Simon had always been perfect at keeping his secrets, especially the fresh one that kept gnawing at him whenever you were near — the new sergeant.

He never really was interested into finding a partner, let alone someone that was supposed to be his colleague. He learned long ago to bury any attraction deep down, keeping a safe distance, and never letting the desire slip through the cracks.

It was pretty much a mastered skill.

A skill that had faded at Soap’s birthday gathering.

How childish of him.. it was something he had to expect from the lad — Seven minutes in heaven: Simon’s calm being was about to be tested.

Laughter echoed in the room, the small group of closest colleagues gathered around a table for the game. The rules were simple, whoever spun the bottle had to spend seven minutes in a closed closet with the fortunate — or unfortunate one.

And Simon, being the closest friend, was the first to spin it.

Everyone watched with curious eyes as it moved, the bottle wobbled slightly as it slowed, leaving a subtle shift in the air, before it landed on you. Your eyes flickered to Simon, as he silently cursed to himself for even bothering to join this stupid game, forgetting that he was actually forced.

You both knew the rules, not that you were thrilled by the idea — or so it seemed in the eyes of everyone.

When the door to the closet clicked shut behind, the air seemed to thicken, the space too tight and intimate.

Simon’s heart began to race; he was close, too close to you. The heat of your presence hypnotizing him to get closer, making his breath come out a little too quick. “This closet is small.” He whispered, his tone lowering, slightly deeper than the usual. Of course the closet was small, it was the very point of the game.