Connor and Darina had finally decided to go back to the brothers' apartment after letting the others know that they were leaving without mentioning why. Murphy declined to go with them since Runa and Danny had started up their drinking game again and he was determined to see how long they could keep it up.
It had mostly been a silent cab ride although Connor had his arm around her the entire time. When they finally got to the apartment, she looked around with a bewildered look in her eyes "What's wrong?" "Nothing... It's just... Very cozy and very lived in". She then flopped down on the nearest bed and started to close her eyes "Tha's Murph's bed" Connor then lifted her to her feet and led her to the other bed "This is were ye'll be sleepin' tonight".
Darina smiled at him "Thanks for what you did back there" "It was the least I could do. I jus' feel bad that ya had to see me lose control like that". He then took off his shirt to reveal that his entire torso was very muscular. Darina started blushing when it occcured to her that she had never seen either one of the brothers shirtless and to make matters worse, he started undoing his pants. "What?" "Nothing... it's just that... Well... Nevermind" she then undid her her bra through her shirt and threw it across the room after she had gotten it completely off and turned away from him. Connor started laughing "What's so funny?" "I never figured tha' ya still fancied me after all this time" "Thanks for boosting my self confidence you ass" "I didn't mean it like tha'. Yer a very beautiful woman now and any man ya choose should feel honored ta have ya" "Right, which is why the only men I've ever had any feelings for have either left or hurt me. I'm so wonderful". Connor sat down next to her and pulled her up to face him then held her face "Ev'ry day tha I went without seein' ya I thought about ya. Was always wond'ring what ya were up to an' if ya were doin' ok. I'll admit tha' me and Murph left partly because o' ya but tha' was only so neither o' us would end up doin' anything stupid. Ya got pretty far too soon and we wanted ta make sure tha' ya stayed innocent till ya were old enough". His eyes told Darina that he was telling the truth. She couldn't believe it: This beautiful man and his equally handsome brother had had their choice of girls in Dublin and they had both been attracted to her?
Now that she looked back, things made a little a little more sense. Connor and Murphy had been distancing themselves from her for about the last 6 months before they left: Avoiding being seen in public with her but avoiding being alone with her even more. She had just assumed that they were busy more and more since they had finished college and decided to not go to university to help their Ma with the bills. In reality, both of them had noticed that she was quickly becoming an attractive young woman and they didn't trust themselves around her. That also explained why Julia had grown resentful of her and had started bitterly referring to them as her boyfriends as well as why the other girls at school had started rumors that were better not mentioned about her. And here she had always assumed that her crushes on them had been more than futile.
"Why me?" "Tha's simple. On top of bein' pretty, ye've always been very smart and know how ta enjoy life. Lookin' back on it, if me and Murph had known how us leavin' was gon' ta effect ya, we prob'ly wouldn't have come here" "And risked despoiling me?" "Aye... T'was a hard choice for us ta make but in the end we decided it would be better for ya not ta have the likes of us tryin' ta get at ya" "Yeah... Especially since you wouldn't have had to try very hard". Connor gave her a shocked look "The fuck ya talkin' about?" "You didn't realize it? I was completely in love with you and Murph... Shit, I even doodled 'Mrs. McManus' and 'I love Connor and Murphy' all over my textbooks and notebooks" "Do ya still have feelings for us or do ya jus' want a friendship again?". In response, Darina grabbed Connor and kissed him and started running her hands through his hair, signalling that she wanted him to deepen the kiss. As his toungue entered her yielding mouth, she ran her hands his perfectly carved torso. This is what she had been wanting since she was 11 and it still felt like a dream when he started unbuttoning her shirt so he had better access to her breasts.
Then her cell phone started ringing.
She pulled herself away to answer it, noticing that Runa was the one calling "This had better be good you bitch" "If tha's the response I'm gon' ta get, I'll jus' bring these fuckin' drunkards over there... Assumin' tha' yer in me brother's bed right now" "Sorry Murph. They forgot how to get back to the hotel?" "Aye, I've never seen anyone but me Ma drink so much in a night" "That's pretty normal for them. Has Danny tried to fondle you yet?" "Aye. An' he keeps tryin' no matter how much I try ta tell him tha' I'm not interested. I'm close ta puchin' him ta be honest" Darina laughed then gave him the name of the hotel and the room number "It would probably be best for you to come back here after you get them back. Unless you want them to fight over you. It can get pretty nasty" "Thanks for the advice. What're ya and me brother up ta?" "You may or may not find out when you get back" "I see..." "Don't even start Murph. I'm pretty exhausted so I'll most likely be asleep when you get back" "Alright, see ya when I get there or when ya wake up".
She hung up the phone to see that Connor had gone to use the bathroom and decided to take off her shirt and lie down. By the time that Connor came back, she was sound asleep, worn out from traveling as well as the ordeals and revelations that the day had brought her.