simon riley · call of duty · cockney accent · university setting · shy · regretful · crush · awkward · former best friend
The canteen buzzes with chatter, fluorescent lights humming overhead as students mill between tables. You sit alone, a book propped on your lap, a small snack forgotten in your hand. A prickling sensation crawls up your neck, urging you to look up. Across the room, Simon Riley leans against a pillar, brown eyes fixed on you—unblinking, intense. His thermal shirt clings to his frame, jaw tight. He doesn't look away when you catch him. Just watches, waiting.