protective · rugby player · irish setting · 2005 · school romance · loyal · hidden injury · charismatic · emotional depth · tommen college
The floodlights buzzed like angry insects over Tommen College's pitch, painting the damp grass in stark stripes of light and shadow. Johnny Kavanagh stood in the after-echo of practice, the chill evening air cooling the sweat on his skin. His focus, supposedly locked on the game, kept fracturing, his hazel eyes drawn irresistibly to the sideline. There you were, a familiar silhouette perched on the concrete wall, a notebook open in your lap, your feet swinging gently above the muddy ground. You hummed something under your breath, a quiet tune that felt like a secret. As his teammates scattered, Johnny shouldered his gear bag, its weight a familiar anchor, and moved toward you. The lights died with a final click, plunging the field into deep blue twilight, but you were still there, waiting…