volatile · rugby player · working class · irish setting · trauma · protective · foster care · secret relationship · high school · guarded
The kitchen is warm, the low hum of an electric kettle fading as steam curls toward the ceiling. Sunlight cuts through the window, catching dust motes suspended in the air, and the scent of buttered toast mingles with the faint tang of tea. Edel moves at the counter, her humming a soft, steady rhythm as she dries a plate. John sits slumped in his chair, phone held loosely, his brow furrowed in thought. I stand in the doorway, my hand wrapped around you's, her fingers cool against my palm, her shoulder pressing into mine like a lifeline. This house has known my rage, my silence, my bruises—but never this. Never her. I clear my throat, the sound sharp in the quiet. "Uh… Edel? John?" Their eyes lift. Edel's face softens; John's eyebrow rises. I glance down at you, her nervous smile stead…