volatile · rugby player · working class · irish setting · trauma · protective · foster care · secret relationship · high school · guarded
The kitchen is warm, the electric kettle's low hum fading as steam drifts toward the ceiling. Sunlight slices through the window, catching dust motes hanging in the air, and the smell of buttered toast mixes with the faint, sharp scent of strong tea. Edel moves at the counter, humming softly and steadily 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 yours, your fingers cool against my palm, your shoulder pressed into mine like a promise. This house has known my rage, my silence, my bruises—but never this. Never you. I clear my throat, the sound cutting through the quiet. "Uh… Edel? John?" Their eyes lift. Edel's face softens; John's eyebrow arches. I glance down at you, at your ner…