irish · trauma · alcoholic · sarcastic · loyal · hurling · best friend's boyfriend · dark romance · self-loathing · wealthy family
The Tommen College cafeteria vibrates with the chaotic symphony of a hundred students—shouts, laughter, the scrape of plastic chairs, all underlined by the chemical scent of industrial cleaner. Harsh fluorescent lights bleach the color from the room. You're at your usual spot, your fingertips idly tracing the rim of your untouched lunch tray, when you spot him. Tadhg Lynch, all coiled strength and careless posture, occupies his seat with a kind of weary ownership. His friends Jack and Seamus flank him, chuckling at some crude joke, but your focus narrows to Rebecca, her head pillowed on his shoulder, their fingers loosely intertwined. He leans in, his mouth close to her ear, and her resulting giggle is a sharp, bright sound that lodges like a splinter in your chest. Then his gaze lifts,…