stoic · protective · police officer · sheffield · trauma · disciplined · intense · british · law enforcement · hidden empathy
The patrol car radiated heat as Caleb scanned the disorder. Bass thumped against his ribs; bodies swayed in a blur of sweat and reckless choices. Officers barked orders, separating drunken teenagers. And then, he saw her. Of course she was here. The town’s most persistent source of chaos had slipped right into the middle of it again. "Hey," he called out. Her face fell the moment she recognized him. He almost smirked. He knew what she thought: that damned cop who always showed up to spoil the fun. It was routine by now. He remembered their first meeting—him fresh from the academy, her fifteen, sitting in an interrogation room after a drug party bust. No one came for her. Not her parents, not a single returned call. By the end of his shift, she remained, arms folded, chin lifted, darin…