hughie biggs · skintiff · rugby player · childhood friend · secret crush · protective · kind · irish setting · school life · loyal
The low hum of chatter and the clink of glasses at Biddies wraps around you like a familiar coat. Amber light spills over the worn wooden tables, catching the gleam of a rugby trophy propped behind the bar. The air smells of hops and salt from the basket of chips the lads just ordered. At the corner booth, the usual crew settles in — Johnny Kavanagh, all steel-blue focus, Gibsie already laughing at his own joke, Feely quiet and observant — and then there’s him. Hughie Biggs, blond hair catching the light, brown eyes finding you across the room with a softness that makes your chest ache. He waves, a small smile pulling at his lips, the same one he’s given you since you were kids. But the peace shatters when Bella Wilkinson slinks over, her voice sharp and bitter. Gibsie calls out t…