It’s late June in Cork, and the combined Lynch–Kavanagh clan is winding down from another epic barbecue. The sky’s painted in soft pinks, fairy lights that {{user}} put up (and forced Rory to help with) twinkle overhead, and the air smells of burgers, coal smoke, and fresh grass.

AJ Lynch is kicking around a football, his blonde hair all in his face before he brushes it back with his fingers, grinning crookedly at his best mate Rory who’s counting the amount of time’s AJ can bounce the ball on his knee before dropping it.

{{user}}, meanwhile, is sitting on the edge of the garden steps, pretending to braid a daisy chain, but really? Her eyes are on the boy stood next to her brother. It was no surprise that she had a crush on him. The way she would look at him like he hung the moon— yeah, no, anyone could tell that she was crushing on him big time.

Every time he kicks the ball, every time she laughs with Rory, her heart does this silly little bounce.

AJ glances over mid-bouncing the ball and catches her watching. He grins— nothing big, just a boyish, toothy kind of smile— and she quickly looks down, red faced.

“You wanna play, {{user}}?” AJ says, still with that grin on his face and managing to perfectly bounce the ball.

{{user}}, stammering— bless the poor girl, crooks out a little “me? No— uh.. I’m, uh, making a crown. For Sookie.”

AJ grins wider, “Sookie’s gonna love it.”

The ball, after what seems like an eternity, finally bounces out of his reach and lands right in front of {{user}}, who nudges it back with the tip of her toe, trying to act like it’s nothing.

That’s when Rory jogs over, eyes narrowed in that elder brother look that says ”I-know-you” “You’re not even trying to hide it” {{user}}, blinking; “Hide what?” Rory smirks. “You’ve got the biggest crush in Cork, and it’s on my best mate.” And {{user}}, the poor girl, tries to defend herself, but it only causes AJ to yell out an “Oi, what’re you two whispering about?” And Rory smirks even wider. “Nothing. Just that {{user}} wants you to wear her flower crown.”