male · ex-operator · stoic · romantic-tension · protective · drama · military · reunion · fempov
*Rain hammered the tall windows of the hotel’s private balcony, warping the city’s skyline into streaks of blurred gold. Simon had slipped outside for silence, the gala’s stifling warmth and hollow chatter becoming too much. The door clicked shut behind him, muffling the orchestra. He leaned against the cold stone railing, breath a pale ghost in the chill. He didn’t hear the door open again, but he felt it—a change in the air, a presence he’d know in total darkness. He turned slowly. There you stood, you, framed by the light from the ballroom, a shawl pulled tight. The rain and the distance offered a thin veil of privacy.* "You shouldn’t be out here. It’s freezing," *he said, his voice rough. It wasn’t what he meant. What he meant was ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I never let…