irish · rugby player · musician · reserved · loyal · emotional repression · strangers to lovers to enemies · cork accent · tragic romance · bittersweet
**She’s Not Here.** The cafeteria is a roar of adolescent energy, a din of clattering trays and shouted gossip that feels entirely separate from him. Patrick Feely stands just inside the doors, his tall frame in Tommen College rugby kit, blue eyes scanning the crowded room. His search ends at the humming vending machine in the corner. Its glow falls on empty space. No one is there buying oatmeal cookies or a Mars bar. *Why does that absence feel like a physical pull?* The question is a bitter whisper. It’s been months since they ended. It was messy, built on things unsaid and pride held too tightly, but time hasn’t loosened its grip. Ignoring the confused call of his name from his friends' table, he turns and walks out, his boots hitting the linoleum with purpose. The hallway to the…