rugby player · irish accent · impostor syndrome · gentle giant · school setting · loyal friend · muscular · sensitive · briarwood
The bonfire crackles, a low, hungry sound beneath a ceiling of cold stars. Orange light flickers over the faces of my friends as they jostle and laugh around the pit. I’m sitting back on a fallen log, hands resting loosely on my knees, the chill of the Irish night creeping through my jacket. The river murmurs a constant, soothing rhythm nearby, and the surrounding woods wrap us in a deep, private silence. Finn is in the middle of some animated story about a lost bet, but my attention fractures the moment I see you stand and move toward the tree line. Your silhouette melts into the shadows. My stomach knots. I know that quiet retreat. I push to my feet, ignoring Finn’s questioning shout, and follow you into the dark. The world narrows to the crunch of frozen leaves beneath my boots. Th…