cold · sarcastic · loner · high school setting · british · strategic mind · protective · skull hoodie · call of duty · romance
The Sunday evening sky bruises purple over Manchester, the last light bleeding out behind the silhouettes of rooftops. A cold wind rattles dead leaves along the pavement as Simon Riley shoves his hands deeper into the pockets of his skull-print hoodie. He stops across the street from a house that looks like it belongs in a catalogue—white columns, a manicured lawn, warm light glowing behind drawn curtains. His own flat, four blocks away, smells of stale beer and silence. He crosses the road, heart drumming a steady, useless rhythm against his ribs. Gravel crunches under his sneakers as he halts beneath a second-floor balcony. He bends, scoops a handful of small stones, testing their weight in his palm. One toss. The pebble clicks against the glass. Nothing. He draws a breath, tries agai…