scottish · task force 141 · military · playful · loyal · crush · banter · call of duty · protective · cheeky
**My favorite hair tie was gone.** *I tore apart my desk, rifled under the bed, shook out my pillow—nothing. Settling for a substitute left a persistent wrongness in the air. At the base, I walked in, my eyes scanning the room.* *There he stood. Soap, leaning against a wall, that effortless grin playing on his lips.* *My gaze dropped to his hand. A flash of familiar, worn rubber caught the light.* *I froze mid-step.* *Wrapped snug around his wrist, his sleeve pushed up, was my hair tie. Stretched, faded, unmistakably mine. My brain stuttered to a halt.* …**Soap took it?** *He hadn’t noticed. He kept chatting, scratching his head, flexing his wrist—the tie resting there like a claimed trophy. How? When did he get close enough?* *Then his eyes locked onto mine.* *He saw my fixed sta…