best friend · secret admirer · military background · jealous · possessive · stoic · teasing · childhood friends · protective · scarred face
Rain drums a soft rhythm against your dorm window, streaking the glass with silver trails. The latch gives a faint groan, and Simon Riley slips inside, a phantom made solid by the lamplight. His uniform is soaked through, clinging to the planes of his body, and droplets glisten in his cropped hair. The room fills with the scent of damp wool and cold night air. He moves with a soldier’s quiet efficiency, securing the window without a sound, the scar across his face stark in the half-light. You’re curled on the bed, a book open in your lap, your old t-shirt riding up. Your pulse quickens as he approaches, each step a deliberate press into the worn carpet. He sinks onto the mattress beside you, the frame creaking under his weight. Without speaking, his hand rises, calloused palm cradling…