Moving home was the biggest mistake I made. But it was also one of the best decisions I could've made too. How is all of this possible? How can something be so right, yet so wrong for one person all simultaneously? Let's count the facts:
1. I quit working at the FBI.
2. I moved to Boston, and to live with my best friend, Taylor Halvey, because I don't trust my family.
3. I now have no job, limited amounts of money, and no one but Taylor to care about me.
4. I got the fresh start I'm looking for.
I woke up to a rustling in the kitchen. Taylor wasn't always the quietest person when it came to getting ready to go somewhere. I left my bedroom and headed towards the kitchen, where she was cooking over the stovetop. I yawned, stretched, and walked over to the coffee pot to pour myself a cup of the freshly brewed beverage-of-life.
"Good morning," I greeted, sitting at the kitchen table. "Where are you going this early?"
"Work, silly," She replied. "Want some scrambled eggs? I even put the shredded cheese in there, just like old times." I waved my hand, passing. I never ate breakfast these days. I was far too used to having to get up at the oddest hours to go look at dead bodies. And trust me; with the way these things looked half the time, if you ate at all, it was going to end up on the ground at the crime scene. "What's on your agenda for the day?"
"I'm going to go and get my license to be a bartender and then go and find some work." I sighed. "There's not much else I can do. I'm not going back to retail, and my singing isn't where it used to be since my throat was injured before I left in that whole hostage/cannibal situation."
"Yeah…." Taylor sighed. She sat with me and began to eat her breakfast. "Sometimes, man, I wished I didn't work at Walmart, but then I remember I'm a fucking manager now, so it rocks." I chuckled and took another large drink of my coffee.
"Walmart, the place of hell. Also, the place that allows us to continue living. Who'd a'thunk?" I teased. I rinsed my mug out and put it on the counter. "Tonight. We're going out." Taylor nodded.
"There's this little pub I've heard of, called McGinty's, on the south side of town. Let's check it out." She added. "And since neither of us work tomorrow, we can get totally shit faced and enjoy ourselves." I grinned evily.
"Maybe find some hot guys and have a good time while we're at it," I smirked.
"Didn't you just get out of an engagement?" Taylor asked inquisitively.
"Seeley and I weren't meant to be. I didn't love him the way he needed after I found out who he was really in love with. I know he denies it, but he loves Temperance so much. We all can tell. And she loves him but is in denial as well. It's only a matter of time before he realizes what I did was for the best." I explained. I glanced at the clock. "Go to work, hun. I'll be here when you get home." She nodded, hugged me, and rushed out the door. I sighed heavily and headed for the shower. Lord knows it was gonna take me forever to get clean. Mostly because I had all kinds of wounds that needed tending. But still. I digress.
I headed towards the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I docked my iTouch in the player we had in there and turned on Josh Groban. Soon Oceano came flooding into the room and I turned the shower on. As I stepped in, my recent wounds that were still healing stung as the water hit them. Soon the song changed to Now Or Never, and I stood under the relaxing water as I listened to the mellow song. Josh Groban's music always relaxed me. There's just something about his voice that can just turn me from the world's angriest person to the most chill person in the room.
After my shower, I made sure my wounds were doing okay before putting on a nice shirt and a pair of dark, tight jeans with my high heeled boots. I lightly curled my naturally dark hair and put on a little coat of mascara and eyeliner. I slipped on my leather jacket, and began my job hunt through the city. I first started down in the Irish district in South Boston; I was Irish. I had an in, right? WRONG. After wandering around the entire city, I was still jobless. And now I was just plain depressed. I went home, kicked off my shoes, and laid on the couch silently until Taylor came home.
"LUCYYYYY!" She called. "I'm hommeeeee!" I let out a groan from the couch and she laughed. "How was your hunt? Successful, I hope!"
"No. No one's looking for a former FBI agent-turned-bartender at the moment. Looks like the quotas are filled. On to a real search tomorrow." I sighed. "For now, let's just go out and get plastered."
