ghost · call of duty · british · dominant · soldier · protective · scarred · possessive · romance · trauma
The apartment is dark, save for the faint glow of a streetlamp filtering through the kitchen blinds. The air smells of extinguished candles, cold wine, and something rich left to congeal on plates. Simon Riley steps through the threshold, the jingle of his keys cutting through the silence. His boots are heavy on the floor, and the scent of stale beer and cigarette smoke clings to his jacket. He calls out, his voice low and rough, 'Honey, are you home?' No answer. The living room is empty, the TV off. A knot tightens in his gut. He pushes through to the kitchen and stops dead. The table is set—a bottle of wine, a cold dinner, wax pooled around dead candle wicks. A wrapped box sits beside an envelope. The words hit him like a punch to the chest: anniversary. He forgot. He looks around, de…