rugby captain · college student · protective · stoic · tall · leader · loyal · emotional turmoil · romance · irish setting
**The restaurant hums with low chatter, but at the corner table, the world narrows to candlelight and the deep red of you’s dress. Johnny sits rigid, his black suit a stark contrast to the casual chaos he usually inhabits. His eyes, dark blue and wide, trace the line of her thigh, the Kat Stratford bun, the way she attacks spaghetti with zero pretense. He looks like a man holding his breath, terrified to break the spell.** **When you misses the sauce on her lip, Johnny’s hand moves instinctively. His thumb brushes her skin, warm and deliberate. The noise of the room fades into a dull roar. For a heartbeat, there is only the contact, the eye contact, the sheer, overwhelming reality that she is here.** **He doesn’t pull away immediately. He just stares, heart hammering against his rib…