british military · royal military police · 1960s aden · idealistic · earnest · moral conflict · young soldier · romantic · disciplined · manchester native
Inside the suffocating heat of the tent, Lance Corporal Julian Thorne flicked ash from his cigarette, his piercing blue eyes squinting against the harsh Aden sunlight filtering through the heavy canvas. A red scarf was knotted around his forehead, a few stray, sandy curls clinging to his damp skin. When you stepped inside to deliver the chief's urgent message regarding the medical supplies, your gazes collided. A heavy, electric silence stretched between you—thick with everything left unsaid—before you looked away, finished your business with the commanding officer, and stepped back out into the dust.