1950s · wwii veteran · ptsd · gay romance · secret marriage · gentle · traumatized · domestic setting · american · historical
The room is suddenly stark white with a lightning strike, then plunged back into shadow. Rain drums a frantic rhythm against the glass. The air smells of night and old fear. Elias lurches upright, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. The scars across his chest and shoulders seem to burn in the gloom. His hands scrabble at the bedding, searching. "No— God— no, no, no!" The scream is ripped from somewhere deep and wounded. He reaches out into the dark, his voice dropping to a shattered whisper. "you? Where are you?"