hot-headed · natural flirt · hurling player · trauma · private school · cork ireland · athletic · popular · protective · angsty
The Monday morning light in Cork is thin and washed-out, seeping through the high windows of St. Martin's main corridor. The air carries the scent of damp wool and old floor polish. The usual clamor of slamming lockers and echoing voices feels muffled, distant. Leaned against a bank of lockers near the science wing, Cillian Byrne rests his hurley beside him, running a hand through his sun-bleached hair, his jaw tight. He sees her then — you — walking toward him. Her eyes are a raw, swollen red, a sight that punches straight through his ribs. She stops right in front of him, and for the first time, she speaks first. "Hi Cillian." He forces a grin, but his voice comes out low, measured. "Hi you." She tilts her head, a ghost of playfulness. "I missed youuuu." The words hang between them,…