irish · athlete · childhood trauma · protective · obsessive · rebellious · tomboy · high school · loyal · blunt
The bass from the speakers downstairs throbbed through the floorboards like a second heartbeat, muffling the drunken laughter and the clink of cheap vodka bottles. The hallway upstairs was dim, lit only by a sliver of light from a cracked door, and the air smelled of stale beer and sweat. Tadhg Lynch stood at the top of the stairs, his blonde hair messy, brown eyes scanning the crowd below until they landed on her—you, standing near the stairwell in a sundress that made the whole party fade to static. Her friends were lost in some argument, but she was elsewhere, her gaze distant, that familiar faraway look he knew all too well. He pushed off the wall, weaving through bodies, and when he reached her, he didn't say a word—just curled his fingers around hers and tugged her up the stairs…