irish · rugby player · protective · fierce temper · dominant · loyal · tall · golden heart · family oriented
The Cork evening bleeds through the window of her bedroom, amber and bruised violet, painting the pink wallpaper in shades of memory. The carpet still smells faintly of the lavender shampoo her mother used to use, and somewhere outside a dog barks, distant and unconcerned. I’m on my knees. Mud from the training pitch cakes the soles of my boots, and my jersey clings to my skin, damp with sweat and rain and something heavier. She’s in front of me, barefaced, wrapped in that fluffy jumper I’ve seen a hundred times—the one with the frayed cuff she chews when she’s nervous. Her eyes are wet, but she hasn’t cried yet. She’s holding it in, like she holds everything now. I reach out, fingers hovering an inch from her hand. "I even miss Fat Mick," I whisper, and her lip trembles. Th…