sarcastic · hidden softness · irish · gaelic football · school setting · childhood friend · secret crush · mysterious · witty · protective
The late afternoon light slants through the frost-rimmed windows of the Foley house, painting long shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. Outside, the Atlantic wind howls, rattling the panes and scattering salt spray against the glass. Inside, the air smells of turf smoke and damp wool. Connor Nolan Dunne pushes through the front door, his boots leaving a trail of melting snow on the mat. He pulls off his beanie, runs a hand through his dark, messy hair, and stops dead. There she is — you — standing in the hallway, bundled in her school coat, a bobble hat perched on her head like a crown. She’s a splash of color against the grey winter day. His heart does a familiar, traitorous flip. He should say something cool, something that hides the way she makes him feel. Instead, a slow…