't at first understand why Anne looked so shocked to call him 'love', but it dawned on him then. It was alright not to hold back anything here. To prove that, he reached for her hand across the table.

"We will have Riesling, thank you. And salmon," he told the waiter who thanked and left for the kitchen. Letting his thumb ran across Anne's painted fingernails, Wyatt smiled somewhat sneakily.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call you useless. You could sit on the counter and hand me a drink while I'm rushing back and forth between the stove and the sink. Emotional support is very important."

Anne slipped her hand into his when he reached for it. He may have been speaking to the waiter, but her eyes were glued to Thomas. She smiled, loving the feeling of his fingers moving over hers.

"Ahh, bartender is a role I could play in spades," she smiled at his suggestion of her role in helping him in the kitchen. "That I could do."

She pictured him in her kitchen, moving back and forth, preparing a simple dinner for the two of them. But, she was not eager to end their vacation anytime soon. Anne wanted to live out each and every moment of their vacation for as long as they could.

If they could run away together, if there was some way they could stay away and just be together, she would be more than happy to do so.

"I like that. I could just say 'the usual' and you'd give me exactly the drink I want."

Although she knew already what he preferred without being a bartender. When out with the guys, Wyatt was the typical man who drank beer, or the unimaginative gin & tonic. Sometimes whiskey if he needed to look sophisticated. With Anne, he made use of his moderate knowledge of wines, and chose cocktails on occasion.

It didn't take long before the appetizers arrived. The waiter let Anne taste the wine before pouring more on their classes.

"What a day it's been. I've enjoyed everything. The picnic, Notre Dame and how peaceful it was despite of tourists. The art galleries you showed me and just walking with you. Everything."

((ooc: Never heard of the phrase 'in spades' before. Live and learn.))

Truth be told, Anne enjoyed it when Thomas drank beer. The taste of it on his lips and his stubble was something she found enjoyable. Strange, perhaps, but it was the truth. Whiskey was also something she enjoyed tasting on his tongue after he'd drank it. So often she'd been out at the clubs with Mary, George and their group of friends, and saw Thomas finishing a glass of whiskey longing to just go up to him in that moment and steal a kiss.

But of course, they couldn't do that back home. Not yet.

In due time.

"Yes, I'd forgotten how much I'd missed Paris," she sighed. "But it meant so much to me, to be able to share in the things I loved most about Paris with you. There was no one else in the world except you, in my mind, love."

Anne smiled and held her glass. "Shall we toast our superb holiday and the end to a perfect day?"

((ooc: lol learn something new every day! Sorry for any confusion though!))

"Thank you for showing me everything," Wyatt said and raised his glass. "The end of the day is ahead of us still but I will happily toast to you, to Paris and to every perfect day I'm allowed to spend with you. You've made my life complete."

She'd brought love into his previously lonely lífe. Wyatt clicked their glasses together and took a sip. Then he pushed the plate of the appetizers slightly in her direction.

"Take your pick." They were dainty little pastries, not meant to take away anyone's hunger but to tempt it further.

"I think even you were surprised of the reaction you got from the owners of that cafe. Dubois was their name, right? They would like it if we visited once more, I'm sure."

Anne smiled and nodded in response. "You're welome, thank you for sharing in it with me," she smiled and tapped her glass against his. "To us, to Paris, and to our sublime and passionate future."

Her life had been a difficult one; her father held her to too-high standards while her mother remained mostly silent. Her brother and sister were the over-achievers, while Anne was the rebellious daughter. She wanted to fly and be free, but her father wanted to keep her caged. Thomas had brought light and love into her life, made her feel truly happy for the first time in years.

When he offered the pastries, Anne reached for the nearest one and took a nibble of it, testing the taste. She smiled, happy of the taste. "It's very good - nicely complimented by the wine," she held her glass up and took a sip.

She considered visiting the Dubois' before leaving Paris. A slow smile crept across her lips. "That's a wonderful idea! I'd like to bring Madame Dubois some flowers to brighten up the shop - they're such a lovely couple, I was so glad to see them still in business."

Wyatt took care of a salmon pastry in one go. No nibbling for him. The nodding of his head testified that he agreed with Anne of the taste. He swirled the wine in the glass, very happy indeed.

"It feels good to hear you talk about future." Not just any future but one that included him. It was almost better than hearing that she loved him.

"Well, you should do just that," he said, referring to buying flowers for the cafe. "Let's go there on Monday before we leave Paris. We can sit down for coffee and cakes and buy something to take with us for the journey."

Anne smiled as she took larger bites of her pastry before finishing it off as well. She blushed when he spoke again and tilted her head towards him.

"I enjoy thinking about it," she replied. "What it would be like, letting you have a more permanent drawer in my apartment, or us having one of our own that we could share and decorate as we please to reflect us both."

In truth she thought a great deal about the future, and what they might do and what they might be to each other. She would be lying if she didn't fantasize about a proposal. But Anne wasn't so hung up on it that she would be disappointed if one never came; things were rocky now with his wife, and even though she knew he was soon to be separated, that experience might sour him from marriage altogether.

But, enough of those thoughts; she was focused on the present now. "Indeed, then it's decided. We'll stop at the flower shop on Monday and have a last breakfast at the Dubois' cafe." She held her glass of wine up to toast the idea.

Wyatt listened quietly, smiling. He wanted the same things, but he was still more of a country boy and she a city girl. Living together would be all sorts of wonderful but also frightening. What if it didn't pan out - despite of them being soul mates, as he believed? He didn't fear marriage, only divorce.

"We'll never run out of reasons to toast," he chuckled and drank to the overflowing kindness of the Dubois couple.

"Since you mentioned your apartment... I wonder if you could you give me one of your keys? I'd promise I would't crash in unannounced. It would just make things easier for the days you do want me there."

They wouldn't have to jump through hoops anymore; no pretending he's delivering her some important papers when he's only fetching the keys. Also, if he happened to be somewhere else, he could go straight to her apartment without stopping by at the Boleyn paper or wait for her to go home before him.

"And let's be honest, you want my t-shirts in your drawer just so that you can wear them yourself," he winked.

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