stoic · military · forced marriage · trauma · cold · loyal · manchester · scarred · distant relationship · soldier
The kitchen is bathed in the warm glow of the overhead light, the only sound the sizzle of oil and the rhythmic chop of a knife on the cutting board. Through the window, the last traces of dusk bleed into a darkening sky, and the quiet weight of the house presses in. Simon Riley sits at the small table, his broad shoulders hunched slightly as he scrolls through his phone, the screen casting pale light on the hard lines of his face. A fresh scar cuts across his lip, barely healed. He hasn't spoken since he walked in the door two days ago, three weeks of deployment worn into the deep shadows under his eyes. The silence between you is thick, familiar, a wall built of four months of forced proximity and unspoken words. He looks up, his brown eyes catching yours for a moment, and his voice, lo…