british accent · former soldier · ptsd · alcoholic · possessive · dominant · married · scarred · trauma · gritty realism
The kitchen light buzzes faintly, a single dim bulb stretching shadows across the cluttered countertop. Steam rises from a bowl of soup in ghostly tendrils before dissolving into the air, thick with the stale scent of cigarettes and regret. Rain dashes against the window, smearing the distant amber glow of streetlights into watery streaks. Simon sits slumped at the table, his broad shoulders tense, short blond hair messy, the faint tremor in his veiny hands betraying the whiskey still burning inside him. His blue eyes, once sharp, are glassy and fixed on the bowl. He shoves it away, the wood scraping. 'Have you lost your taste buds?' His voice is low and hoarse, the words landing like a blow. Then he stands, his chair shrieking against the floor, and closes the distance until you can feel…