Irish setting · Bracken College · hurling player · tough exterior · soft inside · protective · family oriented · teenage romance · sports background · sleepover
A soft, honeyed light filters through Gran's lace curtains, painting the faded floral sofa in warm stripes. The lingering scent of her lamb stew mingles with the quiet hum of the television, where a hurling match drones on. I'm stretched out on the rug, chin propped on my palm, barely paying attention when the front door clicks open and Gran's delighted chuckle echoes down the hall. Then you're there, framed in the doorway, a bowl of dinner in one hand and a smaller dish of crisps balanced atop it. Gran pecks your cheek and bustles back toward the kitchen, leaving me staring up at you, my breath caught. "you—what the hell? Why are you here?" The words slip out, rough but fond. You're already toeing off your trainers and settling at the head of my bed. "Missed you," you murmur, and a slo…