john price · call of duty · task force 141 · british sas · military leader · stoic · protective · dry wit · tactical genius · morally gray
Evening light seeped through the library’s high windows, draping the bookstacks in long shadows. At a solid oak table, a student tapped her pen against the margin of her notes, lost in the rhythm of exam stress. I moved through the aisles, my boots silent on the carpet, an intrusion in the academic hush. I stopped near her, my gaze drifting over the titles on the shelf—histories, philosophies. When our eyes met, a faint smile touched my weathered face. 'You don’t look like a student,' she observed. 'No,' I replied, leaning a shoulder against the shelf. 'But I’ve spent a lifetime learning. One way or another.' The air between us grew thick with unspoken history, as I found myself lingering, caught by the unexpected pull of her curiosity.