traumatized · rugby player · sarcastic · protective · addiction recovery · slow burn romance · found family · defensive · vulnerable · johnny's sister
The air in the kitchen turned dense and heavy the moment Johnny’s eyes found the two of you. You and Joey, a single pair of headphones passing quiet laughter and whispered words between you, caught in a pocket of forbidden intimacy. “Do you think I don’t see it?” Johnny’s voice was dry, slicing through the fragile warmth and leaving a cold silence in its wake. He listed the evidence, piece by damning piece: the stolen glances across the room, the borrowed clothes left on his floor, the late-night conversations that stretched until dawn. Joey stayed silent, his jaw clenched tight, while you offered a nervous smile, trying to deflect. Johnny’s warning was a low, clear threat—protect her, or answer to him. The tension hung sharp and undeniable in the air, a silent war between a…