I’d thrown down the gauntlet with Gerard last night, only to barely make it to the end of school today without throwing in the towel.
Who was I trying to fool?
I wasn’t going to make him wait.
Not when I had all the self-control of a rolling-pin.
When Gerard drove me to school this morning, he was his super sweet, super adorable self, and that sucked because it only made it harder for me to keep my guard up.
Most people erected walls around their hearts to protect themselves, and some of those people, like Joey and Lizzie, were mighty talented at building said walls. I, on the other hand, clearly slept in the day that particular life skill was being handed out, because my walls only were knee-high at best and had been constructed with gummy bears.
By the time Shannon joined me in the stands that surrounded Tommen’s central rugby pitch, I was close to self-combusting.
“Oh my God,” she laughed, eyeing me with humor dancing in her eyes. “You look like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.” Snickering, she asked, “How many sweets did you eat today, Claire? Because you’re literally bouncing on the spot.”
“I know!” I squeezed out, thrumming with barely contained energy. “I swear, Shan, if I had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy.”
“Wow.” My best friend laughed, taking her seat next to mine. “I know you enjoy watching the guys play, Claire, but I’ve never seen you this excited for one of their games before.”
She was right. While it was true that I enjoyed watching them play, it wasn’t the reason for my current state of agitation. In fact, they were already twenty minutes into the first half of the game, and I had no idea of the score.
I presumed our side were winning, but that was more of a “Johnny Kavanagh being on our team” thing than a “Claire Biggs concentrating” one.
“Is that the new boy the guys were talking about?” she asked, pointing to the boy wearing my brother’s number ten jersey.
“Oh, yeah.” I wrinkled my nose up in disproval. “That’s Damien.”
“You’ve met him?”
“Unfortunately.” Rolling my eyes, I added, “He’s stepping in today as fly half.” My attention flicked to Gerard then just as he won a line out, and I couldn’t stop myself from leaping out of my seat and cheering like a banshee.
My bestie eyed me from her perch while I bounced around like a Duracell bunny jacked up on steroids and fizzy cola jellies. “I guess it’s safe to assume that you and Gibs made up.”
I beamed back at her. “Yep.”
“Good.” Relief flooded her big blue eyes, and she smiled up at me. “I knew that picture Helen and Shelley sent you was taken out of context.”
“He swears nothing happened.”
“I believe him,” my best friend replied without a hint of hesitation. “If he says nothing happened with Catwoman, then that’s the truth.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely,” she replied with a nod. “He wouldn’t do that to you, Claire. Not Gibs. His entire world revolves around you.”
“You really care about him, don’t you?” I mused, sitting back down to link arms with her. “Aw, my bestie approves.”
“He’s one of the good ones, Claire,” she urged in a sincere tone. “Sure, Gib’s a joker and a prankster and can say all of the wrong things at times, but his heart is as big as the moon.”
“It truly is,” I agreed with a dreamy sigh.
“I’ve never felt safe around boys or men,” she admitted, brows furrowing as she spoke. “For obvious reasons.”
“But I feel safe around Gibs,” she told me. “Aside from Johnny, he’s the only other boy whose hands I would willingly put my life in.”
“Aw.” My heart squeezed tight. “Shan.”
“So, don’t listen to Lizzie, okay?” she urged. “Listen to your heart.” She smiled. “It won’t steer you in the wrong direction, I promise.”
My heart, like it knew it was being spoken about, started to thud violently in my chest. “He asked me to be his girlfriend last night.”
Her eyes widened like saucers. “He did?”
Biting down on my lip, I nodded excitedly. “Yep.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him I was scared.”
Shannon’s eyes warmed in understanding. “That’s okay, Claire,” she soothed, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “Taking the next step in a relationship can be really scary.”
“It really can.”
“But it can also be really exciting, and freeing, and so incredibly liberating.”
“He told me that he would wait for me,” I explained, feeling my face grow hot at the memory. “For as long as it takes until I’m ready.”
“But you’re ready now, aren’t you?” she mused knowingly.
“Yes.” I exhaled a shaky breath and nodded eagerly. “I really am.”
“Well, he’s right here, Claire.” My best friend grinned and gestured to the pitch. “That’s your man.”
“You’re right.” I stood up and nodded in confirmation. “That’s my man.”
