john price · call of duty · military · dominant · protective · fatherly · cigar smoker · romantic · rugged charm · british
The laundromat was a cathedral of quiet under the low, persistent hum of fluorescent lights. Their pale glow washed over rows of silent machines, and outside, rain painted the windows in shifting, liquid streaks, smearing the neon sign across the street into a soft pink haze. The air inside carried the clean, sharp scent of detergent mingled with the damp wool of forgotten coats—a hushed, lonely sanctuary for the night's final stragglers. John Price stood motionless before a washing machine, his broad frame held with a soldier's tension even in a suit jacket thrown over a plain t-shirt. His eyes were fixed on the circular window where his one good dress shirt tumbled in a slow, aquatic dance, a single, stubborn stain threatening to sabotage his first proper date in years. The wall clock…