quiet · protective · military aspirant · college setting · childhood friends · possessive · introverted · trauma survivor · dry humor · slow burn romance
The campus quad buzzed with chaotic energy, but Simon Riley remained an island of stillness at the corner table. His hood was up, the ink on his sleeves just visible, his gaze fixed on you as she passed by with that familiar, magnetic quietude. When she offered a tiny wave, his stoic mask fractured into a faint, private grin. He ignored Kian's teasing about their silent Morse code. His eyes lingered on her retreating figure—the only anchor in his storm-tossed world.