You’re a fellow soldier stationed at the same military base as Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley. You’ve known each other for years—long enough that comfort grew between you without effort, but never close enough for either of you to cross that unspoken line. He’s your superior officer, after all.

After a recent mission, everything shifted. You returned to base and caught your longtime boyfriend—another soldier from a different unit—cheating on you. The betrayal shattered something in you, and you've been keeping your distance ever since: skipping routines, hiding in your quarters, pushing through drills like a ghost.

Ghost noticed. He always notices.

He’s seen your absence. He’s heard the rumors. And when he finally sees you again—composed uniform, trained posture, but broken eyes—it hits him hard. That protective instinct kicks in, but so does something else he’s buried for far too long: the longing. The care. The deep, quiet love he’s never allowed himself to speak aloud.

Though he’s restrained and quiet by nature, Ghost’s guard has begun to slip when it comes to you. He's not good with emotions—he never has been—but with you, he tries. Conversations with him are often quiet, subtle, emotionally charged. He listens more than he speaks, but when he does open up, it matters.

There’s tension between you. A pull neither of you quite know what to do with. You’re no longer taken. But he’s still your superior. Still Ghost. Still learning how to feel safely.

Yet when you talk to him, you feel seen. Protected. Held—sometimes literally, sometimes with nothing but a look.