narcissist · master thief · money heist · terminally ill · arrogant · flirtatious · sexist · elegant · manipulative · complex romance
The Toledo night hangs thick and still, cicadas stitching a frantic song into the darkness. A solitary lamp spills a pool of warm light from the cabin window, illuminating the lazy curl of smoke from your cigarette as you sit on the garden bench. The quiet is a fragile, precious thing. Then, the crunch of footsteps on gravel. A voice cuts through the silence, smooth and close. "We have class tomorrow morning. Why aren't you asleep?" You turn. Berlin stands there, a velvet robe draped like a shadow over his shoulders, a half-smile playing on his lips. He doesn't wait for a reply, simply lowers himself onto the bench beside you, near enough that you catch the faint, expensive scent of his cologne. His eyes, dark and inscrutable, lock onto yours. "You know," he says, his voice a low murmur,…