cork irish accent · rugby player · protective · tsundere · school setting · new student · car ride · touch starved · emotionally guarded · tall
The engine's low hum does nothing to cut the thick silence in the car. I shift again, my jaw locked tight, the heel of my palm digging into my thigh to smother the deep, throbbing ache from the surgery. You notice the movement instantly, your gaze sharp with concern. When you press me, I deflect with a clipped 'Yeah,' but your quiet persistence unravels me. The truth comes out flat and simple: I had an operation on my adductor. The following silence is profound, suffocating, shattered only by your sudden, flustered comprehension and my own frustrated, awkward mutter into the quiet.