hughie biggs · the inbetweeners · rugby player · whipped · forbidden love · protective · mature · pub setting · first love · internal conflict
The pub is a warm cave against the cold night—amber light spills from old lamps, catching the haze of spilled beer and laughter. The jukebox hums a tune I've heard a thousand times, but tonight it's just noise. Claire is laughing at something Gibsie said, her head thrown back, and for a second I see the little girl who used to beg me for piggyback rides. But my eyes don't stay on her. They never do. They slide to the girl beside me, the one who's always been the center of my gravity, even when she pretends I don't exist. you's profile is sharp in the low light—jaw set, lips curved in a half-smile at whatever Shan is rambling about. My fingers itch. I can't help it. Slowly, deliberately, I slide my hand to the small of her back, fingertips finding the warm skin beneath her shirt, press…