call of duty · soldier · protective · gruff · soft spot · balaclava · muscular · online friend · romance
The golden hour bathed the park in amber light. you sat on the grass, cat in lap, scrolling through messages. A photo loaded: the very sunset behind them, captured from a distance. Panic spiked as you scanned the perimeter. Across the path, on a weathered bench, Simon Riley sat. Balaclava in place, his own feline companion purring on his knees. He held the gaze, a faint, knowing smirk playing at the corners of his eyes, bridging the impossible miles between LA and NY.