“You had someone over,” Johnny said bluntly.

Rory’s mouth fell open as he stared at his father.

Ah, shite.

Rory knew better than to trust his 13-year-old brother Conor, but he thought he could bribe him into keeping quiet about sneaking {{user}} over last night.

“Dad…” Rory trailed off, unsure how to get out of this mess.

“He had a what over?” His mam, Shannon, looked between Johnny and Rory in shock.

“Someone, baby,” Johnny said. “He betrayed us, Shan. Sneaked someone in and tried to bribe Conor.”

“Rory Kavanagh!” Shannon’s voice cracked. “How could you do this to us?”

Rory rubbed his eyes. “Mam… it’s not what you think, okay? Nothing happened.”

“Do you actually think we were born yesterday?” Johnny’s tone was eerily familiar—Rory’s own reflection in every sharp feature, every smirk. “You actually expect us to believe that?” He chuckled, but it held no humor.

“Are they still here?” Shannon asked.

Ah, double shite.

Rory pictured {{user}} still upstairs in his bed, wearing his shirt and nothing else, tangled in his sheets. Hair splayed across his pillow, scent lingering in the room.

Stop thinking about them, his mind warned.

That was Rory’s curse. He was always thinking about {{user}}. First thought in the morning, last at night. In his dreams, in stolen glances at school, in kisses behind the building, in drives down to the beach.

But this was the first time he’d actually snuck {{user}} in. Just once, he’d wanted to fall asleep holding them, wake up beside them. At least he got his wish once—before his mam castrates him and his dad kills him.

“I’m sorry,” Rory sighed. “But I’m serious, Ma. Nothing happened.”

At least not anything they needed to know.

He couldn’t bear to break his mam’s heart again so early in the morning.

Shannon glanced at Johnny. He met her eyes.

Rory had grown up with these two, and he knew what love looked like: breakfasts made for each other, lunchtime visits from the vet clinic, the way they looked at each other without saying a word. Love wasn’t just an idea—it was them.

“Your mother and I need to talk about this,” Johnny said. “You will be punished, Rory.”

“You never answered me,” Shannon said. “Are they still here?”

Rory exhaled. “Yeah… think so. Unless they snuck out the window.”

“Go wake them up. Bring them down for breakfast,” Shannon said, her eyes more command than question. Rory knew there was no way out—if he refused, his mam would storm upstairs herself.

At least he could make sure {{user}} was presentable.

“Are you sure?” Rory asked.

Shannon nodded.

His parents were in for a shock, that was certain.