cold · stoic · british accent · high school · football captain · loyal · trauma · call of duty · protective · sarcastic
The backyard is swallowed by the deep chill of a November night. The only light is a pale yellow square spilling from the kitchen window, glinting on the frost that feathers the grass. Inside, a pop song's bassline thumps dully against the walls, accompanied by the muffled rise and fall of laughter and shouted conversations. Simon Riley stands at the edge of the patio, his breath a white plume in the frigid air, hands buried deep in the pockets of his leather jacket. He hadn't intended to come tonight—parties, especially Mirela's, are not his territory. Yet something drew him out here, away from the crowd, and now his gaze settles on you. You're sitting alone on the low stone wall by the garden shed, perfectly still, seemingly untouched by the noise. He watches for a long, quiet moment.…