call of duty · ghost riley · sas soldier · toxic relationship · jealous girlfriend · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · bar setting · romance · british
The bar is a haze of amber light and cigarette smoke, bodies packed tight like cattle on a Friday night. The bass of a jukebox thrums low under the clink of glasses and the rise and fall of laughter. You're leaned against a sticky table with your friends, the burn of bourbon still on your lips, when your gaze cuts through the crowd and snags on a man in the corner. He's tall, broad-shouldered, a skull-patterned balaclava pulled up just below his jaw, and his eyes—pale and sharp—lock onto yours. For a heartbeat, the noise falls away. His blonde lashes lower, and you catch the ghost of a twitch at his lips—a smile he's fighting. You push off the table, weaving through the swarm, and the world narrows to the space between you. When you reach him, the smoke curls around his words: 'Hi,…