Seeing You - Boys of Tommen

She was Mine First

September 8th, 2001

Patrick:

"Who are you talking about?" Johnny asks Gibsie as I walk into the locker room, it's afterschool and now time for rugby practice.

"A girl" he answers slyly.

"A girl?" Johnny repeats looking confused.

"A first year" Gibs responds.

"You like a girl in year one?" Johnny asks.

Gibsie gasps,"How dare you insinuate that, I am spoken for."

I speak up now "by who?"

He narrows his eyes "my beloved and betrothed Claire Bear" I regret asking.

"You are not betrothed or together" Hugh states.

"Yet, but before long we'll be brothers, you and I" Hugh just glares at him, and before Gibsie can antagonize further I step in.

"What girl were you talking about then?" 

His eyes light up, "She's not for me, Hughie, here has found himself a girlfriend, leaving our group of bachelors" Hughie lightly shoves him.

"I had a conversation with a girl" Hugh clarifies, "and how do you even know? It happened two hours ago" Gibsie smiled at that.

"My sources tell me your little conversation involved you carrying a pretty redhead's books, walking her to class, not just to the door but a whole chivalrous show of chair pulling and pushing and hand holding, oh and winking" I barely hear the other words, I hone in the words redhead, it might not be her, how many other first years are there with red hair, hell there's like three girls in her year, it's definitely her, just play it cool.

"Jesus, nothing stays private around her" Hugh mumbles and admits "Okay, yeah I like her." 

I can't help myself. "How long was that conversation?" Hugh looks up and his cheeks flush.

"Not long, there's just something about her, I invited her to the match at the end of the month." 

"Well then, we better make sure you're playing in that match" Gibsie says with a deviant smile.

"How do you intend to do that, he's a sub?" Johnny asks.

"That new receptionist Dee, totally has a thing for me, she'll do me a favor" Gibsie says without missing a beat.

"Jesus, the adult receptionist does not have a thing for you" Johnny responds.

"That's where you're wrong, she loves me, I reckon she's got a thing for you too, always asking about you" Johnny laughs.

"You're bloody mental, lad."

Gibsie shakes his head "I'm telling you she's got both our eighteenths marked in her calendar"

Hugh speaks now "How did this turn into Gibsie's deluded fantasies?"

Gibsie returns "hey, do you want to play for you girl or not?" reluctantly Hugh nods.

I can't help myself "what's her name?"

Hughie turns his head and says "Katie" in a completely lovestruck tone, a tone that Gibsie is immediately mocking and fake swooning, making a show of falling onto an amused Johnny.

"When did you talk to her?" I ask.

"Just after lunch" Hugh answers. I hate that I'm thinking about it, but my brain can't stop from thinking that she was mine first, for like five minutes, and she wasn't mine, we had one incredibly awkward encounter that has been running in my mind on a loop.

"I have an idea" Gibsie starts, I internally groan, those four words are never a good sign. "How about you invite your girlfriend to sit with us at lunch on Monday" 

Hugh thinks for a second."I haven't seen her in the lunch room this week, I don't know where she goes for lunch."

The answer is on the tip of my tongue, but I stay silent, Johnny speaks instead, "We can check the first year common room at lunch, she's probably there, or we can ask some of her classmates." I know that I should tell them but I don't want them to find her, I want them to forget about her, and let me spend all my lunches with her, listening to her melodic voice and watching her fingers glide across the piano keys.

"Sounds like a plan, it'll be good to get to know my future sister-in-law" Gibsie concludes pulling on his practice jersey.

"Don't say anything like that to her, in fact maybe stay away from her all together." Hugh says.

"Afraid I'm going to steal your girl?" Hugh narrows his eyes.

"What about Claire?" Hugh asks, annoyed.

"Glad to hear you're on board with the betrothal then, brother." Gibs responds.

"You little..." I don't catch the end of their conversation, because I'm out of the door in my rugby kit towards the field, stewing over a certain redhead, who I talked to first. 

Thanks for reading! I think I'm going to make Gibsie a more present character because he's so fun to write about. More chapter to come!   -  H <3