Binding 13

14

Provisional Licenses

Sha

I could feel Joh

Like the stalker I was, I knew exactly where he sat for lunch each day: the last seat at the end of the glorified rugby table, on the inside row, next to the archway exit.

All through lunch, I dutifully ignored the burning sensation on my cheeks, the same burn I could feel all the way down to my toes, and concentrated on Claire and Lizzie.

Because I knew what would happen if I looked back at him.

I would give myself away, and he didn’t need to know how badly he affected me.

He confused me last Friday and he was confusing me again.

Why was he watching me?

Why did he invite me to that party?

Why did he make my heart race so violently?

I didn’t understand what was happening here, and in the storm of my turbulent emotions, I needed to hold onto some semblance of control.

It wasn’t easy, though, and that control was snatched from my teetering grip the moment Gibsie walked right up to our table, all blond hair and big smiles.

"Ladies," he acknowledged in that flirtatious tone I'd become used to him using as he slipped into a seat on the other side of Claire. "How are we doing today?"

"What do you want, Gerard?" Claire groaned, slipping out of his hold when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "We're trying to eat here."

"I have something to show you," he told her, brows waggling.

"I'm not looking at your penis," Claire hissed. "So stop trying to show it to me."

"Not that," Gibsie snorted and then proceeded to pull a set of keys out of his pocket and dangle them in Claire's face. "These."

"Oh my god," Claire gasped, snatching the keys out of his hands. "Your parents gave you the car early? I thought you weren't getting the keys until the weekend?"

"They caved," he told her, gri

"A maniac has been let loose on Irish roads?" Lizzie interjected.

"Jesus," Gibsie muttered, frowning across the table at Lizzie. "You're a barrel of laughs."

Lizzie merely gave him the finger and returned to her lunch.

Shaking his head, Gibsie turned his attention back to Claire. "There's more," he a

"They've left you to your own devices?" Claire demanded. "You?"

"And you know what that means, don’t you?" He winked back at her. "Sleepover time."

"Your parents left you in charge of their house?" she repeated, looking shocked.

He gri

"For an entire week?" Claire shook her head, mouth hanging open. "Alone? Unsupervised."

His grin widened as he tossed the apple up in the air. "You sound surprised," he added, catching the apple effortlessly.

Intrigued by their interaction, I leaned against the table and watched with interest.

"Because I am," Claire spluttered, staring back at him. "Do they know you at all?"

"Obviously not," he snorted. "Now go home and pack your shit." He waggled his brows before taking a bite from Claire's apple. "Because you're checking into Hotel Gibson for the week," he added mid-chew. "Fun times."

"Oh really?" Claire leaned back in her chair and smirked. "And does Hotel Gibson come with good reviews?"

"It comes with cock, Claire-Bear," Gibsie a

"Say it louder," she hissed, slapping his shoulder. "I don’t think everyone heard you."

"It comes with cock, Claire!" he taunted, accepting her challenge without an ounce of shame. "My cock."

"Fuck your cock," Claire growled, looking mortified.

"Of course, you can," he nodded with a grin. "But here's not really the place."

"I don’t know why I'm friends with you," Claire muttered, cheeks burning. "You're so inappropriate."

"You are friends with me because you love me," he purred. "Because I'm the only one that makes your cheeks turn pink–" he paused and stroked her cheek with his finger, "in more ways than one."

"When I was eleven, Gerard," she shot back. "And it was one bloody kiss!"

"I’m ready for a repeat performance," he told her. "Say the word, Claire-Bear, tell me you're ready for us, and I'm all yours –"

"Can you stop doing that!" Lizzie barked then, glaring at Gibsie.

"Doing what?"

"Screwing around with her feelings," she huffed. "It's not a game!"

"Lizzie, it's okay," Claire began to say but Lizzie cut her off.

"It's not okay," she snapped. "He's been doing this since we were four. It's wrong!"

"I'm not screwing around with her feelings," Gibsie replied, looking confused. "She knows I love her."

Claire turned beetroot red, causing Lizzie to growl.

"Yeah, asshole," Lizzie hissed. "You love her loads, don’t you? That's why you're going around shagging half the school, isn’t it?"

"What is your problem?" Gibsie growled, glaring now.

"You," Lizzie snapped. "You and your shithead friends thinking you're cock of the walk. Going around playing girls like it's all a big game. You're all disgusting. Every last one of you rugbyheads."

Gibsie gaped at her, looking affronted. "What did Joh

"Yeah," a familiar voice asked. "What did I do?"

My heart skyrocketed in my chest at the sound of that achingly familiar Dublin accent.

It stood out from everyone around us, just like he stood out from everyone around us.

"You're as bad as the rest of them," Lizzie hissed, not missing a beat, as she turned her furious glare on Joh

"Well, that's news to me," Joh

He sat down beside me then and I felt the piece of bread I was chewing on wedge itself to the roof of my mouth.

Swallowing it down, I looked up at him, wide-eyed and confused.

He smiled down at me. "Hi, Sha

"Hi, Joh

"How are you?" he asked, voice deep, blue eyes burning holes in mine.

"I'm good," I breathed. "How are you?"

He smirked. "I'm good."

Dammit, there was that word again…

"Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Uh, it was okay." I felt myself blush. "Did you?"

"I spent most of it training." He smirked. "Same as always."

I nodded, not really understanding a damn thing that was happening here. "H-how was the party?"

"I didn’t stay long." Joh

"How come?" I breathed, burning from being so close to him.

"Training commitments," he explained, thrumming his long fingers against the table, blue eyes locked on mine. "I try to avoid parties during the season –"

"Jesus, not you, too," Lizzie growled. "It's bad enough Thor over there is pulling his shit with Claire without you messing with Sha

Joh

"You heard me," she countered.

"Am I not allowed to speak to her?" he questioned, arching a brow. "Do you not like to share your friends?"

"You know what you're doing," Lizzie shot back defiantly.