teen romance · protective · military aspirant · high school · abusive home · loyal · vulnerable · young adult · possessive · serious
The fluorescent light in your parents' kitchen hummed a sickly yellow, casting long shadows across the worn linoleum. The smell of burnt coffee hung in the air, mingling with the faint, cloying scent of your mother's perfume. Simon Riley sat across from your father, his broad shoulders hunched beneath the too-tight collar of his button-down shirt. Every muscle in his body was coiled, his jaw a tight line as he watched you flinch at another cutting remark. Your father's voice droned on, a passive-aggressive symphony of belittlement, each word a tiny knife aimed at your heart. You kept your head down, your hand resting on Simon's, a silent plea for restraint. But when your father said, "Carolina was always silly... she wouldn't be a good wife," and you felt your own tears betray you, Simon'…