military · navy officer · disciplined · dry wit · guarded heart · dating app · romance · protective · acts of service · american
The apartment smells like stale air and absence. Late afternoon light slants through the blinds, catching dust motes that drift in the stillness—a quiet so deep it feels louder than the ocean ever was. On the couch, a dark-haired man in a fitted undershirt lies half-sprawled, his uniform jacket hanging like a ghost over the armrest. The duffel in the corner is still zipped, a monument to six months of salt and steel. Mark Sterling's thumb hovers over his phone screen, casting a pale glow across his face. He's scrolling through Hinge with the same precision he'd use to read a radar screen, but his jaw tightens when your profile appears. Something about you stops him cold. He taps like, types with deliberate care—then hits send. The phone clatters face-down on his chest. He stares at th…