Binding 13

The tinted-out window rolled down and a woman's head popped out.

"Joh

"That's my Ma," Joh

"Wait!" I croaked out, gripping his arms before he could go, still balancing on one foot. "What about my shoe?"

Joh

Releasing a heavy sigh, he hooked an arm around my waist, pulled me to his side, hoisted me clean off the ground, and walked us over to the jeep.

He yanked the back door open with one hand and deposited me into the backseat with the other before jogging back to the footpath to retrieve our discarded bags.

"I'm soaking wet," I warned, feeling embarrassed at the thought of ruining the expensive upholstery of the car.

"Seriously, Joh

His lips twitched for the briefest moment and then he shook his head as if waving off an unwelcome thought that had come to him.

"Ma, this is my, ah – this is Sha

"Hello, Sha

"Sha

He closed the car door then, locking me inside with his mother, and jogged away.

Mortified, I slumped into the backseat of his mother's Range Rover.

Well, this wasn’t awkward.

This wasn’t awkward at all.

Trying not to hyperventilate with burning discomfort was surprisingly difficult considering I was sure full-blown hypothermia was setting in.

"N-nice to m-meet you, Mrs. Kavanagh," I chattered, knees bopping restlessly, as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms.

I was so unbelievably out of my comfort zone that I had no clue what to do.

Knowing that I was dripping water all over this kind lady's leather interior wasn’t helping matters either. "Th-thank you f-for the s-spin."

"It's Edel, love," she replied, sounding distracted as she watched out the window. "What in the name of Jesus is that young fella of mine doing now?"

Muttering several profanities to herself, Mrs. Kavanagh pressed a button on the door and her window rolled down.

"Joh

"He's looking for a shoe," I pointed out, cheeks flaming. "My shoe – I dropped it." More like flung it. "He's trying to find it for me."

Mrs. Kavanagh turned around to grin at me, but her smile faltered, her expression morphing into a concerned frown.

"Oh, god," she gasped. "Look at you shaking. You must be perished."

I was perished.

I was beyond perished.

My body was jolting violently as the dampness of my clothes continued to assault my skin.

Joh

She slipped the chunky knit cardigan she was wearing off her shoulders and draped it over my legs.

"Now, pet," she said in a soothing tone. "We'll get you warmed up in no time."

"Th-thank you s-so much," I replied as I slowly withered inside. Her small act of kindness was overwhelming to me. "I don’t want to d-dirty your c-cardigan."

"That's what washing machines are for," she replied, smile returning.

Whoa, Joh

And extremely well dressed.

Seriously, her clothes were like wow.

Everything matched, from her earrings to her belt.

Fashion designer, remember, my brain hissed, of course she's going to look good.

With blonde hair and brown eyes, Mrs. Kavanagh didn’t look much like her son, but he had definitely inherited her bone structure and full lips.

Joh

"Looks like you have a fan," Mrs. Kavanagh added, pointing to where Joh

Crap, I hoped it hadn't floated away in the drain water.

Dad would hit the roof if I came home with another expense.

"He's done a terrible job of keeping you quiet." Mrs. Kavanagh added with a smile. "I saw you in the papers with him the other week. Beautiful picture, love. You two look absolutely stu

Did she think…

"What? Oh no – No!" I blushed an ugly shade of beetroot red. "It's not like that."

"Oh no?" She smirked. "I thought maybe Joh

"Um, no." I squirmed in discomfort. "We're just –"

"Friends?" Mrs. Kavanagh quipped, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "So I've heard."

Were we friends?

I wasn’t sure.

Maybe he was still trying to make amends.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, we're just friends."

"Ah, that's a shame," she replied after a long pause. "For a moment there, I thought you had managed to do the impossible."

"The impossible?"

"Distract him from rugby."

"Oh." I clasped my hands together, unsure of how to respond to that. "Well, I haven't," was all I came up with, followed with, "We're just friends."

When Mrs. Kavanagh spoke again, her brow was knitted in concern. "I love my son with all my heart, but sometimes, I wish he would remember to be seventeen and let go a little. Have fun. Fall in love. Break the rules. Be a teenager instead of a–"

"Machine?" I offered quietly.

"Yes, " his mother agreed, nodding eagerly. "His food intake, the training, the traveling, the sponsors, all of it… it's scary." She sighed again, brows creasing. "I just want him to let loose every once in a while. I know how that sounds coming from a mother, but he’s so controlled. Every part of his life is completely structured and pla

I opened my mouth to say something – anything – but Mrs. Kavanagh continued.

"He wakes up and trains. He goes to school and trains. He comes home and trains. And then he goes to bed and repeats the whole cycle all over again the next day."

"It sounds exhausting," I agreed, feeling a little uncomfortable at the sudden and in-depth insight I was being given into his life.

"It's certainly exhausting watching him." With a small sigh, she touched her forehead and said, "I just wish he could find an outlet for the frustration or anger or whatever it is that’s built up inside of him. I’m afraid that one of these days he’ll explode."

I had no idea what to say in response.

My brain was struggling to register all of the new information about Joh

"And I've just realized that I'm rambling," Mrs. Kavanagh said then, chuckling softly. "Sorry. My husband is always rising me about it."