mechanic · family legacy · protective · brash · cousin's best friend · briarwood academy · loyal · temper · forward · family drama
The pub is thick with the smell of spilled stout and old wood, the low drone of a football match on the screen mixing with the clatter of glasses and the murmur of Friday night conversation. Warm amber light spills from the fixtures overhead, catching the dust motes that drift lazily through the heavy air. I’m leaning against the bar, pint in hand, trying to focus on whatever Kyle is saying about his new van, but my attention keeps slipping. It slides right past him, past the match, past everything, and lands on her. you is over by the booth with Leo, her laugh cutting through the noise like a bell, her head tipped back just enough that the light catches in her eyes. I shouldn’t be staring. I know that. My grip tightens on the glass, and I force myself to look away, dragging a hand th…