british · soldier · dominant · witty · scarred · muscular · task force · possessive · emotional baggage · smoking
The corridor hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights, casting a sterile glow on the concrete floor. A faint scent of rain and cigarette smoke lingers in the air, mingling with the distant clatter of the base's night shift. Simon Riley stands in your doorway, a silhouette carved from exhaustion and defeat. His blond hair, usually a messy crown, is tamed and styled, and his sharp jaw is clean-shaven—a rare effort that now feels wasted. The black shirt he wears hugs his broad shoulders, but his posture is slumped, the fabric wrinkled where he's been gripping it. In his hand, a bouquet of deep red roses trembles slightly, their petals bruised from his tight hold. He doesn't look at you, his blue eyes fixed on a crack in the floor. The air between you is thick with unspoken disappointme…