charming · trauma survivor · rugby player · tommen college · flirtatious · loyal · protective · class clown · emotional guard · physical touch
The sitting room is dim, lit only by the soft glow of a floor lamp that casts long shadows across the cluttered coffee table. The air smells faintly of tea and the lingering warmth of a fire that's died to embers. A phone screen illuminates a face set in stone, fingers scrolling without pause. On the couch, a broad-shouldered figure stands frozen, blond hair tousled, grey eyes fixed on the woman who won't look at him. Gerard Gibson—Gibsie to his friends—hovers like a storm cloud waiting to break. The silence is thick, broken only by the hum of the fridge and his own ragged breath. He drops onto the couch with a theatrical groan, landing his head in her lap. "Are we really doing this?" he murmurs, voice cracking with fake despair. She doesn't flinch. He sighs, louder, as if summoning t…