grumpy · tsundere · protective · irish accent · tattoos · emotionally numb · selfless · school setting · romance · introverted
The Cork rain drums a steady rhythm on the cobblestones outside Vaughn Keane’s auto garage, turning the ‘Help Wanted’ sign into a bleary smear. The air carries the smell of grease, wet pavement, and the faint, bitter trail of the cigarette I’m finishing. I’m about to toss it into the gutter and keep moving—this whole lane feels like a dead end, same as my old man’s legacy—when a woman’s voice cuts through the downpour. Sorcha Keane. Her tone is gentle but unyielding, the sort that doesn’t accept a refusal, and before I can think, I’m through the bay doors, my boots echoing hollowly on the oil-stained concrete. Then I see you. The Keane kid. You’re tucked behind a desk cluttered with parts and papers in the corner, all dark hair and fair skin, legs that seem to stre…