“A’right, like.”
“Y’wanna come in?” John-Francis stepped aside, and I hurriedly toed my trainers off before climbing up the steps after him. The door had barely closed before he was dragging me in.
There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation as he brought his mouth to mine and I hummed with approval, softening and letting him lead the kiss. Just as my heart began to pound, body responding to John-Francis’s lips on mine, he backed off.
“That’s too good, like,” he murmured with a grin. “I’d be savin’ meself f’later though, aye?”
I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. “Right enough.” I eased myself away, moving to sit on the edge of the bed and leaning back on my arms. “So, what’d ya do wi’ yourself today, now?”
“Not much.” He shrugged. “Unless ya count thinkin’ about yourself, like.”
“Y’such a wee flirt, aye,” I laughed. I wasn’t about to be telling him my day had been spent much the same way. My mind drifted back to that conversation I’d had with Ma, and I cleared my throat.
“I tell ya somethin’ interestin’ I’d found out today. Me ma is plannin’ on stayin’ in Appleby after the fair,” I said, watching John-Francis’s reaction carefully.
“Oh, aye? Where’d ya say y’came from again?”
“Galway. I doubt we’d have been headin’ back that way anyway, but I gotta say I was surprised she wanted ta shack up here, now,” I replied.
“Y’gonna stay behind wi’ her, aye? An’ Darragh?” John-Francis knelt down and opened his fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer. He passed it to me, and we both opened the caps in unison with a loud hiss.
“Aye, I guess so.” I shrugged, sucking on my beer as I built up the courage to ask the question I’d been thinking about all day. “Where’d y’reckon ya’d be of ta after the weekend, like?”
John-Francis held my eye contact even as he tipped his own beer back. I felt like I was on tenterhooks waiting for his response, though I fought to feign indifference.
“Not sure, now,” he eventually said. “Guess I’d be seein’ what Declan wants ta do.”
I nodded, looking away. I took another sip from my bottle, unsure what to say next. Thankfully, John-Francis got there before me.
“Though, I don’t mind tellin’ ya, I’d be havin’ a feelin’ we might not be movin’ on just yet, like.”
I looked up. “Oh?”
“Declan’d be all up in that settled girl he’s been seein’. I’ve never seen him quite like this over a ride. I’d be havin’ me suspicions this one might be a wee bit more than just gettin’ his leg over, now,” he said with a smirk. “An’ if I’m right, Declan won’t be leavin’ her behind f’some other wee fella to be movin’ in on his turf, like.”
“Y’reckon?” I hesitated before adding: “I can’t be mindin’ the idea o’ us both hangin’ ‘round here a wee bit longer, now.”
“Aye, same here.”
John-Francis and I stared at one another for a long moment. When I smiled, he mirrored it, sending my pulse racing. I cleared my throat and tipped my beer back.
“Y’got anythin’ in f’eatin’, like? I’m starvin’.”
“Nah, but we could take a wee walkinta town an’ grab somethin’ if y’fancy it? Wee chippy tea, maybe?”
“Quality.”
We finished up our beers before making tracks. The sun had just sunk below the horizon, casting a pretty pink and orange hue across the sky. The clear, vast expanse of blue was gone, angry, dark clouds lingering in the distance. A storm was rolling in, that much was clear. I hoped we managed to get our dinner and back before it hit.
“So, I’d been meanin’ ta ask ya,” John-Francis said, shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked beside one another. “If ya stayin’, what d’ya plan t’ do f’work, like?”
“Ah, Darragh and I’d be doin’ a wee bit o’ everythin’ over the years,” I replied. “Our latest is pickin’ up scrap ta weigh in, but we’d turn a hand at anythin’ ta earn a few pennies.”
“Anythin’?”
I caught John-Francis’s eye, knowing exactly what he was getting at. I smirked, scratching my head.
“Aye, well, we try ta keep it above board where we can, like.” I paused. “But I won’t lie, I’d done some things ya could consider as bein’ on the wrong side o’ the law, now.”
