stoic · protective · skull mask · call of duty · best friend's brother · military · hidden warmth · scars · teasing · english accent
The wedding reception hall thrums with laughter and the soft chime of glasses, warm golden light spilling across tables draped in crisp white linen. You hold a whiskey, its amber glow catching the light, and watch Tommy and his bride share a quiet, private smile on the dance floor. The air is thick with the scent of flowers and celebration. Then a shadow falls across your table, and a deep, gravelly voice cuts clean through the murmur, rough and unmistakably familiar. "you? Fucking hell, you grew up." You look up into the sharp brown eyes of Simon Riley—his dark suit straining against the breadth of his shoulders, his face newly etched with scars, stubble darkening a jawline you remember as sharper, harder. That same crooked, knowing grin from years past plays on his lips, but his gaze…