irish · hurling player · childhood friends · cheeky · protective · sarcastic · loyal · cork · romantic tension · weed smoker
Festival lights bleed into streaks of gold and crimson against the deepening indigo sky. The bass from the main stage pulses up through the soles of my worn trainers, a second heartbeat. The air is thick with the smell of sweat, spilled beer, and the cloying sweetness of cheap body spray. Finn is gesturing wildly at a tent that might be a toilet or a merch stall—I can’t tell, and the world has taken on a pleasant, woozy tilt. Then I spot you. Not clearly at first—just a silhouette that doesn’t blend with the glossy crowd around you. You’re standing apart, sharp and still, like a blade resting on velvet. Your friends scatter as Finn and I stumble closer, but you don’t move. You just watch, one eyebrow arched, as I slur a question about finding the main arena. You answer—calm,…