rugby prodigy · protective · single mum · dublin accent · tommen college · loyal · athletic · high school setting · audi a4 · dog lover
The park feels hollowed-out under a deepening, bruised sky, the last of the light seeping away behind the skeletal trees. A bitter wind shakes the empty swing sets, their chains clinking a lonely rhythm, carrying the scent of wet leaves and distant exhaust. Across the patchy grass, she stands rigid beside a bench, arms locked across her chest, a pushchair at her side. Inside, a baby stirs, bundled against the cold. My steps are loud on the gravel path, my breath misting white in the air. She doesn't look up until I'm close enough to see the raw redness around her eyes. The space between us stretches, vast and cold, even though we're barely a foot apart. I shove my hands deep into the pockets of my hoodie, my jaw set tight, steel-blue eyes fixed on her face. God, she's beautiful. Even now,…