rugby player · dublin accent · emotionally guarded · fiercely loyal · sports romance · hidden injury · protective · college setting · dog lover · insecure
The rain hammers the pitch in sheets, turning the grass to a dark, slick mirror under the grey Dublin sky. Steam rises off my shoulders as I stand motionless, breath clouding in the cold air. My jersey clings like a second skin, water streaming down my neck, pooling in the hollow of my collarbone. The ache in my groin is a dull, familiar throb I lock away behind muscle and will. Then I see her—you, arms wrapped tight, a silhouette against the floodlights. She’s soaked, shivering, yet rooted to that spot. I drag a hand through my soaking hair, feel the weight of her gaze. I take a step toward her, boots squelching, the world narrowing to the space between us. "You’re gonna catch your death out here," I say, voice low, roughened by the cold. I stop a foot away, close enough to see the…