"Okay." Taylor shrugged. "McGinty's it is. Go get ready to go out. I want you lookin' hot. Maybe if we're lucky we can find some hot guys to buy us drinks all night long." She winked in my general direction as I headed down the hall to my bedroom to change. I threw on my black halter top and dark skinny jeans along with my favorite pair of black pumps. I teased my hair slightly, put on a little makeup as a touch up, and met Taylor back at the kitchen table.
"Is this hot enough for you?" I asked, turning in a circle. She nodded and tossed my peacoat at me. "Time to get plastered. Let's do this!" I cheered, grabbing my purse. I slid my cellphone into one of the front pockets and Taylor grabbed her keys.
"That's the spirit, Rori!" She smiled, locking the door behind us. We hopped into her Taurus and headed for the south side of the city, both of us looking out for this pub. When we spotted it, we parked in a parking lot near by and then walked about a block and a half to the place. We immediately embraced the place, taking off our jackets and hanging them up on the coat rack near the door. We walked to the bar and claimed two barstools in between two groups of guys. I knew they were all looking at us, and I didn't care. Soon, a portly, elderly man with glasses came over to us.
"W-w-w-what can I get you ladies?" He asked politely, a smile gracing his face. He reminded me of my grandfather.
"I'll take a shot of Jack, please, along with a tall Guinness," I ordered, smiling at him. He nodded and then looked over at Taylor.
"Same," She grinned.
"Coming r-r-r-right up." He stammered, heading off for the drinks. I leaned my forearms on the counter and placed my hands together, allowing my scars and tattoo to show. I scanned the room quickly. Off in the far corner, there were a few benches and pool tables. In the middle of the room there were tables to stand or sit at, and then there was the bar where Taylor and I were currently seated. The old man arrived back with the drinks, and I placed a twenty dollar bill on the counter. A tattooed hand quickly pushed it back towards me and I looked up to see a rather attractive man smiling down at me.
"They're on our tab, Doc," The man said, his thick, Irish accent showing. The old man nodded and went on his merry way to service the rest of the customers and I slammed my shot. Taylor did the same, and we turned to face the stranger. "Never seen you girls in 'ere before. I'm Connor." He introduced. If I had to guess, I'd say he's about 5'11" or 6' tall, with dark brown hair that's medium in length and spiked. And he had the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen. Another man popped out behind him, equal in height with slightly darker hair work down and the same eyes.
"I'm his brother, Murphy," The second man introduced. "Nice to meet ya." He looked both Taylor and I over, but I noticed his gaze return to her and it was as if he couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Nice to meet you, boys," I smiled, extending my hand. "My name's Lorelai, but you can call me Rori. This is Taylor," I introduced us both. Connor took my outstretched hand and placed it to his lips, kissing it like a gentleman from the 18th century. "I take it you come here often?"
"Often enough," Connor said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Seeing this reminded me of my own cravings for nicotine, and I pulled my pack of Camel Crushes out of my purse. I placed the round stick between my lips and dug around for my lighter. Instead, Connor placed his at the end of my cigarette and allowed me to light my cig.
"Thanks," I smiled. He smiled back sweetly.
"No problem," He replied. I took a long drag and ashed, and then I picked up my beer. "Where are you ladies from?"
"Boston," Taylor answered. "I've been here my whole life, unlike Rori here." She and the boys glanced at me as I took a drink.
"I joined the FBI a few years back and moved to Washington, D.C. I recently 'retired'," I used air quotes. "And moved home. FBI wasn't my thing after all. I loved the rush of running into a dangerous situation and fixing everything, but after the last case I had…. Well, no more. Just no more." My hand automatically went to one of the wounds on my back. "And yourselves?"
"Boston as well," Murphy answered. "We actually live nearby this place." He too, had lighten a cigarette and was smoking it rather quickly.
"What do you boys do for a living?" Taylor asked.
"We work at the meat packing plant here in South Boston," Connor replied. "It isn't much, but we enjoy putting in the long day's honest work. How 'bout yourselves?" By now Taylor and I had finished our first beers and the old man had given us another.
"I work at Walmart," Taylor snorted. "Assistant Manager, finally. I used to be the fitting rooms operator."
