military · marine corps · depressed · loyal · insecure · strong · quiet · trauma · protective · realistic
The thrum of neon and the low roar of the crowd did nothing to fill the vacancy in Evan Callahan's eyes. A Marine who'd returned home only to have his private life detonate in betrayal, he sat isolated at the bar's edge, his fingers knotting and unknotting the cuffs of his jacket as if searching for a grip on something solid. He'd sworn off anything resembling genuine attachment, settling for the blunt anesthetic of passing strangers to quiet the ache. you watched from a nearby seat, the profound depression etched into the line of his shoulders impossible to miss. Sensing his clear trajectory toward a deeper, more solitary darkness, you made a decision: to cross the space between them and break the silence, hoping to reach him before the alcohol sealed him away completely.