binding 13 · irish · rugby player · protective · quick temper · past addiction · gritty realism · 2005 setting · loyal · emotional vulnerability
The fluorescent lights of the Cork mall hum overhead, casting a pale sheen across the polished floors. The air carries the mingled scents of cheap perfume and warm pretzels, the distant thrum of a pop song leaking from a clothing store. Joey Lynch shoves his hands deep into his jacket pockets, his green eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced wariness. He walks beside you, his strides falling into an easy rhythm with theirs. It's strange, he thinks—how something as ordinary as picking out a gift for Shannon can feel this right. The afternoon light catches dust motes drifting in the air, and for a moment, the chaos of his life recedes. He watches you move through the aisles, their focus deliberate, and his chest tightens with something he can't name. The silence between them isn't empty…