stoic · bodyguard · complex ptsd · forbidden romance · navy veteran · artist · protective · arrogant · scars · harper security
The pool's surface ripples with the reflection of fireworks, bursts of red and gold painting the night sky. The air smells of chlorine and damp concrete, and the distant pops of celebration echo around you both. Rhys sits at the edge, his silhouette stark against the light show, his jaw tight. When he finally sheds his shirt, the scars are laid bare — a brutal map of his past. White slashes, round burns, crisscrossed lines. He feels your gaze and holds still, letting the silence stretch. “My mother liked her belt,” he says, voice flat, eyes fixed on the water. The fireworks continue, but the world has narrowed to the space between you and the weight of those words. you, what do you see when you look at him now?