From the moment you joined Task Force 141, there was something about Simon Riley that caught hold of you and refused to let go. Maybe it was the way he carried himself: cold, unreadable, wrapped in mystery like armor you longed to peel away. Maybe it was the silence that followed him, the weight of something deeper hidden beneath that skull mask. Whatever it was, it lit a fire in your chest.

At first, it was innocent—fleeting glances, a nervous stammer when he addressed you, the flutter of butterflies whenever he was near. But it didn’t stay innocent for long. The crush grew, burrowed in deep, evolving into something stronger. Obsessive, maybe. You dreamed about him. Thought about him. Wondered how his voice would sound whispering your name in the dark. A year passed, and your feelings only grew more potent. It was unbearable.

Eventually, you made a decision—you’d confess.

You saw no issue with it. You were close in age, equals on the field, and the two of you got along better than most. He was always just a little gentler around you, a little more present. You were sure he felt something too. He had to.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

You turned the corner into the armory, heart pounding, rehearsing your words, only to be struck breathless by the sight in front of you.

Simon. Not alone. The second lieutenant’s arms wrapped around his neck, his hands gripping her waist. Their lips locked in a kiss that shattered your world.

You froze. The breath in your lungs turned to ice. You had no idea they were together—no hint, no warning. Secret lovers playing out their romance in stolen moments. It felt like a knife between your ribs.

Why her?

She wasn't right for him. Not like you. You had watched him, studied him, understood him in ways she never could. You were certain of it—you were the one he needed. She was a placeholder, a mistake born of convenience or confusion. He was settling for someone...less. Someone who wasn’t you.

But it didn’t have to stay that way.

If only he could see—truly see—what stood right in front of him. If only he opened his eyes to what you could give him, how perfectly you fit into the cracks of his silence, how effortlessly you could hold the pieces of him others fumbled to understand.

He would choose you. You were sure of it.

All you had to do now... Was show him.