falling for 13 || Johnny Kavanagh

Ready

G R A C E

Johnny had his headphones on, sat towards the back of the bus. The music was blasting so loud that I could clearly make out the sound of Tupac singing about how we came from a woman, got our name from a woman and our game from a woman. He was completely zoned out, his entire focus was on the iPod in his hands. The seat next to him was empty, with the exception of his gear bag. I cleared my throat, trying to catch my boyfriend's attention, but failed. Jesus a fucking bomb could go off and he wouldn't notice.

Pierce O'Neill, who was sitting behind flicked the back of his head, which immediately caught his attention. "Kav your missus wants to sit down!"

"Shite" he said, launching the gear bag to the seat on the other side, which was already filled with typical rugby shite. "Sorry, Gracie" he added, standing up.

"Thats okay" I replied, sliding into the window seat, dropping my bag on the floor.

"Whats the big bag for? Since when are you a rugby player?" he asked, a smirk on his face as he glanced at my bag.

"Aoibh told me to be prepared because the last match in Dublin, you lot had to stay over night, so.... I'm being prepared" I answered, crossing one leg over the other.

Johnny raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Prepared, huh?" he echoed, his voice dropping to a teasing murmur. "You didn't have to bring your entire wardrobe, Gracie."

I smirked, trying to play it off, but my heart was hammering. "Well I'd rather bring extra clothes than regret not bringing extra clothes, Kav."

His brow quirked up, and I could tell he was fishing for a clearer answer. "You know I can do alot of convincing to get Mulcahy to give me my own room, and then sneak you in with me" he said, leaning in closer, the hint of his cologne filling the space between us.

I looked away, biting my lip and trying to find the words. If I didn't say it now, the moment would slip away, and I wasn't even sure if I'd work up the nerve again. Taking a breath, I turned back to him. "I guessed that.... so I came extra prepared, because when would we ever actually manage to be on our own... together, for a whole night..."

His eyes widened just slightly, enough that I could see the surprise mingling with something softer, something more tender. He smirked, letting the words sink in before he spoke. "Did you bring what I think you brought?" His tone was almost disbelieving, like he was afraid to let himself believe it.

I nodded, my cheeks warming under his gaze. "I think so," I added quickly, trying to keep my voice steady. "But if you don't want it to happen then it doesn't have to happen, I just didn't want to not be... ready?"

He didn't answer for a second, his gaze locked on mine, so intense I felt like he could see right through me. And then he was smiling, the corners of his mouth pulling up into that lopsided grin that made my stomach flip. "Of course I want it to happen, Gracie," he murmured, lifting a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "I love you."

The words hit me with just as much force as they had the first time he'd said them. Hearing it now, in this moment, made me feel grounded, like everything we'd been through led up to this. "I love you too, Johnny," I whispered, my hand reaching for his, lacing our fingers together. "Lots."

His fingers tightened around mine, and for a moment, we just sat there in silence, soaking in the gravity of what we'd just agreed to. It wasn't a rushed decision or something either of us took lightly.

Johnny leaned closer, his thumb tracing circles over the back of my hand. "Now, how long have you been thinking about this?" he asked softly, his voice gentle, the same smirk on his face.

I smiled, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. "Since the whole binding 13 thing," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

He frowned, "Binding 13?"

I gasped, "You don't know, do you?" he shook his head, "Last year, all the girls in 5th and 6th year planned this whole.... competition? Binding 13 , it was whoever got with you won... so it was Bella."

"Seriously?" he questioned, slightly annoyed.

I nodded, "Everyone was talking about it, I thought you would've heard."

"Right" he said, like he was resetting his mind to go back to before he knew about it.

"What are the odds of us actually having to stay over night?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from B13.

He shrugged a smile on his face as he looked at me, "I would say.... 60/40."

I rolled my eyes at Johnny's smirk, but I couldn't help grinning. "Alright, let's hope for the 60% then." The butterflies were relentless now, fluttering every time he looked at me like that, every time he grinned.

I realized then that I'd have to call Edel and let her know I couldn't come in for my shift at the woman's shelter. I didn't want to leave her hanging, and I'd nearly forgotten with all this trip planning.

"Okay, I'll call the shelter real quick and tell them I won't be able to make it." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found Edel's number. As I dialed, Johnny's head tilted a bit, looking intrigued.

"The shelter?" he asked. "Since when do you volunteer there?"

"Since third year. Just a few days each month, helping with the kids' activities and, you know, anything else they need help with," I explained, glancing at him with a smile.

"Never mentioned it before." He looked genuinely surprised, and I shrugged, brushing it off as the dial tone started.

"It's not really something I talk about," I murmured.

As the call connected, Edel answered right away. "Grace! Everything alright, love?"

"Yeah everything's fine," I replied, feeling a twinge of guilt for bailing on her at the last minute. "I just wanted to let you know I won't be able to come in this weekend. I'm actually on my way to a rugby match in Dublin, and there's a chance we'll be staying overnight."

"Oh, not a problem at all, Grace! We'll miss having you around, though." she replied.

I smiled, warmed by her words. "Thanks, Edel. I'll be there next weekend, promise."

After saying goodbye and hanging up, I looked over at Johnny, who had an odd expression on his face. "Grace!...Edel Kavanagh? That's my Ma."

The world seemed to stop for a second. "Wait, your Mam is... Edel Kavanagh?"

He nodded slowly, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he processed what this meant. "You've been working with her all this time, and she never said a word about it. And you didn't know she was my mam?"

I shook my head, floored by the coincidence. "No idea. She always just said her son was a rugby player, but I never put two and two together because...well, it's not like Kavanagh's an uncommon name. And I mean, she's never mentioned your name either."

Johnny looked like he was in shock, his gaze fixed somewhere distant. "All this time," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "So she knew about us?"

"Apparently," I replied, equally stunned. It was like everything connected in a way I couldn't have expected, like some part of me had known Johnny all along- even though I did.