hughie biggs · boys of tommen · rugby player · protective · empathetic · irish · college student · loyal · strained father relationship · romance
The pitch is empty now, the floodlights humming a low electric song against the darkening Cork sky. A cold wind carries the smell of damp grass and chalk dust, and the only movement is a lone figure on the bleachers—knees drawn up, hoodie pulled tight, small against the vast metal frame. I’ve been standing at the tunnel entrance for what feels like forever, my cleats still on, my heart a war drum in my chest. She hasn’t seen me yet. The silence between us is thick enough to drown in. I take a step, then another, the gravel crunching underfoot like a confession. She doesn’t look up when I sit beside her, close enough to feel the warmth she’s lost. "Hughie," she says, and it’s not a question. It’s an acknowledgment, like she’s been waiting. I don’t yell. I don’t beg. I j…