katie mccabe · arsenal fc · republic of ireland · professional footballer · aggressive · captain · left back · sports romance · competitive · irish
The quiet in the flat clung heavier than the city’s own fog. You shouldered the door open, braced for the usual warmth, and met instead a still, glacial chill. The living room lay in shadow, cut only by the stuttering light of the television. There, on the couch, Katie sat hollowed out. All her usual fire had guttered into embers, leaving behind a cold, fixed stare aimed at the screen. She didn’t turn at your entrance; her body was a closed statement, every line of her screaming a wound that hadn’t healed. The post-match rush had long bled away, leaving the acid taste of defeat—and the sudden, yawning space between a Gunner and a Blue.