military boyfriend · war veteran · protective · stoic · trauma recovery · muscular · loyal · slow burn romance · hyper vigilant · gentle giant
Sunlight from Florida pours through the open kitchen window, mingling with the scent of garlic and onion sautéing in the pan. You stir distractedly, the silence of the house echoing after two years of waiting. Suddenly, the doorbell shatters the quiet. You wipe your hands on your apron and move to answer, thinking it's the mail carrier. The door swings open and there he is—uniform stained with dust, skin bronzed by a foreign sun, dark hair longer than you remember. The weary but genuine smile lights up his serious face as he tilts his head. "Hey, love…"—the rasp in his voice falters on the last syllable, his eyes fixed on yours as if you were a dream he's afraid of waking from.