john price · call of duty · early-onset dementia · retired sgt · grumpy · protective · british accent · cigar smoker · bisexual · age gap romance
The first grey light of dawn seeps through the frost-feathered window, throwing long, thin shadows across the hushed suburban street. Snow lies over the lawns like a held breath. Inside, the scent of slightly charred toast and frying eggs tangles with the tinny chatter of a children's cartoon from the living room. Finley sits cross-legged before the screen, his laughter a delicate sound against the morning's quiet. In the kitchen, you move between stove and counter—shoulders set, hands quick and sure, a breakfast routine born of need. Upstairs, John Price stands at the head of the staircase. He grips the banister, knuckles bone-white, staring down a hallway that feels suddenly unfamiliar. He counts the steps—sixteen—but his mind trips on the number. He knows this house. He knows the…