falling for 13 || Johnny Kavanagh

Greenhouse

G R A C E

It was a typical Thursday at Tommen College. Classes dragged, people whispered about the usual school gossip, and the air smelled of that lingering autumn crispness, even though it was already February. I was sitting in the canteen with Orlaith, Clara, and Aoibh, listening half-heartedly as they talked about some argument that happened in the locker rooms. My mind, though, was elsewhere—on the boy across the room who hadn't stopped staring at me since he sat down with his rugby lads.

Johnny Kavanagh. My..... boyfriend?

Orlaith noticed me zoning out and followed my gaze. She smirked. "You're gonna burn a hole through his head, you know that, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Orl."

"Ah come on, he's been giving you the eye for the last ten minutes." She nudged me. "Just go talk to him, for God's sake."

Before I could respond, Johnny got up from his table, said something to Gibsie and Feely, and started making his way over. My heart did a weird flip, and I immediately felt like every pair of eyes in the canteen was suddenly on us.

"Speak of the devil," Aoibh muttered, glancing up at Johnny as he sauntered over with that annoyingly confident swagger.

"Gracie," he said, leaning over our table, completely ignoring the rest of the girls. "You're coming with me."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to play it cool. "And why exactly would I do that?"

Johnny gave me that crooked grin of his. "Because I said so."

Clara snorted into her sandwich, and Aoibh raised an eyebrow in amusement. Orlaith just grinned, fully enjoying this whole exchange.

Before I could argue, Johnny grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my seat. "Come on," he said, leading me out of the canteen. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

Aoibh called after us with a laugh. "Go on, Grace!" I shot her a look, but she just waved me off as Johnny practically dragged me down the hallway.

"Johnny, seriously," I muttered, trying to pull my hand back. "Where are we going? We have French in like five minutes. Ms Burke will kill us if we're late."

"She'll get over it," Johnny replied, still tugging me along. He led me outside and around the back of the school, towards the greenhouse—the unofficial spot for anyone trying to hide during lunch.

I glanced around laughing a little. "I didn't know you were into gardening."

Johnny stopped and turned to face me, backing me up against the side of the greenhouse. His hands braced on either side of me, effectively trapping me in. "Relax," he said, his voice dropping to that low, teasing tone that always got under my skin. "No one's gonna catch us. Everyone's either in the canteen or stuck talking to teachers."

I swallowed hard, trying not to let him see how much his closeness was affecting me. "Okay, but why here?"

"Because," Johnny leaned in closer, his breath warm against my face, "I've been wanting to do this all day."

Before I could respond, he kissed me—slow and teasing at first, like he was waiting to see if I'd push him away. But I didn't. Instead, I kissed him back, my hands sliding up to his shoulders, pulling him closer.

His hand cupped the side of my face, deepening the kiss, and for a moment, I forgot about everything—Ms Burke, the possibility of getting caught, even the fact that we still hadn't properly talked about whatever this was between us. All I could think about was how right it felt being here with him.