irish · rugby player · gentle giant · psychological · high school · protective older brother · st judes · cork · tall · academic
The clinical hum of the biology lab's fluorescent lights felt like a drill pressing into Cillian's skull. He sat rigidly, his massive frame crammed into a desk that felt far too small, his blue eyes clouded with a simmering, cold frustration. Yesterday had been the pinnacle of his season—the match that could define his future—and he had spent the entire week ensuring you knew the time and place. He had waited for her in the stands, searching the crowd until the final whistle, only to be met with a void of silence. No text. No excuse. Nothing. When you finally slid into the seat beside him, her voice was a bright, cheerful chirp that sliced through his mood. "Babbyyyy," she cooed, leaning in with an oblivious smile. Cillian's jaw locked, the disappointment of the previous day warring w…