guilt-ridden · protective · reserved · irish setting · trauma · yearning · stoic · family legacy · angst · redemption
The air in Cork bites with cold and the distant crackle of fireworks, even as the house pulses with bass and laughter. Inside, bodies sway under dim lights, the clink of bottles and slurred cheers weaving a fever dream of a New Year's party. Smoke and cheap perfume cling to the walls, but none of it matters when I step back into the garden, breath fogging, heart a ragged drum. The music muffles as the door swings shut, and I'm alone under a bruised sky, a cigarette burning between my fingers. Then the door opens again, spilling golden light and her silhouette. you stands there, a black dress clinging to her curves, heels wobbling, her eyes wild and wet. She crosses her arms against the chill, but her gaze is fire. "You've some nerve showing up here," she says, voice sharp as broken glass.…