Dublin Showers

Part 1

When Vivian had turned on the TV that morning, the chipper weatherman had declared it a bright and sunny day. Foolishly she had listened to him. She'd left the hotel with a spring in her step, excited that with her one day free from business meetings, she'd be able to explore Dublin a little bit better. More than what she could in the back seat of a taxi that was for sure.

However one of her colleagues had persuaded her to go along to the Guinness Storehouse and after she had been dragged around the attraction, being given detailed accounts of the beers 250 year reign as the best in the world, she'd been forced to drink a pint of the stuff. It hadn't been bad, but it had only been one in the afternoon. How people managed even a small glass of alcohol with their lunch, she'd never know. And she didn't want to ask her colleagues who would often treat themselves during their Friday lunch outing. To them it seemed only fair with all the stress they'd put up with during the week.

So instead of strolling around Dublin Castle like she had wanted to, Vivian was storming up the streets of the city centre. The clouds above were rolling in, thick and grey. The pending rainfall made Vivian walk as quick as she could. The hotel was at least ten minutes away; surely she would make it in time.

A cold blob of rain landed on her nose, making her jump slightly. She wiped it away with the tip of her finger and tipped her head back a little. The sky had darkened – maybe it was a going to storm. Damn that weatherman. She'd worn a white cotton sundress and the see-through look the rain would create would rob her of all her modesty. Gaze darting back to the uneven pavement, Vivian almost jogged her way up the street, trying desperately to remember her way to the hotel.

Just as she turned the corner of the street, thunder rumbled and no longer could she dodge the raindrops. There was nothing she could do to shield herself from the torrential downpour. Her skin was instantly soaked and she could already feel the rain soaking into her dress. Thankfully she had worn wedges instead of heels, the risk of losing her footing still hung on her mind though. The sky lit up for a split second and again thunder rumbled through the air.

After splashing through a puddle and visibly shaking from the cold, Vivian couldn't go any further. A few buildings down she saw what looked to be the outside of a pub. One quick glance at the fixture above the doorway didn't do anything to appease her dwindling mood. Bruxelles - it seemed like a normal place, however as she walked through the door, she was bathed in an eerie darkness. The small windows seemed to let in little light, even less now given the dark storm clouds outside.

Heading straight towards the side of the bar, Vivian didn't pay attention to anyone who may have been in there. She also didn't pay attention to what a state she must have looked, though she did briefly run her fingers through her now wet hair. The once light brown poker straight locks were starting to go a little wavy - something it did naturally.

The place wasn't that warm and a shiver coursed through her body again. Her toes scrunched up in her soggy shoes. Oh how she needed to get back to the hotel and sink into a hot bubbly bath. Maybe she would even head to the spa and work out the kinks in her feet, the shoes she thought were practical were starting to rub.

Shoulders straight, chin out, Vivian headed straight towards the bar. If she was in here she might as well make an attempt to dry off and warm up; a coffee would do just that. Arriving next to the polished wooden bar, Vivian placed her bag down and eyed one of the worn leather stools then decided to stand. Maybe she'd find a quiet table and rest her feet until the sun came back. She scoffed at that thought – the sun was never coming back out.

"Raining, is it?"

Turning her head to the side, mouth slightly agape in annoyance Vivian tried her best not scowl as she said, "No, I always walk around looking like this." She gestured to herself which made the man run his gaze up and down her body, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile as he did.

It took a moment before Vivian really acknowledged the man and then remembered that her dress would probably be a little bit see-through. Casually she tried to cover her chest by crossing her arms, but the man had seen her now. She hated that the weather had made her flustered – she wasn't one for unkempt behaviour. Her eyes locked with his, stunning grey orbs framed by the lightest coloured lashes. That's when she noticed the intense paleness of his skin and the stark red colour of his facial hair. How she'd missed him she wasn't quite sure.

Finally taking in his size, Vivian asked the first thing that sprung to mind, "Are you a bouncer here?"

"Used t' be." The man answered in a strong Irish accent, but not the thickest she'd heard during her stay in the city, and then shrugged his big shoulders. His fingers drummed along on the bar counter top, in time to the rock music coming from the far side of the bar.

"What do you do now then?" Feeling like she'd overstepped a boundary, Vivian was about to apologise for being so forward but she got an answer before she could.

"Ah'm in the entertainment business."

With such a calmness to his tone, Vivian had to wonder what he did do. He'd gotten her very intrigued. "Oh," Vivian paused to think before narrowing her eyes, "Like a stripper?"

A hearty laugh came from him as he shook his head and said, "Ah'm flattered, lass."

Flattered? She didn't think anyone would be flattered if she called them a stripper. She knew he had a good body. The biceps straining again the black cotton t-shirt had gained her attention in no time.
"Going to tell me what you really do?"

"Ah'm a wrestler."

Well, that would explain the buff body. She eyed him over one more time. "That must be..." She searched for the right words as he eyed her suspiciously, "...fun."

"What abou' yehself? What brings yeh from America t' Dublin?"

"I'm a lawyer," Vivian waited for a response but he man simply stared back at her, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Stephen." He stopped drumming his fingers to the music long enough to hold his hand out to her.

"Vivian." She smiled as she gently placed her hand into his and gave it a light squeeze.

"Wow, yeh cold." Stephen held onto her hand for a moment longer, his thumb brushing over her damp cold skin. In a split second she was heated from top to toe, maybe she didn't need that coffee after all.

"Yeah I was going to get a coffee, maybe." Gently she freed her hand from Stephens and perched on the edge of the bar stool. Glancing down the long stretched out bar, she noted there was no one around. Maybe they didn't expect many punters at this time of the day. Running her hands up and down her arms, Vivian shivered as her body tried to warm up.

"Ah guess yeh no used t' this weather." Stephen chuckled and stood up from his stool, making Vivian tilt her head back to look up at him. She didn't quite realise how big he was until he stood at his full height.

Watching him walk away from her, her gaze travelled down the length of his body. Curiosity washed over her as he stopped by a coat stand by the front entrance she had just come through. He grabbed onto a thick looking black zip up hoodie, and with his long legs he was back in front of her in a few strides.

"Put this on, yeh'll warm up in no time." Stephen handed it to her but Vivian shook her head.

"No, no. You don't have to do that…" Even as the words left Vivian's mouth, Stephen had the hoodie draped over her shoulders. His thumbs brushed over her collar bone when he made sure the clothing was covering her bare arms and shoulders. That wasn't hard though; the sweatshirt was huge and engulfed her. Immediately she felt warmer, and with Stephen standing so close she felt her cheeks flush with heat.

"Are all the men in Dublin this generous?" Vivian joked and found herself smiling despite the afternoon she'd had.

"No, jus' me. Ah wouldn't trust any other fella."

As Stephen smiled back Vivian said, "Thank you."

A/N – This is one of the requests from the bitcheslovewrestling tumblr I co-own. A 500 word story written for Josie (shakeitsalome) that got out of hand XD oops. Lou x