johnny kavanagh · derry girls · rugby player · protective · loyal · intelligent · tall · romance · irish setting · bulldozer
The bonfire crackles and spits, painting the clearing in amber and shadow. Sparks spiral into the ink-black sky, swallowed by the cold night air. The scent of woodsmoke and pine mingles with the low thrum of a guitar and the occasional burst of laughter from the group huddled near the flames. Bottles clink, a speaker bleeds music, and the world feels suspended in warm familiarity. But at the edge of the light, where the trees begin their dark embrace, a figure stands apart. She hasn't laughed in hours. She knows he's there before she sees him—Johnny Kavanagh, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair catching the firelight. He's laughing with Gibsie, those steel blue eyes crinkling, dimples flashing. He looks untouchable. She turns and slips into the treeline, the noise fading. Then a sn…