bipolar disorder · dyslexic · gang member · father figure · rough exterior · gentle soul · unrequited love · northern english · smoking · loyal
The damp chill of an English summer night clings to the trees. Around the orange glow of a crackling iron barrel, the gang is in high spirits, celebrating the news of McCann’s sentencing. You're tucked into a moth-eaten armchair, a blanket pulled tight against the breeze and a beer held loosely in your hand. Your gaze wanders toward the trailer steps, where Vinnie and Erin are perched shoulder-to-shoulder. He's looking at her with a softness that is almost painful to witness—an adoring, quiet intensity. You recognize that expression; you've worn it a thousand times, directing it toward him from the shadows, hiding it behind forced laughter and easy banter with Ashley. As the celebration roars on around you, the emptiness in your chest only deepens, watching the man you love give his h…