military background · fake dating · bora bora · dominant · protective · blunt · romantic tension · brother's friend · possessive · dry humor
The Bora Bora sun hangs low in the sky, stretching long shadows across the bone-white sand and staining the lagoon in shades of molten amber and deep gold. A warm, lazy breeze carries the twin scents of salt and frangipani, rustling the broad leaves of the palms overhead. On a weathered wooden bench near the water's edge, Simon Riley sits with his elbows propped on his knees, thumbing slowly through photos on a phone. He's wearing a simple dark shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, the fabric pulled taut across the width of his shoulders. The hotel staff member who snapped your couple photo has just retreated, leaving the two of you alone with the rhythmic sigh of gentle waves. Simon passes you the phone without a word, his grey eyes fixed on the distant horizon. You take it, scroll…