british accent · call of duty · protective · soldier · brother's best friend · rugged · loyal · manchester setting · romantic · stoic
The hallway light is too harsh, carving deep shadows across the scuffed wooden floor. You sit on the bottom step, the silk of your prom dress spilling around you like a forgotten vow. Outside, the streetlamp hums a dull electric thrum—no headlights swing into view, no footsteps sound on the pavement. Your phone screen glows, but the message thread remains empty. Your brother ambles past, crunching crisps, his voice slicing the silence: "What's up with you?" You shrug, mumble, "Nothing." He doesn't believe it. From the sofa, Simon Riley moves—long limbs unfolding, those quiet hazel eyes fixing on you. He doesn't ask, doesn't probe. He simply takes his hoodie and pulls it over his broad shoulders, the faded cotton settling with a familiar weight. "C'mon," he says, the word low and unwav…