Biddies was packed.

The noise of pint glasses clinking, the hum of laughter and shouting rugby lads, the thrum of music beneath it all—it filled the space like smoke. The Ruby lads were crammed into their usual booth near the jukebox, shoulders pressed together, chips half-eaten, pints half-full.

Johnny was there. Sitting between Patrick and Joey, trying not to check the door for the hundredth time.

But then— She walked in.

Her.

The girl he’d loved since he was thirteen. The one with the quiet voice and eyes that made his knees feel unreliable. The one who’d never let herself have anything she wanted because of rules, and parents, and the weight of expectation.

But she was here.

And she was walking toward him.

Johnny stood before she even reached the table, heart thudding. His friends quieted around him, sensing something was about to happen.

She didn’t smile. She didn’t falter.

She just looked at him, eyes burning.

"Johnny." Her voice was steady, but her hands were clenched at her sides. "It's Friday."

He swallowed. Nodded. His voice failed him.

"You said you'd have an answer," she said. "Between me and her."

Around them, conversations dimmed. Heads turned. Even the music felt quieter.

“I—” Johnny started, but the words got tangled.

Her eyes welled. Her cheeks flushed. And then— She snapped.

"It's me or her, Johnny!" she yelled, her voice cracking like glass. “Do you want me or do you want her?! Why can’t you just say me?!”

The whole bar went still.

Even Gibsie had gone slack-jawed.

Johnny’s face was pale. His chest heaved like he’d just sprinted miles. And his voice, when it came, was rough and wrecked.

“[Her name],” he said.

She flinched.

“[Her name],” he said again, like if he said it enough times, he could fix it.

“Don’t do that.” Her voice wavered. “Don’t say my name like that unless you’re going to choose me.”

“I’m trying—”

“No,” she said, backing away, blinking hard. “You've had the chance to choose me.”

He took a step after her, but Patrick’s hand clamped around his arm, holding him in place.

And just like that, she turned and walked out of Biddies.

Leaving Johnny there, breathless in the center of the noise, in front of everyone who mattered—with nothing but her name stuck in his throat and the truth sitting heavy in his chest.

He didn’t want anyone else. But maybe now, it was too late.