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Joey roughly cleared his throat before adding, “Aoife is my girlfriend.”
“Your girlfriend,” his mother repeated with a small shake of her head. “I didn’t know that you were in a relationship with anyone.”
“Yeah.” Joey shrugged his stance defensive. “Well, now you know.”
“Now I know,” his mother said, eyeing me carefully. “This is your girlfriend.”
“For his sins,” I joked, but she didn’t laugh.
Ah crap.
Quickly sobering my features, I added, “It really is lovely to see you again, Mrs. Lynch. I’ve heard a lot about you.” God, I was such a bullshitter. “Joey speaks very highly of you.”
“It would be nice if I could say the same,” she said, before adding quietly, “But Joey doesn’t speak about you at all.”
“Mam,” Joey said in a warning tone.
A small tremor rolled through his body, and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, desperate to give him reassurance.
That this was okay.
That I could exist in both of his worlds.
That I wouldn’t run.
My act of support was awarded with a smile, as his green eyes locked on mine, searching my face for something he would never find.
He was looking for my trepidation.
It didn’t exist.
“When did you both meet?” she asked then, dragging my attention back to her.
“First year,” I told her. “We’ve been in the same class ever since.”
Her eyes widened. “So, this… relationship has been going on for a long time?”
“Well, we’ve been friends for—“ I began to say, but Joey quickly interrupted when he said, “you could say that.”
“And is it serious?” She looked at her son. “Are you serious about her?”
“You could say that,” was all he replied, but it caused my heart to hammer with pure unadulteratedjoy.
He wasn’t denying how he felt.
He didn’t play it down or brush it under the rug.
‘You could say that’was all but a declaration of love when it came to this boy.
“Mam!” a voice screamed from somewhere above us then. “He’s blocked the fucking toilet again.”
Startled, Mrs. Lynch literally jerked before releasing a small shudder. “Tadhg, mind your language, will you?” she called back. “We have company.”
“Like I give a crap,” came the voice again. “That dope of a son you call Oliver doesn’t seem to understand that he doesn’t need to use an entire toilet roll to wipe his hole.“
“Tadhg!” Mrs. Lynch shouted, but it was a pitiful attempt, sounding more like a defeated sigh, as she reached for her cigarettes. “I told you to mind your language.”
“Ollie plugged the toilet,” Tadhg shouted again. “And I need to take a—“
