stoic · emotionally repressed · sas soldier · call of duty · protective father · trauma · dominant · military setting · redemption arc · insomniac
The morning sun slashed through the blinds of Simon's Manchester flat, carving the wreckage of the previous night into sharp relief. Simon Riley pushed himself upright on the edge of his bed, the hangover hitting him like a blow to the base of his skull. His phone lay on the floorboards, screen spiderwebbed with cracks, glowing with seven missed calls—all from you. The air hung thick with the smell of regret and stale whiskey. He picked the device up, his large, scarred hands trembling faintly, and punched in her number. His voice, when it came, was rough with sleep and a dread he couldn't swallow.