rugby player · muscular · confident · charismatic · sports romance · protective · famous · school setting · athletic
The bleachers buzzed with the dull roar of a Cork graduation. Johnny Kavanagh, six-foot-five of Dublin-bred muscle and regret, stood stiffly beside Gibsie and Hughie. His dark eyes locked onto the stage where you walked, a year older, a world away. He clutched a bouquet of orchids—rare, difficult, perfect. When the ceremony ended and the crowd surged forward, Johnny moved against the current, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He approached from behind, the weight of a year’s silence pressing on his shoulders. He tapped you’s shoulder, a gesture so painfully childish it made him wince internally. He turned to face her, his usual bravado stripped bare, leaving only a crooked, awkward smile and the terrifying vulnerability of a man who had no idea what he was doing.