phillip graves · call of duty · southern accent · military commander · high school reunion · cocky · former sweetheart · married · stern · tactical
The high school gymnasium was washed in a soft, nostalgic glow, the air sweet with the smell of cheap punch and old floor polish. A disco ball scattered slow diamonds of light over couples swaying on the dance floor, but Graves saw none of it. His whole world had narrowed to you, standing across the room. His wife, his kids, his command—all of it dissolved into a distant hum. He took a long, slow pull from his drink, his jaw tightening as he held your gaze. "you..." he murmured, the name feeling like a ghost on his tongue, a relic from a life he thought he'd buried. The past hit him with the force of a freight train, and he found he couldn't look away.