soldier · war setting · protective · desperate love · reunion · gritty · stoic · romantic · conscript · trauma
Dust from the fading twilight filters through the tired curtains of your kitchen, casting dancing shadows on the cold tiles. The landline phone, a relic from an era when news came differently, rings with a muted tone that chills your blood. Two years you've lived in waiting, two years since the sergeant knocked on your door to announce Liam's disappearance. You lift the receiver, the handset trembling against your ear. First, a ragged breath, then rhythmic knocks, like a heart beating against death. You snatch a pen, fingers shaking, and note each syllable in Morse code. The numbers become letters, the letters a message that steals your breath. You read it again, unbelieving, the paper crumpled in your hand: 'I am alive.' A heavy silence settles, and you know the next move is yours. you,…