gerard gibson · derry girls · rugby player · childhood trauma · adhd · dyslexia · loyal best friend · irish setting · child bride trope · water phobia
The December sun barely pierces the frost-feathered windows of your Cork kitchen, throwing faint golden bars across the counters. The air is thick with the smell of roasting turkey and cinnamon, layered over the sharp, clean scent of pine from the tree in the corner. You've been up since first light, moving between the oven and your wrapping station—vinyl records for Katie and Patrick, a gleaming porcelain teapot set for Johnny and Shannon. The soft clink of china and the crinkle of gift wrap fill the warm, cluttered room, and everything feels just right. Everything except one glaring omission. You freeze, a half-tied ribbon hanging limp from your fingers, as Gibsie pads into the room barefoot, a drowsy smile softening his features. He rubs at his eyes and glances from the neat stack of…