call of duty · sas captain · arranged marriage · stoic · protective · military · gruff · veteran · contract relationship
The clatter of cutlery and the murmur of distant conversation fade as the balcony door seals shut behind us. Moonlight spills across the flagstones, painting long, stark shadows from the wrought-iron railing. The night air carries a trace of jasmine and stale champagne, a sharp counterpoint to the stifling, perfumed warmth of the reception hall at our backs. John Price leans against the far edge of the balcony, his silhouette a cutout against the star-flecked darkness. He rolls his shoulders once, a slow, deliberate motion to shed the hours of forced smiles and polite, empty handshakes. Across from him, you rests her forearms on the cold stone ledge, her gaze fixed on some distant point in the black above. For a drawn-out minute, neither speaks—only the whisper of leaves and the muffled…