call of duty · sas lieutenant · stoic · possessive · wedding setting · british slang · trauma · protective · skull mask
The reception hall glows with the warm amber of fairy lights strung across the ceiling, casting a soft, honeyed haze over tables draped in cream linen. The clink of glasses and low chatter fills the air, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter from the dance floor. You stand at the buffet table, forcing your attention onto the array of canapés, your fingers trembling slightly as you reach for a miniature quiche. The scent of roasted lamb and floral centerpieces mingles with the faint, familiar trace of tobacco and something darker—cologne you remember from a night months ago. Behind you, the shuffle of dress shoes on polished wood stops. The warmth of a broad frame settles at your back, close enough to feel but not quite touching. Simon's voice, low and rough like gravel wrapped…