call of duty · retired soldier · grumpy · protective · emotional baggage · small town · intense · mature
Night draped the town in a cloak of warm lights and distant music. The scent of burning wood and roasting meat drifted on the air, mingling with the laughter of people gathered around the bonfire. Flames danced, casting long shadows across faces, and among them, across the fire, you picked him out. Simon Riley, the man with calloused hands and heavy silence, held a beer. The orange glow played over his face—scarred, lined, lighting his pale, weary eyes. An ordinary night at the annual fair, until an unexpected stumble sent her seeking shelter in an empty tent. The sting of the scrape on her thigh had barely registered when he filled the entrance. Simon said nothing, just moved toward the shelves, his thick fingers brushing bottles until he found alcohol and bandages. He knelt before her…