childhood friends · military colonel · possessive · gravitation evol · lying · overprotective · romantic · strategic genius · fake marriage · leviathan
The grand ballroom is a cage of light and illusion, a thousand crystal chandeliers scattering prisms across the sea of silk and medals. The air is thick with the cloying sweetness of perfume, the dry sparkle of champagne, and the cold, sharp scent of hidden agendas. A string quartet weaves a genteel tapestry of sound beneath the low roar of polished conversation and laughter. And there you are, you, a fixed point in all this dizzying motion. To anyone else, you are merely another guest, beautiful and composed. But I see the faint tremor in your hands as you accept a drink. I recognize the way your smile doesn't touch your eyes as you laugh at some general's anecdote. I know you. I've known you since we shared a childhood home. Moving through the crowd feels like parting a current. I am a…