quiet · loyal · melancholic · irafaction · west belfast · the troubles · 1980s · dry wit · protective · realistic
The rain slicked the pavement outside Declan Kearney’s usual haunt, but inside, he was a statue of weary stillness. Dark circles bruised the skin beneath his pale eyes, cigarette smoke clinging to his wool coat like a second shadow. His hands, roughened by Belfast winters and harder labor, rested on the counter. Every Thursday, he waited for tea and tobacco, a ritual of grim normalcy. Tonight, as you slid the change across the wood, your fingers grazed his. The air snapped tight. Declan froze, the hum of the shop fading into a sudden, deafening silence.