Aven wasn't sure what it was about that night, but there was something more hanging in the air between herself and Murphy. She almost had to force herself to work; she just wanted to sit and spend time with him. The extra shine in his eyes made her think that maybe Murphy was feeling the same towards her.

When the bar closed and it was time for their nightly coffee, Connor did what he often did: suggested he and Torrin take their coffee and go for a walk. Torrin agreed, so long as Aven would lock up. Aven promised, and caught Murphy smiling victoriously from the corner of her eye.

"You set that up, didn't you? Anxious to get me alone, are ya?" she teased.

Murphy shook his head. "Connor's likely to get Torrin alone at any chance he gets. I just get to enjoy the benefits of getting you alone." He gave her a very explicit wink and grin.

"Murphy MacManus!" Aven scolded, reaching out to pinch him. "Come on, let's take the booth by the window. We can people watch."

"After two in the mornin'? Lordy, girl. You've got a little wishful thinkin' goin' there."

Aven just smirked and rolled her eyes as she sipped at her coffee and slid into the booth. The warm liquid slid down her throat and warmed her insides. She shuddered from it; Murphy offered her his jacket.

"I'll be all right, thanks."

"Don't be difficult, take it," Murphy insisted, wrapping the thing around her shoulders.

It was warm, cozy, and smelled like him. Aven was intoxicated. "Is this how you charm all the girls?"

Murphy snorted. "Don't do much charming these days, except maybe for you. Honestly though, Aven, my work keeps me pretty occupied. It's only by the grace of God I get to be here with ya as much as I am."

Here with ya, he'd said. Aven didn't miss it, and didn't think she was reading too much into it either. "What kind of girls have you been with?"

"Lord in Heaven," Murphy said, crossing himself. "Is this going to be the sex talk?"

"Absolutely not!" Aven exclaimed. "I've no need to know where Little Murphy's been. Just want to know what kind of girl you've dated."

"Ah, I getcha." He leaned back against the booth and rubbed his chin. "There was one girl, years ago. She's the only one worth tellin' about, I suppose. Name was Ciara, and I wanted her so bad. She was the prettiest girl in our town. Took her out for a date once, and Lord knows I would have done anything for her."

"So what happened?"

"She thought I was Connor."

Aven couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Ya aren't identical! Conas is dúr a bhfuil tú a bheith?" She figured someone would have to be pretty damn stupid to not be able to tell the two of them apart.

Murphy took a good gulp of his coffee and smiled. "I like that you do that, ya know – throw in a little Irish here and there."

"Do ya really?" Aven asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's force of habit, I suppose. Not that so many people use it on a regular basis back home, but we grew up with it."

"Keeps you close to your roots, not a bad thing." He paused. "Do you ever miss Ireland?"

"Every day," Aven said quietly, and with a sad smile. "Anyway – this girl. What did you do?"

"Took her home," Murphy shrugged. "She wasn't interested in me. Connor wasn't interested in her. That was the end of it."

"Just my luck." Aven let the teasing note in her voice reach her eyes, wondering how long the both of them would dance around this flirting game before admitting to true attraction.

.&.

Their conversation strayed back to Ireland from there – the places they had grown up, their favorite hideouts and places to visit. Murphy promised to go back with her as soon as they both were able. Aven smiled at him gratefully, and he thought that maybe he saw a bit of a shy pink glitter her cheeks.

"What about you, Aven? Tell me about the first boy to break your heart," Murphy prompted.

Aven took a deep breath. "You're the one always talkin' about it's too early for this, too late for that. Here we are, after two in the morning, and you're asking about heartbreaks."

"Only so I don't do the same thing."

"Ha!" Aven finished off her coffee and pushed the mug away. "Well, to start off with, I wasn't allowed to date until I was eighteen. When I was seventeen though, just before we left the States, I fell head over heels for a boy doing runs for my uncle and father here in Boston. I snuck out almost every night to see him. He told me that he had plans for us – a house in the Irish countryside with lots of babies. He would work whatever he had to do so that I could stay home."

Murphy cocked his head to the side. "What happened to him?"

Aven leaned forward on her elbows. "My father caught us, and threw a fit. I was forbidden from seeing this boy again, but he didn't care what my father said. He told me that the night of my high school graduation, we were going to get on a boat and go back to Ireland. We'd be married there and then no one could stop us from being together."

"That must not have worked out."

"No, it didn't," Aven sighed. "The day before my graduation, he was sent back to Ireland for a job. By the time I got back there, he had found another girl and married her."

Murphy reached for her hand. "That wasn't your fault, Aven."

"Oh, I'm aware of it," she said, sitting back in the booth, against the window with her legs stretched out across the seat. "My father and uncle paid him a large sum of money to move on with his life. Apparently it was a larger sum than I was worth."

