SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Borrowed comfort

Maeve's Point of View

When I woke up again it was to an empty room.
Silently thanking the heavens I got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom and staring at my reflection, I was relieved to see that the concealer I'd reapplied last night hadn't budged much.

There would be no questions.
No worried glances.

For now, I planning to ignore the fact that had fallen asleep in Johnny's room.
On his bed.
On him.

The bed was still a little messy from when we'd fallen asleep watching the film, and the blanket was bunched up where I'd been lying.

For some reason, that made my stomach twist.

I didn't belong here.

Not in this house.
Not in this space.
Not in his space.

It was too easy to pretend I did.

Too easy to sink into the comfort, to fall asleep next to someone warm, to wake up feeling safe.

I didn't want to think about what that meant.
So, I didn't.
I exited the bathroom and went towards the noises and chuckles I heard coming from the kitchen.

As soon as I entered, I noticed the carefree atmosphere that was around.
Here they were friends.
More than that, they were basically family.

Niamh had told me that they had all known each other since they were five, with the boys meeting each other in primary school – except for Johnny who they had met later.
Even Niamh who technically didn't go to school with them – as she had apparently, like me, attended the all-girls school, though in a different class – knew them since childhood as they were often at her house.

I couldn't even lie to myself and say that I wasn't jealous of them.
Of their friendship.
Of their life.

Everyone was sat together at the table, with Johnny at the head of the it, Feely next to Niamh and on the other side Gibsie next to Hughie.

They were eating, not surprising since when I glanced at the clock it was apparently past eleven.
What also was not surprising was the fact that Gibsie already has three full plates in front of him.

"Well, well. Sleeping beauty has finally decided to grace us with her presence." Gibsie spoke when he saw me.

I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Niamh, who had an amused glint in her eyes.

"Is the bed downstairs more comfortable? I've always wondered." Niamh instigated.

"Really? You too?" I sighed, grabbing a slice of toast from the middle of the table. "Alright, everyone get your minds out of the gutter. Nothing happened. We both woke up early, decided to watch a film, and since I was already up earlier than usual, I fell asleep again."

"He doesn't even let me sleep in his bed." Gibsie protested. "I'm his best friend."

"That's because you fart in your sleep." Hughie interfered. "Every time we have to share a room, you almost kill me."

"And you throw up everywhere when you're drunk." Feely added. "No one trusts you enough to sleep around you."

"Slander." Gibsie objected.

"It's not slander if it's true." Feely replied. "What film did you two watch anyway?"

"The Fellowship of the ring." I spoke and then noticed the silence of everyone around me. "What? It's a nice film."

"Oh, I know." Gibsie interjected. "I gifted it to him, and he refused to watch it."

"I can't believe you actually convinced him to watch something that wasn't an adventure movie or a chick-flick." Hughie laughed.