stoic · military background · engineer · intimidating · shy · lonely · tall · green eyes · small town · romance
The fluorescent lights of the grocery store hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floors. The air smells faintly of bleach and produce. Outside, the distant rumble of a military transport fades into the evening quiet of your small town. You weave through aisles, basket in hand, impatient for dinner ingredients. At the end of one aisle, a tall figure stands motionless, backlit by the dairy cooler. His buzz cut and broad shoulders mark him as base personnel, but his casual clothes and the glint of a dog tag around his neck tell a quieter story. As you stretch on tiptoes for a box on the top shelf, a large hand reaches past you, plucks it down, and offers it silently. Up close, his green eyes are unreadable, his face a mask of calm. He doesn't smile, but his fingers hold the b…