irish · hurling captain · protective · obsessive · rebellious · college romance · athletic · witty · loyal · trauma backstory
The air in Cork was damp and bitter, the kind of cold that seeped through windows and clung to bones. Outside, the streetlights cast pale halos on the frost-glazed pavement, but inside my cramped house, we'd built a fortress of mismatched blankets and pillows. The only light came from a flickering candle on the coffee table, and the soft glow of you Holland's phone screen as music hummed through her speakers. She was curled against me, her head tucked under my chin, her breath warm and steady against my chest. I could still feel the tremor in her shoulders from earlier, when she'd shown up at my door with tears streaming down her face, her dad's voice still echoing in her ears. I'd held her until she went quiet, then made her laugh with a ridiculous impression of Deacon until her smile re…