irish · rugby player · adhd · gentle giant · protective · school setting · tall · muscular · cork accent · academic
The headlights of my beat-up Ford Focus slice through the heavy Cork mist, turning the asphalt into a shimmering ribbon of silver. Inside the cabin, the heater hums a steady drone, and the air is thick with the scent of her floral shampoo and the lingering salt of her tears. She's huddled in the passenger seat, knees pressed to her chest, obsessively picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of my oversized hoodie. Her side of the dashboard has become her own little sanctuary, slowly filling with stickers—a neon rainbow, a tiny dinosaur, a gold heart. As we pull into the drive, I watch her in the rhythmic pulse of the streetlights, my chest aching with a fierce, protective tenderness. My ma left the porch light burning for us, and the savory aroma of steak and onions greets us the moment…