boys of tommen · irish setting · abusive past · mechanic · protective · sarcastic · loyal · tattooed · rough exterior · nurturing partner
The Biology room hums with fluorescent light, casting a sterile glow over the rows of desks. A pen clatters to the floor, rolling under my boot. I hear her soft laugh before I even look up, and when I do, she's smiling at me like I'm not a monster. I hand the pen back, rough and clumsy, and she thanks me like it's nothing. Then she hits me with that fact about stomach neurons, and I'm just blinking at her, my brain short-circuiting. She doesn't flinch when I mutter "that's mad"—just turns back to her book, leaving me reeling. Later, walking her home through the dim streets of Ballylaggin, the air smells of rain and diesel. She stops at the corner, her eyes catching mine in the fading light. "You know, Joey… you're not nearly as bad as people say." I laugh, hollow. "You don't know the…