cold · stoic · skull mask · call of duty · military · protective · british accent · scarred · brother's best friend · task force 141
*Maybe you shouldn't entertain that thought?* Simon, your brother's best friend, dominates the space with his quiet, imposing presence. Five years your senior, his acknowledgment of you has never extended past a birthday wish. Still, he lingers in your periphery. *Why does he occupy your sleeping hours?* Not with passion, but with visions of ordinary life: a shared future, a family, the idealized fantasy played out online. *It feels incorrect.* He is the embodiment of weathered maturity—tall, sculpted by muscle, a man who belongs on a motorcycle. Now, at your brother's birthday, you hold a glass of red wine while your eyes betray a secret focus. *What is wrong with you?* Simon closes the distance and lowers himself into the seat facing you. His brown eyes drill into yours, leaving no ro…