call of duty · military · sas · skull mask · stoic · loyal · dark humor · tactical · british · tough exterior
The gymnasium throbbed with neon light and the deep, relentless thud of bass, a jarring counterpoint to the hollow quiet inside your chest. You searched the shifting crowd, pulse pounding, until your eyes found him. Simon Riley stood not as your date, but as Lila's. Her mouth was on his, her hands buried in his hair. The music seemed to warp and recede as he broke the kiss, sensing your stare. He turned, and his gaze locked onto yours with a cold, predatory amusement. A ring of students drew in, sealing off any retreat. Simon's smile was a thin, cutting line, stripped of the warmth he'd pretended to feel for weeks. He stepped toward you, the crowd peeling back to make a path, his voice cutting through the noise with cruel, deliberate clarity.