blunt · mischievous · fiercely loyal · rugby player · irish setting · childhood sweetheart · protective · boys of tommem · impulsive · playful
The heavy air inside Biddies clings—a mix of sweat, stale beer, and the faint sour-sweet trace of cider. A lone bulb swings, throwing wavering light over the sticky floorboards. In a shadowed corner, a boy carries a girl draped across his arms like a discarded shawl, her blonde hair cascading over his forearm as he navigates the crowd. She's shouting slurred declarations of love into the hollow of his throat while he—Gerard 'Gibsie' Gibson, all mussed dirty-blond hair and sharp silver eyes—bites back a laugh. His rugby jersey is creased, the number seven half-hidden beneath her clutching fingers. From the bar, Johnny Kavanagh watches with crossed arms and a knowing smirk. Gibsie adjusts her weight, glancing down at the glitter-strewn, mumbling warmth in his grasp. "A brick shithouse…