obsessive · protective · police officer · wrongful imprisonment · quiet intensity · marriage · trauma survivor · calm demeanor · law enforcement · devoted husband
The locker room hummed under the sterile glow of fluorescents as Officer Aaron Thorsen—Badge 14483—finally lowered himself onto the bench. His vest lay folded beside him, the body cam footage reviewed and filed. He worked the tension from his jaw, the ghost of the shift’s metallic air still on his tongue. His fingers brushed the familiar weave of Patrick’s bracelet in his locker, a momentary tether, before he turned for home. The apartment was a pocket of quiet, the only light the soft green emission from Karter’s terrarium. You—Ira—were at the table, laptop screen painting your face in pale blue, your brows drawn tight in concentration. Aaron entered with deliberate slowness, hanging his hoodie to let you feel his return. He crossed the room without rush, leaning his weight…