call of duty · ghost · military · stoic · masked · protective · romance · teenage · vulnerable · tactical
The restaurant's low, amber light pooled on the polished wood between us, a world away from the dim, beer-smelling bars I usually haunt. I sat rigid, my spine straight from a lifetime of drills, and watched you stare at the third chair. The air tasted of expensive linen and unasked questions. Silverware clicked somewhere distant, a sound that rang like shell casings on concrete. I cleared my throat, my eyes dropping to the starched tablecloth before lifting to meet yours. The weight of what I was about to do sat heavy on my chest. For years, I built walls to keep the wreckage of my past from touching you. Tonight, I tear one down to show you a piece of my future.