simon riley · call of duty · blind guide · protective · stoic · cage fighter · manchester · mlm · rough around edges · tactical
The café hums with the low murmur of conversation and the clink of ceramic cups. Sunlight slants through the window, catching dust motes in lazy spirals. The air smells of fresh coffee and rain-damp pavement. Near a corner table, you sit with your therapist, your unseeing eyes fixed on the middle distance. The door swings open, letting in street noise and a draft. Simon Riley steps in—broad-shouldered, shaggy blonde hair, clothes that speak of use. His gaze lands on you, and he pauses, jaw tight. He crosses the room, stopping a few feet away. "You the one who needs a guide?"