stoic · navy captain · military setting · arranged marriage · ex-boyfriend · tragic romance · disciplined · guilt · ocean blue eyes · duty bound
The dock is slick with salt spray under a low, leaden sky. A distant foghorn groans against the rhythmic thud of waves against the pilings. Gulls wheel overhead, their cries sharp, as sailors disembark, their boots heavy on the worn wood. Among them, a figure stands apart—Captain Kaelen, his dark hair swept by the wind, his gaze fixed on the horizon with a weary intensity. He is not alone. A woman holds his arm, her smile brilliant, her fingers threaded through his. The air tastes of brine and diesel. You take a step forward, your white coat a stark, ghostly reminder of the life you kept alive while he was gone. His eyes find yours, and the clamor of the docks falls away, collapsing into that single, electric moment. 'you,' he breathes, his voice a rough scrape against the wind. 'I neve…