CHAPTER THREE

"So how come you don't know anything about cars?" Sujin taunted. "Didn't your dad teach you anything when you were kids?" And I immediately saw, at the glance they exchanged, that she had managed to put her foot in her mouth.

Connor shrugged. "Well, he would have had to teach us when we were babies, cause that's the only time he was around."

"Sorry…" she winced.

"No worry, lass," Murphy said. "Old news." Though, it didn't seem like it was.

"We can show you!" I tried to lighten up the mood. "Our adoptive father was adamant we needed to learn, so…" I'm cut off by Sujin's frown. I never call him our 'adoptive' father; for us, he's just our father. But I don't know why, I wanted them to know. Maybe to connect over the holes in our genealogies. Even if we grew up in a fairly happy family.

I ignored her and she retaliated by ordering another round of shots.

"Ye'll show us yer skills tomorrow, lass!" Murphy chuckled.

"So where are ye from, originally?" Connor finally worked up the nerves to ask.

"Korea," I answer. "But we grew up as French Canadian."

"We were actually smuggled out of North Korea as babies," Sujin said, and I choked on my drink.

"Christ, really?" Connor exclaimed.

"Yeah," she added before I could stop her, "after our biological parents were killed by the regime for being deemed too beautiful."

"Don't-" I started but she cut in, smirking at me:

"No, in fact, we were sold by a company that works on producing multiple babies for the west." Did she really need to outdo herself?

"Stop that!" I intervened. "Sorry, guys, that's just a stupid game we used to play when we were kids."

But the twins were laughing at her bad joke.

"We did the same. We used to pretend our dad was a secret agent," Connor said then.

"Or an actual vigilante, out to clean the streets of Boston, with a long black coat and two muffled guns!" Murphy topped it off with his silly grin.

Connor had distributed the new round of whiskey shots, and Sujin raised her glass: "To AWOL parents!" I had to chug it down at that, albeit cringing at the strength of it.

I might need to clarify that I'm an absolute lightweight. Sujin shouldn't be any better, but she is a bit more experienced. The other problem is that I usually favour hard liquor over beer; I just like the taste better, but you get the issue. In other words, I was already starting to feel giddy.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that we were surrounded by two sexy European islanders.

Connor had his arm laying, innocuously enough, on the small backrest of my sister's high stool. Murphy kept his hands responsibly on the counter, though he was leaning close toward me every time he spoke. And I had trouble breathing every time he spoke.

They were telling us about their – completely insane – mother back home, Annabelle, relating childhood stories of how she raised them mostly by playing pranks on them. It was both really upsetting and hilarious. Especially since each of them made a point to tell us the most embarrassing things that had happened to the other.

"Oh my God!" Sujin exclaimed, and my glare wasn't enough to make her shut up. "Min had a pet frog named Annabelle."

"No way." Connor turned to me, and I cringed, as apologetic as I could:

"I just thought it was a nice name."

"I knew ye must have been a cool kid," Murphy said, his eyes roaming on my t-shirt. And I know he was looking at the design, but I suddenly became very self-conscious about my breasts.

I squinted my eyes at him, hiding behind banter: "That's right, laugh at me all you want…"

"He's not joking, lass." Connor butted in. "He actually thinks frogs are cool."

"Dún é!"

Now, even though I couldn't understand that language, I got that it wasn't nice, because they began rowing, not afraid to drag one another down from the height of their stools, insulting each other in a language that sounded like nothing I'd ever heard, until a ruffled Connor came back with a smug smile. I wouldn't have guessed who had won the fight, though. Seems to me that you're both losers if you had to roll over on a dirty bar's floor.

"Okay, so, once, Murphy was late for mass, because he was busy collecting frogs around the pond behind our house, right?"

"As you do." I nodded, deeming internally that it was a perfectly acceptable alternative to church.

"Right?" Murphy exclaimed happily, brushing up his clothes and coming back to sit as if nothing had happened. I even had to pick up some dirt out of his hair.

"Though, instead of grounding him, Ma told him he was now responsible for these poor creatures' souls. That if he didn't save them, they would go straight to hell! And he believed her!"

"Oh, fuck off, Connor, ye believed her too."

"I did not," he stressed to us. "So, he showed up to Bible study later with a bunch of frogs stuck in every pocket, as if he was going to teach them the Lord's word. I'm not kidding!"

"Oh, I believe you." I couldn't help giggling at Murphy's dismayed expression.

"And, everyone was wondering where the croaks were coming from, until he was called up front to answer a question, and they started pouring out of his coat like it was fucking witchcraft! Some girls started screaming, every kid jumped on their table, it was chaos! And poor Murphy was crying that he just wanted them to go to heaven…"

"That's too cute!" Sujin giggled.

"Is that the day ye pissed yer pants Conn'? I think it was."

"I was just dying of laughter!"

