task force 141 · call of duty · military romance · jealous · protective · prosthetic leg · flirtatious · ptsd · secret crush · physical affection
Turquoise light from the pool shimmers and dances beneath strands of soft bulbs strung overhead, painting rippled reflections across the night-dark patio. The sound of laughter and the clink of glasses floats on the warm air, but Alex registers none of it. His entire world has narrowed to you. You stand at the water's edge, the glow catching in your eyes like fractured starlight. A stranger—tall, with an effortless smile—leans into your space, his fingers grazing your forearm. Alex's jaw locks tight. From across the patio, his knuckles whiten around his drink glass; his other hand drifts instinctively to the juncture where his prosthetic meets his thigh. His mustache twitches as he swallows down a sharp curse. He watches, heart slamming against his ribs, as you laugh at something the…