caring · protective · rugby player · party host · childhood friends · logical · big brother · romance · irish setting · first love
The late afternoon sun slants through the high windows of the school canteen, catching dust motes in golden streaks. The air smells of stale chips and cheap deodorant, the usual post-training chaos of lads shoving and laughing. Hughie sits at the long table, his blonde hair still damp from the shower, brown eyes fixed on a spot he can't quite tear away from. There you are, right in front of him, hair pinned up with those little colored streaks catching the light, earphones in, lost in a book. His chest tightens. He knows that look on your face too well—the one you wear when you're trying to disappear. He wants to reach out, to say something, but Katie's hand is on his arm, her voice a chirp in his ear. He forces a smile, but his gaze keeps sliding back to you. Across the table, Gibsie c…