WOW, this has been an insanely long hiatus from this story, ugh, I am so sorry! I hope some of you all are still interested in this story because I am back in black and ready to write! I re read this today and realized it's unfinished so I am on a mission to finish it, as well as many of my other unfinished stories!
Cheers! Now let's go!
BDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDS
I rolled over onto my side the next morning and came face to face with an angel...or a Saint in this case. Murphy's face, I decided then, was something I could wake up to every day and never get tired of. I don't know what came over me but I suddenly just HAD to touch him, so I reached out and started tracing the features of his face with my fingers, taking in the warmth and admiring the strong lines of his bone structure.
"Tickles."
I jerked my hand back and blushed furiously as Murphy opened his eyes and looked at me with a grin. I suddenly felt a strong urge to giggle from my embarrassment at being caught red handed fondling his face and my laughter burst out of me in a half smothered guffaw. Murphy's eyes widened at the loud noise and he started laughing at me as I shook with the force of my amusement. Suddenly I felt a falling sensation and I tumbled off the bed backwards and got myself stuck between the wall and the mattress and all that did was make us laugh even harder...until my claustrophobia kicked in.
"Murphy! Murphy, I'm serious, help me! Please, please pull me out!" I shrieked loudly, panic turning my arms and legs into cold, numb, useless things and I was helplessly stuck. I began to hyperventilate and Murphy finally realized I wasn't kidding around; he grabbed my weakly outstretched hand and pulled me up quickly, right into his chest. I snuggled my face into his skin and focused on calming down my breathing, telling myself I was okay.
"Wow, are you alright, lass?" Murphy asked, his voice was serious. I nodded and took another deep breath before leaning back to meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I just...can't handle tight spaces and not being able to move my arms or legs."
"I'm sure no one does," Murphy replied honestly.
I was ready to put the whole embarrassing morning out of my mind so I stood from the bed and threw on my jeans and blue t-shirt with the Superman symbol on the front. Smiling one more time at Murphy, I ducked out the door and headed to the kitchen, I would redeem myself by making him an amazing breakfast. God, why was I such a klutz?
I thought my embarrassment was over for a while but as soon as I stepped out the bedroom door, Jeanette streaked in front of my feet and I found myself stumbling onto my hands and knees on the floor.
"Curse you and your descendents, Jeanette!" I growled, which made no sense since I planned to spay her as soon as she was old enough, it just felt like the right thing to say at the moment.
"You alright?" Murphy's deep morning voice reached my ears and then so did my blush.
"Fine, just...thought I saw an ant and I was gonna...squish it..." I tried to play it off smoothly, but it came out incredibly lame.
"Sure ya did," Murphy chuckled and I felt his arm circle around my waist and I was pulled suddenly to me feet.
I brushed off my knees and shook my bangs out of my face with a sniff, trying my best to appear unaffected, and headed for the kitchen. Jeanette was sitting by her food dish, waiting expectantly, blinking her brilliant green eyes as she watched me head for the cabinet.
"You really don't deserve this, you poophead," I muttered as I poured her kitten chow into the silver dish, "You're supposed to be my ally, not a saboteur."
"You always talk to yourself?" Murphy asked from the living room, his eyes bright as he watched me from the couch.
"Shut your mouth, Murphy," I grumbled, standing on my tip-toes to place the cat food back in the cabinet.
"We all know you love hearing me talk, Aby," I nearly fell backwards in surprise because Murphy's breath was tickling my ear and I hadn't heard him approach, "Whoa there, girl, don't need ya injuring yourself before the day's over."
"Why's that?" I asked with a grin, twisting to face him, "Do you have something planned for today?"
Murphy cocked his head and smiled, his blue eyes bright with mischief.
"Aye, I just might," he replied, letting go of me and leaning down to scratch Jeanette behind her ears, "You get out much, Aby?"
"Not as much as I'd like," I admitted, pulling the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator, "I mean, I've seen all there is of this tiny place and I stayed in Dublin for a few weeks when I first got here, but other than a few trips to Mullingar for shopping and such, I haven't been anywhere."
"You came all the way to Ireland to sit here in Collinstown and not see the island?" Murphy asked me sarcastically.
"I just don't have money or time," I admitted sadly, "Making a living here is just as hard as making a living in the States. It's not all fun and games like I'd hoped."
"Never is," Murphy muttered, sitting down at the kitchen table. He picked up my tattered copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray and flipped through it. "Gotta love Oscar Wilde."
"Gotta love the Irish, period." I laughed, cracking another egg over the skillet. I opened the bacon packet and pulled out several strips, chopped them into small pieces and threw them in with the eggs. My stomach gurgled in anticipation as I carefully pushed the eggs around the pan into a scrambled pile of deliciousness.
"So, you came here to see Ireland and make a life here, right?" Murphy asked from the table, "Anyplace in particular you wanted to see when you decided to make your way over?"
I sighed as my mind wandered to the many places and things I wanted to see.
