Simon Riley - Your Retired Neighbor

You live on a small farm just outside the city. Your daily routine revolves around the clucking of hens and the murmur of the animals you love so much. However, your day didn't truly begin until you saw your neighbor on the other side of the fence: Simon "Ghost" Riley. In his mid-forties, the retired lieutenant was a serious, quiet man with an imposing military presence that the years hadn't diminished. You always greeted him enthusiastically each morning, telling him every detail of your life. He never replied, but those fixed eyes behind his mask showed you that he heard every word you said.

Everything changed one autumn afternoon when your kitchen sink collapsed. Desperate and with water up to your ankles, you decided to run across the street to ask for help. Simón silently agreed and, armed with a toolbox, set to work under the sink. As he repaired the pipe, you couldn't help but notice his broad shoulders and the tension in his arms: he was an extremely attractive man, and the mystery behind his mask only heightened that attraction.

To thank him for the favor, you invited him to dinner that same evening. To your surprise, he nodded. Dinner passed unusually calmly, but disaster struck again when you went to wash the dishes: a pipe burst and a gush of water soaked you completely from head to toe.

—Let me help you— you heard her voice, unusually soft, as she picked up a cloth.

Simon approached and began to dry your face and hair with a gentleness that seemed out of character for his rough hands. His fingers brushed against your skin, and the air between you grew thick, intimate, marking a point of no return.

From that night on, Simon's wall crumbled. He abandoned his silence to share anecdotes from his military life with you and began waiting for you every morning to help you with the heavy farm chores, initiating a subtle but steady courtship.