Sujin was laughing like crazy too, and she almost fell down her seat, only to be thankfully caught by a well-meaning Connor. And don't think for a second that she didn't do it on purpose.

"Easy there, lass. Wouldn't want ye to get hurt…" And she answered something just for him that I couldn't understand, because she was now leaning into his ear. But it made him hug her a little tighter. She was not playing hard to get.

I took another swig of my drink, seeking courage where I should not. I should have been checking into that dreadful hotel to get a good night sleep. Tomorrow, we'd leave those devilish brothers behind and forget about them soon enough. Right? Right?

That's the moment my hand decided to take a life of its own and graze over Murphy's Celtic cross tattoo. And the goosebumps it rose on his tight muscled arm were enough to make me blush.

"So ye're really taking this seriously, I mean God, the Bible, everything?" I could hear that my voice was already a bit mumbling and that made me chuckle.

"Of course now, lass. That's the only thing worth taking seriously."

I was now leaning into him too, and I could feel his breath tingling my cheek.

"So, you're saying that you're saving yourself for marriage? Cuz that's what Christians do, don't they?" I can't stop staring at his lips.

"Now, I'm no choirboy either. Can't say that I don't break a rule or two on occasions…"

"What kind of occasions?" I can't believe I was throwing him such an obvious line.

And he didn't catch it. He actually straightened himself away from me and cleared his throat, as if I was the one going too fast. No matter how many times you've gotten rejected, it's never easy.

"Mostly I try to be good though." He didn't even look me in the eyes then.

I know it was subtle, but I could definitely feel the spell was broken. And I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong. So, I downed another shot of whiskey before I stood up too fast and clutched the counter's edge. His hand swiftly found itself on my lower back to help and steady me.

"Ye alright there, lass?"

I turned to Sujin for assistance, though that's when I realized she was already otherwise engaged. Connor was lightly pecking at her lips, his tongue seeking permission to go in. And she was giddily chuckling against him, with her eyes closed in delight.

Now, I'm not usually jealous of my sister. I don't care that boys prefer her. I grew up, worked through it, and I know where I stand. Though, I don't know why, this time, it enraged me.

I gritted my teeth and rubbed my face inside my hands, either to liven myself up or to hide away, I'm not sure. And Murphy's fingers trailed up to land softly on my nape, making me shiver.

"Feeling okay?" he asked again.

"I just need some fresh air, I think."

I tried to escape, but he simply followed me outside. I should have pretended I was going to the bathroom; he was never going to leave me alone out there.

I paced on the sidewalk, breathing deeply, barely stumbling, invigorated by the cooling night's air, wondering how late it was. Some people gave me odd looks, but then they spotted Murphy and invariably said hello to him by name, and with a respectful smile, like a local celebrity. He just leaned against the brick wall, lighting up his cigarette.

I chuckled. "Are you, like, famous or something? Did you save everyone's babies from fires or you're just the Irish Don Corleone?"

"Me?" He pretended to be offended, with a grin, then shrugged. "Nah. I'm just that likeable."

"Right," I scoffed.

Then, I got closer and swiftly snatched the cigarette from his unsuspecting fingers. So much for quitting after college. I had been so good until now.

"Sorry, I should have offered one," he smiled, immediately lighting another.

"Oh, you've done enough, mister." I tried miserably to joke while puffing out smoke.

"Well, I really thought we could get yer car fixed tonight…"

"Eager to send us on our way?" I meant that sarcastically, but it came out a little too real.

"It's not that. It's just-" And his eyes shot down to the ground, suddenly serious too. "I would have told ye sooner, but I enjoyed- I didn't want to lead you on; I just thought ye were going to leave anyway, so, ye know…" he trailed off.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, because, at that moment, I couldn't imagine anything other than that he was just not interested.

But he wouldn't leave it, and he opened his mouth to finally confess.

"Hi babe!" a woman's voice called behind me.

I didn't understand immediately. I just glimpsed at the dazzling woman that was crossing the street, before I turned back, expecting him to simply finish his sentence. Then, I caught his definitely uncomfortable – almost panicky – look racing between her and me. So, I frowned confusedly, and did a double take on her.

She was taller than me, a bit curvier in all the right places, with a perfect face to match her long blond wavy hair. Impeccable and tasty dress to complete the pristine picture. I may have gawked at her.

She completely ignored me, walked up to him, grabbed his cigarette, tossed it in the gutter, and then kissed him possessively.

Of course.

"I just finished my shift at the club, so I thought I'd come and see what you're up to!" Her cheerful tone was contrived, as she acknowledged my presence with a hostile once-over.

"Em, just chilling." And his own tone was guilty as hell. "That's Min," he introduced me, "her car just broke down up the street," then he gestured to the beauty, "and that's Kelly, my girlfriend."

Of course.

Oh no! Is that a speck of a plot? ye ask. Nah, just a minor setback, I reply with a knowing smile...