Keeping 13 (bonus scene)

Six Years Then A New Beginning

Johnny

Cork, Ireland 2011
"Shite!" I cursed out from the pain and quickly drew a towel hanging on the rack to press against my bleeding chin. I put down the razor and collected myself. I am so bleeding nervous about tonight. Shannons voice filled the room.
"Johnny, are you almost done? Our dinner reservation is in ten minutes."
A small brown haired woman appeared in the doorway, looking like she stepped out of a movie. I slowly took her in, smiling as I stared at her classy black heels with a silver bow located at the toe. Her dress is long and flowy with a blue flower pattern on it. The dress had a sweetheart neckline, with big straps going over her shoulders. Her blue eyes are popping from the light eyeshadow she is wearing, and her long lashes go perfectly together with the lush lips colored in a beautiful shade of pink. Her whole face is looking like something you could only imagine. With a swift move, the little brunette leaves the room to retreat downstairs. With one final look in the mirror, I reach down in the drawers and retrieve the velvet box. I look out the door to make sure Shannons not lurking somewhere where she might get a view of what I'm hiding in my hands. Slowly opening the box, I examine the three carat diamond ring sitting comfortable in the black velvet pillow.
I hear Shannon again, yelling at me from the downstairs hall and that is my que to leave.

Shannon

I sit uncomfortably on the couch, waiting for Johnny to come downstairs. I have dreaded this night for a few days now, knowing what's coming. I have a theory that Johnny's breaking up with me. No, I am certain that he is. For days, he's been acting strange, avoiding and being secretive around me. The only thing I can't seem to figure out is why. The last couple of months have been really great with both Johnny's career and mine. He signed a contract with Dublin a few months ago and he's really killing it. With both the England team and France breathing down his neck, he is doing pretty good. Since he signed with Ireland, his career has skyrocketed. There are more fans and journalists than ever and I have noticed that he's getting tired of it. I would too if I couldn't even go to the chip chop without being approached by hundreds of people.
I snap out of my thoughts when I hear Johnny's footsteps echoing in the hall.
"You ready Shannon like the river?"
I quickly stand up and smooth over my dress before walking towards him.
"Hi baby, you look beautiful." He said before placing a kiss on my temple.
"Thank you Johnny." I peeped nervously.
He gently placed his hand on my lower back before guiding me out of the house and to the car. Johnny has always liked cars and now that he is a multi millionaire, he's got a serious collection. The black car is bathing in the evening sun and the birds are chirping happily in the surrounding trees. Reaching beside me, he opened the passenger door and gestured for me to get inside. The car is quite new so the classic car smell is still hanging in the air when I step inside.

***

My knee bounces nervously against the car floor and my gaze shifts regularly between Johnny and the road before us. Johnny's right hand altered from the steering wheel to my left thigh and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
"Are you nervous about tonight?" Johnny asked in a calm voice.
I take some time answering. Of course I was nervous, but I couldn't tell him why. I guess that he wants to do this the right way and not by me blurting out something that could ruin it for him.
He gives my thigh another squeeze which brings me back to the conversation.
"Of course not!" I exclaim, plastering on a fake smile. He frowns at my response.
"I can always tell when you're lying, Shannon." He added and his frown grew deeper.
I panicked at his comment. Was I really that transparent?
"I am not!" I told him, a bit frustrated that he wouldn't let it go.
His hand tensed, gripping the steering wheel harder until his knuckles were white.

Johnny

Fuck. My. Life.
Why did I have to argue with Shannon today of all days? She told me that she was fine in the car, something I knew was a total lie. I always know when she's lying, no matter how small or big the lie might be. But she kept arguing against it which made my concern grow even further to the point where I argued back. It ended in pin drop silence for the rest of the ride. Now I have an argument to solve before I screw things up further and end up ruining the night. This day has been marked in my calendar for months. Months. I can't screw up now from a small argument about her mood.
When we step out of the car about ten minutes later, the tension is so thick I can taste it. Shannon is still looking nervous as hell and I am beginning to grow suspicious. Does she know about the proposal? No, she can't know, I have been hiding it like a pro.
The restaurant we are dining at is very close to the beach. More specifically the beach Shannon and I escaped to when we were in fifth and third year. I thought about a proposal spot for a long time, wanting to do it at a place where we had memories. The beach idea was something I came up with a couple weeks ago, and it is the best spot for this thing.
The restaurant is everything I wanted and more. I booked us a table near the windows, facing the sea and made sure the tables next to us were empty. I need this one night alone with her and can't risk having a middle aged couple screw this up. The food looked incredible on the website and it has gotten two Michelin stars so if this is not living up to my expectations, I am going to have a little chat with the manager.

