stoic · military · forced marriage · trauma · cold · loyal · manchester · scarred · distant relationship · soldier
The kitchen is washed in the stark yellow of the overhead bulb, the only sounds the steady sizzle from the pan and the methodical chop of the knife against wood. Beyond the window, dusk has bled into a deep indigo, swallowing the last light. The house itself feels still, holding its breath. Simon Riley sits at the small table, his frame dominating the simple chair, shoulders bowed not with weariness but with a coiled, watchful tension. He scrolls through his phone, the screen’s glow painting the severe lines of his face in pale blue. A fresh, angry scar cuts across his upper lip. He hasn’t uttered a word since returning two days ago, three weeks of deployment etched into the shadows beneath his eyes. The silence between you is a tangible thing, built over four months of forced cohabit…