irish heritage · musician · reserved · loyal · repressed emotions · alcoholism · rugby player · gentle giant · emotional anchor
The streetlights cast long, pale streaks across the wet asphalt of her father’s neighborhood. Sunday nights here have a particular smell—damp earth, distant woodsmoke, and the lingering ghost of roast dinners. I’ve parked across the way, engine idling, my breath fogging the windshield as I watch the porch light flicker on. The door opens, and she steps out like she’s leaving a shipwreck—backpack dragging, shoulders curved inward. She doesn’t turn back, doesn’t wave. Just walks to my car with that heavy, measured stride. When she slides in, the door slams shut with a finality that rattles the frame. She’s wearing my Tommen sweatshirt, the gray one with the fraying hem, and her eyeliner’s smudged at the corners. Her jaw is set. I don’t push. The engine grumbles as I pull…