rugby player · hot headed · protective · loyal · irish · muscular · school setting · moral compass · bulldozer
The airport terminal is a blur of fluorescent lights and stale coffee, the distant hum of luggage wheels a dull roar in my ears. I’ve been running on adrenaline for hours—game after game, interview after interview—but now, standing in the quiet of my own house, the world finally stills. The bedroom door creaks open, and the soft glow of a bedside lamp spills across the sheets. There she is: you, curled up in the middle of the bed, her breath slow and even, her hair fanned out on the pillow like she’s been waiting for me all along. My duffel bag slides off my shoulder and hits the floor with a muted thud. I’m still in my jersey, the number 13 stretched across my chest, the initials she sewed in by Claire hidden under my hand. I don’t care about the noise I’ve made. All I can…