Shannon

At the restaurant, Johnny was looking like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. The entire night he was sweating and stumbling on his words. Why is he nervous? He is the one that's breaking up with me, not the other way around.
When the bill came I almost choked on my fancy wine. We ate for 300 bleeding pounds. When I tried to pay half of the extremely overpriced meal, Johnny was the one that almost choked on his fancy wine. He didn't even consider the option and paid happily with a smile on his face. Why was he being so generous if he were going to break up with me in the span of the next hour? Maybe he wanted to play nice before dropping the bomb to ease the fall?
I wandered off in my thoughts when a hand locked in mine. My gaze fell on our interlaced fingers before looking him in the eyes. This is it, Johnny Kavanagh, my boyfriend of six years is ending it. Ending us. Tears pooled in my eyes, burning beneath my eyelids.

Johnny

I couldn't stop looking at her. She was so beautiful it hurt. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering her though. I could see that she was deep in her thoughts so I took my hand in hers. At first, she didn't look at me, but after what looked like an eternal battle, she locked her eyes with mine. I gave her a weak smile, but it quickly disappeared when I saw tears forming in her eyes. Did I do something? What if she's still upset about what happened in the car?
"What's wrong, baby?" I asked, concern filling my voice.
She looked away, trying to hide her tears from me. That didn't sit well with me so I cupped her small face in my hands and stared into her deep midnight blue eyes. When she didn't answer me, I asked again. This time she just shrugged in response. We sat in silence for about a minute before she spoke again.
"I know what you're about to do, so please just do it now." She whispered, her voice trembling from the tears still pooled in her eyes.
I froze, taking in what she said. Did she figure it out? But if she did, why does she look so sad?
"Can you tell me what you were thinking?" I asked, my voice now trembling from the panic she is giving me.
She stared up at me again, but now the tears that once filled her eyes were streaming down her rosy cheeks.
"I- I know th-that you're b-breaking up-p with m-me." She stated, now sulking from her sadness.
My heart almost stopped. Was she serious? A bazillion thoughts were flying around in my mind, screaming at me. She continued staring at me, waiting for me to answer. What was I supposed to say? My mind became blank, not coming up with a good answer.

Shannon

I was right. I couldn't stand sitting here anymore, watching him struggle to find the right words. Didn't he think this through? Maybe he was caught off guard by my statement. I couldn't hold back my sob anymore so I rose to my feet and made my way to leave. Where I would go I had no idea, but it was sure as hell away from here. I came about two steps forward before a hand grabbed my forearm, spinning me around. With his tall frame and broad shoulders, Johnny towered over me. I decided not to look up at him, but that thought vanished when he took my face in his hands and put his lips on mine. I was caught off guard by the move and pulled away, confused. Now he was the one with tears in his eyes.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
He looked deep into my eyes, wearing a look on his face I have not seen before. He stroked his thumb against my cheek gently, again leaving me confused.
"I would never break up with you Shannon like the river." He calmly stated, wiping away his unshed tears.
"Are you sure? You still love me?" I asked, still unsure if he was playing with me.
"Like a crazy fucking amount." He told me, with a big smile on his lips. And before I could say anything to answer him, he lowered himself onto one knee. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't process what he was doing. He drew out something from his suit jacket. It was a red velvet box. I forgot the ability to speak and just stood there, with my jaw on the floor. He slowly opened the box, exposing a ridiculously big diamond ring. It was formed into a beautiful circle, held up by a golden ring. Tears were streaming down my cheeks again, but for a totally different reason.
"Shannon like the river, I have followed you through ups and downs for over six years, loving every second of it, scared that it will end someday. You have shown me all of your sides, trusting me with your life. I know you think I can't love all of you, but I do. You are my favourite person in this whole world, turning my life upside down with your presence and leaving me mind blown every time. I love your happy side, with your cute smile and wonderful laugh, I love your angry side, where you're mad at me even when you know I am right ;). But I especially love your healed part. And yes I mean healed, not broken, because you are healed. You got yourself through all this pain, tears and heartbreak. No one deserves what you've been put through, but especially not you. You're the strongest person I know and I will love you for all of my life and hope you will too. I know I want you for keeps. So, Shannon like the river, will you marry me?"