"Oh, the usual, you know," I replied, flipping the eggs around in the pan, "The castles, Dublin, the cathedrals, the landscape, the ocean..."
"Come on, Aby," I could tell by the tone of his voice that Murphy was rolling his eyes at me, "I know you got some specifics, you aren't just a tourist."
I grabbed a bowl big enough for the bacon eggs and spooned them out of the skillet. I grabbed two plates and two forks and took them all over to where Murphy was sitting, waiting for my answer.
"Ok, so there may be some specific places," I acknowledged, setting the plates and bowl down and turning to grab glasses and the orange juice from the fridge. "I'd love to see Londonderry most of all."
"Not even in this section of the country, lass," Murphy stated, taking a huge bite of his eggs.
"I know," I sighed, plopping down across from him, "I also want to see the old burial mounds, Carrick-a-Rede, the Hill of Slane, the Ring of Kerry...so many others."
Murphy simply nodded, chewing his eggs slowly and silently. I took a drink of my juice and my mind began to wander to all the places I wanted to go and the things I wanted to experience and I was suddenly unhappy. It was hard to make a living, let alone make enough to travel and explore.
A knock on the door jerked me out of my thoughts and I stood up to answer the door, but it swung open before I even managed to make it across the kitchen and Connor stepped inside with a huge grin on his handsome face.
"Top of the mornin' to you!" he said loudly, his brogue was so thick that it made me smile.
"Good morning, Connor," I replied, all my brooding thoughts flew out the window at the sight of Connor's twinkling eyes, his mere presence was always enough to brighten any situation. "We're having breakfast, you want some?"
"I never turn down a good meal, lass!" Connor said happily, he kicked off his boots by the door and went to take a seat next to Murphy, ruffling his dark hair as he passed. Murphy shook his head and gave his brother a glare.
I prepared Connor a plate of bacon eggs and poured him some juice, which he chugged immediately and held out his glass for more. I rolled my eyes and poured it full again.
"He'll eat you out of house and home," Murphy muttered, shoving more eggs in his mouth.
"Eating things out is my specialty," Connor stated wickedly, he winked at me and I giggled at the innuendo.
"You're such a damn charmer, Connor," I said as I shoved the orange juice back in the fridge.
BDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDS
"Pack your shit." I ducked just in time as a backpack flew past my head. I straightened back up and glared at Connor.
"You nearly took my head off with that thing," I snapped, bending over and picking up the bag from the floor where it landed. "Pack for what?"
"Murph said you want to go on an adventure," Connor stated, he disappeared into my bathroom and reemerged with my toothbrush and a box of tampons that he placed firmly in my hands. I just looked at him, dumbfounded. "So we're going."
"But I have to work tomorrow," I said lamely, dropping the box of tampons into the backpack, followed by the toothbrush.
"Taken care of," Murphy's voice came from my front door where he had just come in, "Just talked to your assistant manager and he said he would handle the pub for a week."
"A week!?" I gasped, "But I can't afford to miss a week of work!"
"It's alright, love," Murphy assured me, lighting a cigarette. "Connor and I already prepaid your next month's rent and bills."
My jaw dropped and my eyes flicked between the two brothers who were grinning like Cheshire cats.
"Are you kidding me?" I said, frustrated, "Guys you can't be paying my bills!"
"Aby, you're family," Connor stated, placing his arm around my shoulders, "Family does stuff for each other."
Murphy nodded, blowing a smoke ring towards the ceiling.
"Besides," he said, "It wouldn't be the same going on a vacation without you. I'd be stuck with my damn brother the whole time."
"Now, go pack your shit," Connor repeated his earlier command, pushing me gently towards my bedroom. "Pack light. You'll be carrying it with you a lot."
Excitement flooded my brain and I nearly tripped over my own feet in my eagerness to get to my bedroom. Murphy entered a moment later and told me what sort of clothes to pack and certain things I may need. Connor brought in a plastic bag full of small bottles of shampoo and condition and body wash, a few washcloths, a travel sized toothpaste tube, a razor, my toothbrush and my hairbrush. I grabbed my small bag of makeup and tossed it in the bag.
"Ready?" Murphy asked, his eyes twinkling in excitement, "Connor and I put our heads together after our talk last week. We think you need to see some of your new home."
I almost exploded with joy, as it was I threw my hands up and spun in a circle, squealing loudly.
"Oh my gosh, Murphy!" I clasped my hands together in front of my chest, pressing my chin into them in my state of euphoria, "Are we going to...?"
"Derry, aye," Murphy replied with a grin.
The squeal that issued from my mouth probably could have shattered glass.
BDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDS
Anyone familiar with Ireland/Northern Ireland who is reading this? Am I right when I say Derry/Londonderry is an absolutely enchanting city?! Of all the places I have traveled, it was the only city that I cried when I left it. Can't wait to go back :)
This story is officially up and running again! Cheers! Please review so I know who's still reading and who's new to it, can't wait to be hearing from you all!