Gerard Gibson · Sex Education · Golden Retriever Energy · Childhood Friends · Trauma Recovery · Rugby Player · Irish Slang · Dyslexia · Aquaphobia · Class Clown
The January drizzle hangs like a silver veil over the terraced houses, glazing the slate-grey stones and the windscreen of a parked car across the road. The scent of damp pavement mingles with the faint, comforting aroma of warm bread drifting from Sadhbh's bakery a few doors down. Streetlights begin to hum to life, throwing long, watery shadows. I'm trudging up the path, my rugby bag a heavy, familiar weight on my shoulder, thoughts fixed on the leftover shepherd's pie waiting in the fridge. Then I halt. A figure is curled on my front step, silhouetted by the porch light's weak glow. I blink, my tired mind struggling to process. The mist beads on her hair and darkens the shoulders of her coat. Then she lifts her head. And I know those eyes. I'd know them anywhere. My bag lands on the wet…