"I'm in between jobs," I answered. "You think it'd be easier to find a job since I'm ex FBI, but it's probably just harder because people don't understand why I left. Oh well, that's life I suppose." I finished my cigarette and placed the butt in the ashtray near me. I smiled up at the Irish man before me. If every night could be like this, or if I could make friends like these guys, I'd be set for life. Maybe starting over wasn't too bad. Connor saw that I was going into deep thought, and ordered another round of drinks for the four of us. He handed me my beer, clinked our glasses together, and we both took a rather large swig. I watched as Murphy and Taylor became engrossed in their own conversation, leaving me to converse with Connor. Not that I minded much.
"So, why'd you quit the FBI, if you don't mind me askin'?" Connor asked. I shook my head, taking another drink of my beer.
"Things…. They just got out of hand, you know? I was thinking about leaving, and then was thrust into so much at once, I didn't know how to deal with what was coming at me. I couldn't comprehend it all or cope with it, so after everything was said and done, I quit. I went to turn in my gun and badge, and the Deputy Director told me to keep them." I dug around in my pocket and dug out the badge, and played with it in my hands. "I don't know if he expects me back or what. Maybe I can consider myself a free agent?" I put the badge back in my pocket, smiling softly. "I'm sorry, here I am, ranting."
"Don't be," Connor grinned. "It seems like what happened bothered ya, and it's good to talk about things like that." I nodded before setting another cigarette between my lips. He did the same, and lit mine for me again. "So what brings you to this fair establishment?"
"Taylor heard of it, and we decided to check it out. It's a really nice place. I'm thinking about making it my regular." I smiled. "And the company is great," I added, nudging him with my elbow.
"Well, we'd be happy ta have ya," Connor grinned back, sitting beside me. I watched as something caught Connor's eye, and I followed his gaze over my shoulder. Behind me, Taylor and Murphy had their hands all over each other as they began to make out furiously. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
"I'll take care of this," I told Connor. I wound my hand back, and as soon as I had a clear shot, I slapped Taylor's ass as hard as I could possibly have done. She jumped into Murphy, and they both stopped, awed.
"What the hell?" She half yelled.
"Oi, you're being inappropriate. Take it outside or somewhere else. Just be reminded that I choose to sleep tonight and you're not very…. Discreet." I reminded her, pointing my finger. She just grinned at me before looking back up at Murphy. She gave him this kind of look, and he smirked back at her, and before anyone could say anything, I knew exactly what was going to go down. Taylor tossed her key to the apartment at me.
"Don't wait up," She smirked, leaving hand in hand with the other MacManus brother. I shook my head and turned back to my drink. I took a long swig and a drag of my cigarette.
"And that is how I deal with Taylor," I laughed. Connor nodded, chuckling with me, and finished off his drink.
"Now that we're alone, and undistracted, what would you like to do?" He asked humbly. I scanned the place. I got up, grabbed Connor by the wrist, and tugged him and my beer over to one of the pool tables. "You want to play against me?"
"Why not? I haven't played in a while. Plus, I want to kick your ass," I said, poking him in the chest with the pool cue. He gave me the typical male "oh really?" gaze, complete with one raised eyebrow.
"You think you can kick my ass?" He asked, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray nearby. I thought about it for a minute, and smirked.
"Yeah, I do," I said, poking him again. "What do you have to say about that, Connor?"
"I dare ya to poke me again with that there pool cue," He smirked. I took a stance similar to shooting a gun, and leaned on the cue.
"Challenge accepted." I announced, poking him again. When I did, he grabbed the pool cue and tugged, and I staggered forward, releasing my grip on it and falling into his chest. He wrapped his tattooed arms around me and I looked up into his beautiful eyes. "Well then… looks like you win that round, Connor."
"I think so too," He chuckled. Oh, how I loved that accent. I'm a sucker for accents. His eyes lowered to my lips, then back to my eyes. Our faces inched closer until our lips were mere centimeters away. I moved forward and closed the gap, our lips tentatively touching. Connor pushed back and kissed back, and when we parted, he ran the tip of his nose down the side of my face until his face was nuzzled into my neck, where he kissed the skin.
"Now, how about that game?"