HAVING 13 - Johnny Kavanagh

39. Ivy, ivy

MISSY
May 6th, 2005

I'd been at Johnny's place for well over three hours now. We'd eaten breakfast together and were now sitting on the grass in his backyard, just talking.

"You know, my Mam and Darren are trying to get me to stop seeing you," I laughed.

"Seriously?" He widened his eyes.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Over my dead body."

"I love you, Mel," He told me. "I'm not letting you leave me."

"That's what I said! That I love you, and they can't keep me from seeing you," I replied. "Oh, and I love you back."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're happier, babe."

"How come?"

"I don't know, I guess I can tell that you're more at ease. Like, you're not fearing for the hell you'll face when you eventually have to go home," He explained his point of view to me.

"Yeah." I held his hand. "They can all burn in hell for all I care. I'm happy I have people who love me."

"They love you as well," He reminded me. "They're just... really bad at expressing it."

I bit my lip. "That's the problem."

"You know, the first time you said 'I love you' to me, I thought that I was dreaming," He changed the subject since he could tell I wasn't in the mood. "Like, I'm bewitched by you every day."

"Did you watch Pride and Prejudice, by any chance?" I asked.

"No," He answered. "Why?"

"You sound an awful lot like Mr. Darcy," I laughed.

"Who, that bearded bastard you're so obsessed with?" He joked.

"Oh, c'mon, he's a handsome lad," I laughed.

He shook his head and brought his arms around me, pulling me to lay down with him.

"In what world do I deserve you?" I wondered out loud.

"I'm your birthright," He grinned with a stupid mocking face. "I was destined to be yours, and all that sappy shite they say in your romance movies."

"Oh, piss off," I started tickling him.

And I was truly and perfectly content, because our love was much stronger than any love I'd seen in my favourite films.

•

Later in the evening, around 10PM, Shannon phoned me.

"Just a second," I told Johnny. "Yeah?" I answered.

"Missy, he's here," She sobbed into the phone.

"What?" I yelled.

"Da's here! The whole house smells of alcohol, Missy, I'm so scared," She cried.

"Oh my god." I got up from the couch, panic making my entire body shake. "I'm on my way."

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, already standing in front of me.

"My Da is there. We need to get everyone out of that house," I explained.

"I can drive," He said.

"Are you sure?"

"It's been a month, I'm almost fully healed," He told me, urgently moving for his shoes and keys. "So, yeah."

•

When we got there, I was still shaking and now also biting my lip until it was bleeding. I immediately jumped out of the car, Johnny following short after, and I called Shannon again.