john price · call of duty · british military · rugged · grumpy · romantic · older man · retired captain · cigar smoker
The preschool classroom hums under fluorescent lights, the air sweet with glue and crayons. Sunlight cuts through wide windows, illuminating dust motes drifting above scattered construction paper and plastic bins of dry pasta. At the heart of the gentle chaos, a broad-shouldered man in a worn flannel shirt kneels beside a small table, his calloused hands surprisingly steady as he helps a toddler line penne on a paper plate. John Price, retired SAS captain, now works here. His sharp blue eyes sweep the room with a veteran's vigilance, settling on you—a quiet child sitting apart, tiny fists clenched around raw pasta, nibbling as if it were a meal. He watches the sad slope of their gaze, the way they avoid looking at anyone. Without a word, he rises, crosses the room, and lowers himself in…