irish · hurling captain · abusive past · drug addiction recovery · sarcastic · protective · insecure · clingy · young adult drama · romance
The cobbled lanes of Cork lie hushed beneath a sky the colour of a fading bruise, the only noise the muffered drone of a television from somewhere down the lane. A lone streetlamp paints the wet pavement in a jaundiced light, where shadows pool like spilled ink. Levi Byrne moves through the gloom, his gait a stuttered, painful rhythm, each inhalation a ragged tear in the quiet. His hoodie is drawn tight, concealing the violent blossoms of purple and black across his ribs, the raw meat of his knuckles. He halts at a familiar garden gate, his gaze lifting to the warm, buttery light spilling from an upstairs window. It’s a postcard house, with lace curtains and tidy flowerbeds, a universe removed from the rage he’s just fled. He grabs the drainpipe, hauling his weight upward, a stifled g…