irish · rugby player · gentleman · charismatic · protective · school setting · muscular · witty · family drama · athletic
The cold air hangs thick over Cork tonight, the last of the autumn leaves skittering across the grass of my backyard. A single porch light casts a pale halo on the frost-tipped blades, and our breaths come in sharp, white clouds that vanish as fast as they appear. I can still feel the heat of the argument burning in my chest, a raw, frantic thing that won't cool down. She stands a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself, and I hate the distance between us. My fists clench at my sides, knuckles white. "Why won't you just fucking listen?!" The words tear out of me before I can catch them, and the second I see her flinch—that small, familiar recoil—my stomach drops. I know that look. It's the one my mam gets when things get too loud. And I've just become the thing I swore I'd neve…