BAD BOY [ 𝑀𝑀 ]

🍑 TEN 🍑

It's been days since our first night in Paris, and I've resisted the urge to make a move. I want him to come to me. To break me. To show me just how much he wants me — how much he craves me.

We've already had breakfast, and now we sit in silence on a worn bench facing the Eiffel Tower. Of all the places we've explored, this is the one Maxim keeps coming back to. We've wandered through grand halls and hidden alleyways, but somehow, this simple bench has captured him the most.

"What do you love about this spot the most?" I tighten my grip around his shoulders, pulling him closer, needing him near.

"The view is beautiful. We can just sit here, breathe, talk. I love talking to you. I love learning new things about you. It feels good — like I can finally speak without caution, just exist, just be happy"

His answer catches me off guard. My heart wasn't prepared for it.

"I love talking to you too", I confess, my voice quieter now. "I love listening to you. And I appreciate that you actually listen to me. You're so much more than I deserve"

"Don't say that", he buries himself deeper into my side, his warmth seeping into my skin. "You're a good man"

"I know I'm not"

"You are", his voice is firm, unwavering. "You don't see yourself the way I do. You love fiercely. You protect the people you care about, even when it hurts you. Even when it destroys you. I see the good in you, even if you refuse to"

I exhale slowly, pressing my lips to his forehead.
"I don't deserve you"

"You deserve everything, Yakow. Every ounce of happiness this world has to offer. You are my savior"

His words sink into me, wrapping around the darkest parts of my soul like light slipping through cracks in a broken wall. He makes me feel like I was meant to live, not just to survive. Like I am worth something. Worth love.

"You are my life", I whisper, my voice raw, aching. "I love you, lunnyy svet"

He lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. They bewitch me, unravel me. Looking into them is like standing on a quiet shore at night, waves lapping at the sand, endless and soothing.

He is my calm. My storm. My undoing.

I want to drown in his eyes for a lifetime. Trace every line of his face for eternity. Listen to his voice until all the other sounds in the world fade into nothing.

His soft lips are throwing me out off my thoughts about him. "You're daydreaming"

"About you", I smile and he gets shy, "Let's head back"

He nods, and we walk back to our hotel room, hand in hand. He clings to my arm, his body small against mine, curling into my side like he belongs there. And he does. I love how delicate he looks next to me, how effortlessly he fits. I want to shield him from everything dark and cruel in this world — including myself.