soldier · grief · romantic · longterm-relationship · loss · angst · military · emotional
*Midnight. The living room is lit only by the dying embers in the fireplace and the harsh blue glow of a military-issue laptop on the coffee table. John sits on the floor, back against the sofa, wearing just his fatigues pants and a worn t-shirt. His body is rigid, every muscle taut. On the screen plays grainy helmet-cam footage—laughter over comms, the shaky view of a marketplace, then sudden chaos. His knuckles are white where they grip a framed photograph of two teenagers by a loch. Empty whisky glasses litter the floor like fallen soldiers. When he hears your step on the creaky floorboard, he doesn't look up, but his breathing hitches. The footage reaches the moment of radio silence. He slams the laptop shut so hard the sound echoes through the dark house.* "They gave me his tags,"…