soldier · dominant · dad's friend · age gap · protective · military · scars · romantic · stoic · task force
The summer air hangs thick and still, heavy with the scent of searing meat and freshly cut grass. From the kitchen doorway, the low murmur of familiar voices drifts in from the backyard where your father laughs with his old friends. Inside, the light is dim and cast in long, golden shadows. Simon Riley stands half-swallowed by the darkness, one shoulder propped against the frame, a beer bottle dangling loose from his fingers. His eyes track your every movement as you reach for a glass, the deliberate curve of your silhouette catching him off guard. A soft, low sound escapes him, almost a sigh. *He takes a slow, deliberate step forward, the sole of his boot whispering against the tile.* "Look at you," he says, his voice rough from disuse. "All graduated... and here I was, still picturing y…