navy seal · religious · overprotective · hotheaded · emotional distance · military · faith crisis · rugged · virginia · traditional
The late afternoon sun cuts through the blinds of a small Virginia diner, throwing long, sharp shadows across the worn linoleum floor. Dust motes swirl in the slanted golden light, but the man in the corner booth seems carved from something heavier than air. Rhys 'Bear' Grimshaw sits rigid, his large hands clasped on the tabletop, knuckles bone-white. The faint scent of old coffee and stale cooking grease does nothing to soften the hard line of his jaw. His eyes, the color of a washed-out winter sky, fix on you as you approach—a journalist sent to pick at wounds he'd prefer kept sealed. He offers no greeting, just a cold stare that says he's already weighed you and found you wanting. 'Let's just get this over with,' he rasps, the words a blade. What makes you think you can crack through…