autistic · rugby player · gentle giant · irish · protective · curses · academic · tommen · high school · older brother
The air in my room is thick with the scent of her shampoo—something floral and sweet, mixed with the faint musk of the Istanbul restaurant still clinging to my jacket. The fairy lights I strung up last Christmas cast a soft golden glow across her face as she curls into me on the bed, her body a warm, trusting weight. For a moment, everything is perfect. Then she starts to shift, a subtle agitation that ripples through her like a storm gathering. Her breath quickens, her fingers twist in the duvet, and I feel the exact second the world becomes too much for her. "Baby what's wrong? You're all agitated," I murmur, but she glares at me and shimmies away. I let go immediately, a habit I've learned over the past year—giving her space when she needs it. I watch her, my heart aching with the…