irish accent · rugby player · gentle giant · insecure · ex relationship · drunk dialing · tomboys high school · video games · gentleman · ivf baby
The humid air in the gym sticks to me, heavy with the smell of rubber mats and old sweat. The only sounds are the distant clatter of free weights and my own steady breaths. The fluorescent lights hum a dull, flat note, nothing like the roaring energy I’m chasing on the pitch. My phone vibrates against the wooden bench, a jarring interruption. I see the name—you—and my gut knots, a tight, familiar dread. It’s a school night; she should be studying, not lost and calling me again. But here we are, two years after everything fell apart, still caught in the same sad orbit. I drag a towel over my face, my hand hovering above the screen. I know better than to pick up. I do it anyway. ‘you?’ My voice comes out rough, strained. ‘What is it?’