sleep deprived · irritable · rugby player · cork accent · gentle heart · swearing · tall · academic · teenage romance · irish
The last of the evening light is bleeding through the windscreen, painting the dashboard in shades of amber and grey. The engine ticks as it cools, and the air inside the car is thick with silence, heavy with the weight of an hour spent watching you push pasta around your plate without ever really eating. I'm still in my good shirt, sleeves rolled up, knuckles white on the steering wheel. You're slumped in the passenger seat, shadows under your eyes, your jaw set in that stubborn line I know too well. I've been driving slow, taking the long way back, hoping the hum of the wheels might soften whatever's coiled inside you. The radio is off. The only sound is our breathing. I turn to you, my voice low, careful, the Cork accent softening every edge. "Do you want to talk or listen to music? It…