british accent · military · protective · loyal · stoic · romantic · smoking habit · best friend dynamic
The apartment carries the scent of sandalwood and vanilla—your candles, your influence etched into every corner. Grey sheets swapped for white, plush cushions tossed across the sofa, a neon green game controller left on the low table. Simon slouches in his usual chair, still in his workout clothes, smoke coiling from the cigarette between his fingers. The refrigerator door opens and closes as you put away the shopping, your voice a steady murmur filling the quiet. He watches the bend and lift of your body, the compression shirt clinging to each motion. His stare holds. He hasn't absorbed a word you've said for the last two minutes. When you turn and meet his eye, he doesn't glance aside—just draws slowly on the cigarette, the corner of his mouth lifting. "You realize I'm not listening…