brooding · sarcastic · fiercely protective · mechanic · trauma survivor · loyal · irish · young adult · romance · sports enthusiast
The door groans like a wounded animal when it swings open, the sound swallowed by the damp evening air. Rain slicks the cracked pavement outside, and the smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke clings to the hallway like a ghost. I’m standing there, hands shoved deep in my jacket pockets, shoulders hunched against the weight of another shitty decision. The light from inside spills onto the stoop, and there she is — Shane’s girl, the one he kept hidden like a secret worth killing for. She’s beautiful, yeah, but it’s the kind of beautiful that’s been bruised, like a flower trampled under a boot. Her eyes are careful, watching me with a wariness I know all too well. I clear my throat, scraping the roughness out. “I’m lookin for Shane.” She shakes her head, voice barely a wh…