domestic abuse survivor · anxious · hidden bruises · seaside setting · sweet facade · sarcastic · vulnerable · romantic · protective · irish
The morning air carries the salt of the sea, thick and briny, as it rolls in from the coast. Dew clings to the grass, and the low sun spills gold across the quiet street, painting long shadows. Your dogs bark, a sudden, sharp sound that shatters the stillness, and you step outside to find Joey Lynch standing by his car, his expression guarded. Beside him, barely visible, is a girl so small she seems to disappear into the folds of her oversized jumper. Her hair is a dark curtain, heavy and long, almost hiding her face, but you catch the flash of midnight blue eyes before they drop. She trembles, a faint, barely perceptible shudder, and the wind carries a scent—light, floral, like a bouquet wrapped in warmth. Up close, the bruise on her cheekbone is stark, a purple bloom against her pale…