Page 277 of Keeping 13

“I’ll be two minutes,” I whispered, kissing Shannon’s forehead. “Okay?”

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “O-okay.”

I walked over to the door only to hesitate and turn back. “Shan?”

She looked up at me with a lost expression. “Yeah, Johnny?”

“I love you.”

Relief flashed in her big blue eyes and she smiled back at me.

“I love you,” Tadhg mimicked from the couch. Not taking his eyes off the television, he made loud kissing noises before snorting loudly. “Lad, you are so whipped.”

“Ugh,” Ollie snickered. “I bet he kisses her with tongues, too.”

“That’s our sister, you little creep,” Tadhg grumbled. “I don’t want to be thinking about Shannon’s tongue in Johnny’s mouth.”

“Is that how it works?” Ollie asked, sounding appalled. “They put theirtonguesin each other’smouths?”

“Yeah.”

Ollie frowned. “Forwhat?”

“They probably do a lot worse than that, Ol,” Tadhg muttered. “It’s disgusting but whatever.”

“They do?” Ollie’s eyes widened. “Like what?”

“Uh, you should probably stop asking questions now,” Tadhg muttered, nudging Ollie in the ribs.

“Yes, you should definitely stop asking questions, Ollie,” Shannon choked out, red-faced, as she hurried over to her brothers and sank down on the couch between them. “Tadhg, don’t tell him anything else.”

“I can’t believe you let him stick his tongue in your mouth,” Ollie accused, gaping at his sister. “What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t do that,” Shannon snapped, flustered. “He’s joking. Right, Tadhg?”

“She does,” Tadhg countered. “I saw them cracking on outside the house.”

“Tadhg!”

“They were steaming up the windows of his car.” Tadhg snickered. “Oh—andshe snuck him in her bedroom on Saturday night, too. He was there all night long.”

“What? I didn’t know Johnny had a sleepover,” Ollie replied, sounding puzzled. “You never said.”

“That’s because she was too busy.” Tadhg chuckled. “She was all ‘Oh, Johnny, yes! Please!’”

“I was not,” Shannon spluttered. “You little liar.”

“‘Kiss me, touch me, hold me, love me,’” Tadhg mocked in a girlish voice. “‘Mwah, mwah, mwah. Yes, I love your rugby balls—’”

“Tadhg!”

“Yuck,” Ollie groaned. “That’s disgusting.”

“Shannon does it with Johnny, Joey does it with Aoife, Darren does it with Alex,” Tadhg continued, not missing a beat. “And you’ll do it when you’re older with someone you fancy, Ol.”

“I willnot,” Ollie spluttered, looking horrified. “I don’t even like my own tongue in my mouth.”

“Yeah.” Tadhg snorted. “Sure.”

---