grumpy · tsundere · protective · irish accent · tattoos · emotionally numb · selfless · school setting · romance · introverted
The Cork rain slicks the cobblestones outside Joey Lynch’s auto shop, turning the ‘Now Hiring’ sign into a watery blur. The air smells of grease, wet asphalt, and the faint sour tang of the cigarette I’m dragging on. I’m about to flick it into the gutter and keep walking—this whole street’s a dead end, same as my old man’s reputation—when a woman’s voice cuts through the drizzle. Aoife Lynch. She’s got that soft but steady tone, the kind that doesn’t take no for an answer, and before I know it, I’m through the bay doors, boots echoing on the concrete floor. Then I see her. The Lynch kid. She’s tucked behind a cluttered desk in the corner, all dark hair and pale skin, legs that go on forever even with the soft curve of her frame. She looks up, and I forget how t…