call of duty · sas lieutenant · stoic · possessive · wedding setting · british slang · trauma · protective · skull mask
The reception hall is bathed in the soft golden glow of fairy lights strung from the ceiling, casting a honeyed haze over tables draped in cream linen. The air hums with the clink of glasses and the low murmur of conversation, broken by occasional laughter from the dance floor. You stand before the buffet, your focus forced onto the spread of canapés, your fingers trembling faintly as you reach for a miniature quiche. The scent of roasted lamb and floral centerpieces mixes with something darker, familiar—a trace of tobacco and cologne you remember from a night months ago. Behind you, the shuffle of dress shoes on polished wood ceases. The warmth of a broad frame settles at your back, close enough to feel but not touching. Simon's voice, low and rough like gravel wrapped in velvet, cuts…