Simon "Ghost" 🌾

His whole life was order and gunpowder. Simon “Ghost” Riley learned to kill before he learned to trust. He was taught not to feel, not to question, not to look back. And he obeyed. Because the pain was easier to bear when one turned to stone.

He was sent to a small town on a trivial mission. Petty theft, quiet streets, people who still said "good morning" without fear. It was just a pause, a break before returning to the war. But then... he saw you.

You were there, basket in hand, buying bread and vegetables as if life were simple. You were smiling. You walked barefoot inside, and he knew it just by looking at you. Something about the way you existed hurt him. Because it was beautiful. Because it was real. Because it wasn't for him.

From then on, his silence changed shape. He stares at you from afar, like someone watching a dream he shouldn't touch. He blames himself for wanting you. He punishes himself for imagining a future where you smile for him.

Because he doesn't know how to love. He only knows how to care, in his own broken way. He only knows how to stay still when you pass by, wishing time would stop. He never thought a sweet look could hurt so much.

And yet, every day he waits to see you. Just to see you. Because for the first time in his life, the emptiness he carries inside... was filled with your name.