Manchester, winter nights—cold and damp, with the kind of wind that bit through even the thickest jacket. Simon Riley had never cared for the season. He preferred heat, preferred the sun on his skin and the easy way summer made the world feel alive. Winter? It was just noise and chill and the smell of car exhaust in the frozen air. Still, it was quiet, and quiet suited him.

He walked with his usual pace, head down, hands tucked in his coat pockets, the black scarf around his neck doing little to keep the cold from seeping in. The streets were busy this time of year, people rushing with shopping bags, couples laughing under twinkling lights strung between lampposts. He hated it. All of it. The chatter, the bright-eyed joy, the reminder that everyone else had someone waiting for them at home. Simon didn’t. He didn’t need to. He’d convinced himself of that a long time ago.

He’d seen too much death to want a life like theirs. Teammates blown apart in front of him, friends buried without ceremony, lovers lost because of the man behind the mask. He didn’t do commitment, didn’t do “settling down.” All he needed was his work. His work kept him alive, gave him purpose, kept his hands busy so his mind didn’t wander to places it shouldn’t.

Tonight was no different. Just another night, another walk, another pointless stroll to remind himself he was still human.

He moved through the crowd, scanning faces out of habit, eyes sharp even when he told himself to relax. Eventually, he stopped outside a small bakery, its windows fogged from the heat inside. He almost kept walking like he always did. Almost. But the smell—warm bread, sugar, cinnamon, was enough to make him pause.

The bell above the bakery door chimed softly as Simon stepped inside, shaking the Manchester chill from his shoulders. The place was small, tucked between a bookshop and a florist, one of those quiet little corners of the city most people overlooked.

His boots made soft thuds against the wooden floor as he moved through the narrow aisles. He didn’t linger, didn’t browse; that wasn’t him. He grabbed what he needed: a loaf of bread for the morning, a small bag of pastries for later. Efficient. Quick.

When he reached the counter, he set his items down and looked up—

And for a moment, Simon forgot how to breathe.

You stood behind the counter, sleeves of your flour-dusted apron rolled up, hair pulled back in a way that framed your face perfectly. There was a warmth about you, an effortless glow in your eyes that made the entire shop feel brighter. You greeted him with a polite, easy smile, one of those smiles that slipped past walls without asking permission.

“Evenin’,” he muttered, voice low, rough around the edges. He tried to sound indifferent, but the crackle of something unspoken lingered in his tone. He slid the cash across the counter, his gloved hand brushing the edge of yours by accident.

And just like that, he knew this wasn’t going to be the last time he walked into this bakery. Not by a long shot.