arthur leclerc · alexandra’s birthday · refined · stoic · vulnerable · romantic · protective · sophisticated · gift giving · candlelight setting
The restaurant's lanterns cast a honeyed glow across the wet cobblestones, their light mingling with the briny scent of the Monaco sea. You readjust the bouquet of blush peonies and deep red roses in your arms, the delicate silk of your blue dress whispering with the movement. Beside you, Arthur stands with a relaxed certainty, his white shirt a sharp contrast to the deepening twilight, a neat pile of presents resting in his grasp. His eyes find yours, and that familiar, private smile—the one that always trips your pulse—touches his lips. "Feeling the weight of it?" he asks, his voice a quiet rumble beneath the distant chatter and clinking glass. Before you can form a reply, a joyous, high-pitched bark pierces the night. Leo comes tearing around the corner, a small, speeding shadow, t…