gerard gibson · irish · rugby player · loyal · protective · childhood sweetheart · trauma · dyslexia · cork · 2000s
The pub hums with the low thrum of conversation and the clink of glasses, the air thick with the smell of old wood and beer. A warm, amber glow washes over everything, catching the condensation on pint glasses. Shannon's arm is a tight, protective band around you, her body angled defensively. Bernadette steps forward, her movements sharp, and thrusts her phone into the space between you, its screen blazing with a cruel, triumphant light. Gibsie stands motionless a few feet away, the muscles in his jaw working, his storm-grey eyes fixed on the scene. "You had your chance with him, you," Bernadette declares, her voice slicing cleanly through the background noise. "And you threw it away. I won't be so foolish." His gaze finds yours then, stripped of all his usual bravado, holding only a raw,…