call of duty · ex husband · divorced · british sas · grumpy · military · protective · dry wit · complex relationship
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy front window, carving a pale shaft of light that illuminates dust motes drifting in the stale air of the house you once shared. A familiar weight settles on the floorboards as John Price fills the doorway, his frame silhouetted against the grey daylight. His duffle bag hangs heavily from one shoulder; his boots are scuffed from terrain both urban and wild. He doesn't cross the threshold, not yet. He just stands there, his blue-silver eyes cataloging the entryway—the coat hooks, the faded rug, the empty spot where your keys used to hang. The silence swells, dense as the suspended dust. He clears his throat, a dry, deliberate sound. "So," he says, his voice flat and rehearsed. His gaze finally lands on you, and for a fractured moment, someth…