Murphy shook his head. "There's not any number of any currency in the world that I would trade you for."

Aven grinned and pushed his hand away. "Yeah, yeah, you're charming. I get it. More coffee?"

He opted for another cup while silently cursing himself for not having the courage to tell her it was the truth.

.&.

They talked about their pasts, and then they moved on to their futures – and a more comfortable corner booth. Murphy stretched his legs across to the other side, and Aven laid her head in his lap.

"In ten years," she started. "Tell me where you'll be."

"Where I want to be, or where I think I'll be?"

"Both."

"I suppose I'd like to be back home. Maybe have a wife, sons. I don't know what I would do, though," Murphy admitted. "I can't imagine my life any different than it is now. Which is probably why I think I'll be in the same place where I'm at now, in an apartment with my brother and our friend."

"Maybe not. I believe that God serves those who serve him. You do his work now, Murph, and he will have a bounty for you later."

"Spoken like a true woman of God."

"Don't let the whiskey and the cursing – or the anger – fool you. I'm highly indebted to the Church."

"For what?" Murphy asked.

Aven shook her head. "Some things you'll have to find out later."

"Fair enough," Murphy smirked, playing his fingers through her hair. "What about you? What's your ten-year plan?"

Aven shrugged, looking up at him with those green eyes Murphy couldn't get enough of – eyes that had pulled him into the bar the first night he met her. "I swear I'm not just saying this, but I wouldn't mind being a wife with kids back in Ireland. Maybe it's because I was given that dream when I was younger and never quite let go of it."

"It's okay to just admit that's what you want," Murphy assured in a gentle voice. "I think you're a good woman. You'd make a good mama, too. Stern but caring. I can see it already."

Neither of them were sure exactly how he meant the comment to come out; Aven just smiled up at him again, until her features fell.

"But, I suppose my future is similar to yours. In ten years I'll probably be alone, working the bar while Torrin and Gavan make babies upstairs."

Murphy laughed. "At least we'll always have the whiskey."

"Yes, the whiskey never lies, never leaves," Aven smiled, sitting up. She didn't want to, but she'd kiss him if she looked up at him while he played with her hair any longer.

.&.

They talked for hours. Anything and everything they could think of; neither one wanted to leave. Before either knew it, light was again filling the bar.

"You're going to be exhausted tomorrow," Murphy whispered.

Somehow, they had ended up on the floor in a corner, Aven leaning against Murphy's chest and trying not to fall asleep. He was playing with her hair again – he couldn't quite stop doing that.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked him.

"Anything," he assured, venturing to kiss her forehead.

Aven swallowed hard and sat up straight. "Do you think I'll ever find a man who wouldn't choose money over me?"

And there, after staying up until the sun rose, in the middle of a pub in Boston, Aven showed Murphy her true heart. She was so different, so unique, but she was the same – she wanted to be loved and needed and wanted.

He leaned forward and contemplated how angry she might be if he kissed her. "I promise you. If he isn't around in ten years, I'll have you."

"What about your calling?" Aven whispered, mentally begging him to make his move and kiss her.

He played with the ends of her hair. "God forgives. For you, I think He would forgive me."

Aven giggled, and the moment passed them by. Murphy just couldn't stand the possibility that she may not want him like he wanted her.

"Well, this has been a fun little flirtation, but I suppose we should see what the other two are up to," Aven told him. She stood and dusted off the seat of her pants.

A flirtation. She thought he was trying to charm her. And, still, Murphy could not find the courage to tell her he meant what he had said with everything in him. Perhaps in ten years the Lord would be finished with him, and Aven would be the wife and mother to his children that he dreamed of having.

.&.

Aven locked the bar behind her and they trudged quietly but hand in hand at the door of the apartment. At the stoop, Aven dropped Murphy's hand.

"Thanks, Murph, for tonight. I mean, last night – however it was. The last several hours mean a lot to me. More than you know." She was trying to be subtle about how she felt. Maybe it would be nice to have him make the first move, instead of taking initiative and forcing the whole thing.

"It was my pleasure, Aven."

He took the key from her hand and unlocked the door, walking in to make sure everything was safe. Aven delighted in the gesture, but tried to keep it off of her face while she checked the bedroom for her cousin.

"Torrin's asleep in her bed," Aven announced quietly, seeing Connor stirring on the couch.

"I'll get this one up and take him with me," Murphy offered. "You girls need anything, you ring us."

Aven nodded. "We will, thanks. See you in a few hours?"

"I'll be here," Murphy promised, chucking her under the chin.

Aven waited for them to go, bidding Connor goodbye as well. She shut and locked the door behind her, leaning against it before moving on with her day. For the first time, her attraction moved on to something new.

She could very well fall in love with Murphy MacManus.