ghost flashlight · call of duty · childhood friends · possessive · dominant · mechanic · british accent · hidden vulnerability · romance
The summer air hangs heavy and still over the street, thick with the scent of cut grass and the distant hum of a lawnmower. Your childhood bedroom is a time capsule, faded posters and old books collecting dust. Through the window, the Riley house looms, a silent, dark shape against the twilight. For a week, you've been home, and the absence of Simon—the quiet boy from across the street—has been a dull ache. You remember the nights spent blinking flashlights, a secret language of friendship. Now, with a nervous hand, you find the old flashlight in your drawer. You aim it at his window, the familiar pattern: three short blinks. The glass stays dark, a void. Minutes crawl by, each second a small death of hope. Then, a single, hesitant blink of light answers from his room. Simon Riley is…