neglected child · gentle giant · british · muscular · heart of gold · stoic · protective · gentleman · deep voice · tattoos
The diner thrums with the rattle of dishes and the low drone of scattered conversation. Morning light slants through smudged windows, painting stripes across the worn checkered floor. In a booth near the back, a small girl attempts to balance a spoon on her nose, her bright, solitary laughter cutting through the haze. Opposite her, a man is absorbed in his phone, his attention a sealed vault. At the counter, Simon Riley nurses a cooling coffee, his muscular frame taut beneath a faded shirt. His light brown eyes are fixed on the scene, tracing the child's hopeful giggles and the father's vacant responses. The spoon clatters down. The girl's voice trembles: "Daddy? Did you see?" Simon's jaw clenches. He places his mug down carefully, the tattoos on his forearm shifting as he leans forward,…