Forbidden Love

Chapter 9

The next two weeks passed blissfully into the start of December. The weather got colder and the days got shorter but I didn't care. News of my relationship with Joe had spread around the school like wildfire.

Luckily all of our friends and Ethan were accepting. The same could not be said for everyone in the school. If it was possible Michelle seemed to hate me even more now. Joe told me to ignore her but her snarky comments every time I passed her in the corridors were getting harder to ignore.

When I got home on the Wednesday in the first week in December mum met Ethan and me at the door with a big smile on her face.

"I've booked the boat home for Christmas!" She said. We followed her into the kitchen waiting for more information.

"We're going for your whole Christmas holiday!" The excitement was rolling off her. I knew she missed home more than any of us.

"Brilliant!" Ethan said clearly thinking of his old friends.

"The whole time?" I thought of Joe and my face fell, that was almost a month.

"I thought you'd be please! What is going on with you these days? We'll be staying with your granny and grandpa." Of course I wanted to see my granny and grandpa and all my old friends but I couldn't imagine leaving for a month.

"What about dads job? They won't give him that long off surely." I said instead.

"The three of us will be going for the whole time. Your father has been given two weeks off over the holidays. He'll be coming over for that and we'll go visit his family down the country too."

I couldn't see a way to argue with that. And I did want to go. I thought of my grandpa in particular and I felt shame that I was anything but excited to go see him. We had such a special bond.

I dismissed myself from the room and went upstairs to my room.

Ethan followed me in, "you aren't going to cry because you can't see your boyfriend for a month are you?" He teased.

"I'm not crying." I defended as my bedroom door opened.

"What boyfriend?" My mum demanded.

I glared at Ethan, he had the good grace to at least look sorry.

"What boyfriend?" She repeated herself as Ethan backed out of the room under my glare.

"No one. Ethan was just joking around."

"It's one of those boys who brought Ethan home when he was beat up isn't it?" She was good I thought, but then she didn't know any other boys to guess.

"It's no one mum." I tried again.

"Don't you lie to me Olivia Niamh Murphy!" My full name was brought out, that's not good.

"Fine, yes it is."

Mum sighed, "I guess you are sixteen now. That's the same age my parents were when they met. I want to meet this boy."

"I really don't think that's necessary." I said quickly but was silenced by a quick glare from mum.

"He'll come to dinner on Friday." Mum decided.

"Really mum. It's not necessary."

"Well do you like this boy?"

"Yes but.."

"Then it is necessary. Friday." Her tone was final and I saw no way to argue with it.

I had to break a lot of bad news to Joe that night in the back corner of the loud youth centre. I would be spending almost a month in Belfast away from him and on Friday my mother wanted him to come round for dinner. It was hard to tell which one he looked more upset about.