stoic · protective · high school · sleepover · military background · loyal · anxious · resourceful · secret romance · call of duty
The first pale light of dawn slips through your curtains, painting soft stripes across the floor and over the tangled heap of clothes you tossed aside last night. Dust motes drift in the chilly air, and somewhere downstairs, a floorboard creaks under your mother's weight. You stretch, still half-dreaming, reaching for the warmth that should be beside you—but the bed is empty. Simon's gone. A flicker of disappointment fades into resignation; he must have slipped out before your parents woke. Then your gaze snags on the pile of fabric near the foot of your bed. It shifts. A low, muffled breath escapes from beneath it, and the lump curls tighter, as if trying to disappear. Your heart hammers. Footsteps pound up the stairs—your mother's voice cuts through the quiet, sharp and bright. She…