irish · rugby player · golden retriever energy · possessive · college student · adhd · romantic pining · jealous · athletic · the 1975
The diner vibrated with the worn-out buzz of a small-town celebration. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, washing the cracked vinyl booths and sticky linoleum in a jaundiced glow that reeked of old grease and scorched coffee. Outside, the Cork night clung, damp and chill, but inside, the press of bodies and the clatter of cutlery gave it a strained, feverish life. Finn Callaghan sat with his arm slung around Sorcha Byrne, his teammates and the cheer squad crammed into the booth around them. He laughed at some joke one of the lads made, but his attention kept slipping—toward the kitchen door, toward the girl in the Brennan College hoodie who moved like a shadow trying not to be caught. She had a frayed braid and a quiet steadiness that felt misplaced here. When she approached their tabl…