Chapter 15: Fancy bumping into you.

Erin and Clare approached the Mallon house. Clare was ahead of Erin, who'd slowed down as they got closer. She gulped as the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter. She was unable to control her face from fidgeting. Clare strolled up the pathway, jubilant and excited. She looked back and stopped as she saw Erin pausing at the gate.

"What's wrong, Erin?"

"I don't know, Clare."

"What are ye talking about? Expand and explain." Clare ordered as she walked back towards Erin.

"What if he's moved on? What if he doesn't feel the same way anymore?"

"Ach, don't be such an eejit Erin; James said that he's liked you for a while now. You don't just switch off feelings like that."

"I think ye can when Michelle tells you to."

"Ach, catch yourself on, Erin. Come on! I told me what Marco said. "In it together!" Well, I just jumped on that bandwagon and I'm enjoying the ride." Clare stated, Erin couldn't help but smirk at that remark.

Clare marched up behind Erin and began pushing her up the pathway, Erin's eye widened as they got closer to the door, she tried pushing back, but wasn't really putting in much effort. Clare was undeterred and they were soon standing in front of the door.

"Come on. Knock!"

Erin rolled her eyes, and gently tapped the door. 1..2…3… no answer.

"Ach, well, that's the end of that! Come on. Let's go."

"Stall the ball, Erin!" Clare said.

She approached the door and pounded it hard. Erin had already started to walk back up the path but stopped and turned when Clare knocked. Still, no answer. Clare made one last attempt and called through the letter box.

"Michelle? Michelle?! James?!" Clare called. Erin fidgeted with her fingers and bit her bottom lip. Her knees felt like jelly.

"They must have already gone to the shopping centre. That's a bit rude! They might have at least called to let us know."

"Shopping centre then?" Erin suggested.

"Aye. Come on then." Clare said with conviction. She marched back down the path and past Erin. Erin's eyes widened in disbelief, and slowly followed her. Clare marched back and put her arm through Erin's, and they walked towards the shopping centre.

"Ach, wait a minute! What about Marco and Orla? Where are they?" Clare asked as she paused.

"They're out for a dander, remember? Don't worry, I told Orla we were going to the shopping centre, I'm sure they'll be there." Erin replied. Thankful for the distraction.

"Ach. OK." Clare said.

A while later. The two friends walked through the double doors into the shopping centre. Erin distracted herself by looking for Marco and Orla, hoping they'd find them first. Clare's head shot in all directions like a meerkat as they walked inside the precinct, passing the different shops.

"So…. are you looking for anything particular for the party later?" Erin asked, trying to make conversation.

"Stop trying to avoid the bigger issue here Erin. You need to speak with James…. I might look in Primark for a new t-shirt, but that's beside the point. How about you?" Clare replied.

"I dunno, a new skirt or something, I'm not sure."

"Maybe run it by James, I'm sure he'll give an honest opinion." Clare quipped.

"Clare!" Erin snorted. She was astounded by Clare's blatant remark.

"Well, you want to look nice for him, don't you?"

"Clare, I don't even know if he feels the same way, stop torturing me, OK?" Erin said sadly.

"Sorry Erin."

"It's alright."

As they walked on, they approached a bend in the concourse. Unknown to them, Michelle and James were walking in the opposite direction. Looking for them, and Marco and Orla. The two pairs were almost upon each other. In an ironic twist of fate, both pairs began talking about the wee snog in Donegal.

Michelle: Can I ask, of all the girls you could have fallen for, why Erin?

James: Well, I can't help who I fall for.

Clare: So, what exactly happened in Donegal?

Michelle: How did you manage to pull her?

Erin: Well, it started when James came downstairs….

James: … I was talking about when I got hit by the school van…

Erin: …and remember? he went on about that fecking tunnel…

Michelle: You mean when you knocked yourself out?

James: Michelle!

Clare: Aye, we were all scared for him, so we were….

Erin…Aye…anyway, he said to me….

James… how something shifted…

Erin… and he mentioned about being...

James: … too scared or too nervous before about things I hadn't yet done.

Erin: He looked sort of pathetic standing there, I thought he was still concussed….

James: … I tried to get the words out, but they got sort of jumbled up.

Clare: And then what?...

Michelle: For fuck's sake James, get to the mucky part….

Erin and James: I'm getting to it.

James: Erin threw me off because she I once said about wanting…

Erin… to go in a hot air balloon.

Michelle: A hot air balloon? What the fuck?

Clare: Aye, I remember him saying something about that.

Erin: But he said it was way too expensive….

Michelle: How much was it?

James: I thought you wanted me to get on with it?

Clare: So, after the hot air balloon thing….

James: I finally managed…

Erin: to say…

Erin and James: I like me, Erin.

Both Clare and Michelle shot a respective look of confusion to their counterparts.

Erin: … Well, he tried to…

James… correct myself…. but it was…

Erin…very awkward.

James… too late.

Michelle: You absolute fecking Dose!

Clare: (Laughing) Michelle: (Laughing out loudly)

Erin: Excuse me, but he was…

James…really nervous!

Michelle: Ach, for fuck's sake, James. And you're telling me that…

Clare: …Made you fancy him?

James: No, I think the next thing I said helped with that.

Michelle: Why, what did you say?

James: I just told her that I thought she was….

Erin: beautiful.

Clare: Awwww. What else did he say?

Erin: Nothing. I kissed him after that.

Michelle: Christ, and that was all it took?

Clare: That's it? Nothing else?

Erin: Well, what did you expect?

Clare: I don't know just seems a bit…

Michelle: Fucking Desperate!"

Clare: …too easy?

Erin gawked and shot forward in front of Clare and started to walk backwards. She began to defend her first ever kiss in her usual Erin manner and she started to flay her arms in protest on behalf of herself and James.

"For your information, James was an absolute gentleman. Plus! I can't imagine John Paul or David Donnelly being much good kissers, what with their beer and cigarette breath. But James was… IS a very good kisser. I might not have much experience, but I know how I felt. And it felt cracker! OK? And when I see I'll tell him as much when I-"

Erin spun round and she ended up backhanding James in the face just as both pairs collided together at the bend. James let out a loud groan and grabbed his nose. Erin stood in horror and let out a loud gasp. Clare shared the same look, while Michelle doubled over laughing.

"Jesus Christ!" James shouted.

"OH MY GOD! James! Are you ok?" Erin cried.

"Motherfuckers! That was excellent timing!" Michelle laughed.

"Oh my god! Stop laughing Michelle!" Clare shouted.

Michelle couldn't stop sniggering. James walked backwards and lent against the wall, bent over from the pain. Erin was shaking from shock as she walked slowly to him. She tried to inspect his nose.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, James" She repeated.

"It's ok. It's ok. Don't worry." He muffled to her. Still holding his nose.

"Are you sure? Can I see? Let me see." Erin pleaded.

James straightened himself up. He lowered his hands so Erin could get closer. She held his face and spotted his nose had a very red mark on the side, but not bleeding. No major damage had been done. Erin was relieved. James placed his hands on hers. He then started to shake his head and started to laugh.

"Are ye laughing at me? I was really fecking worried if you don't mind!" Erin scoffed.

"No. I'm not laughing at you."

"We were just talking about ye just now, as it happens." Michelle said, still sniggering.

"Really? What about?" Erin asked. Turning to James.

The moment was suddenly interrupted when the word ORLA! echoed loudly around them. They all shot looks at each other. Marco and Orla were nearby. They looked around, eventually peering down an adjacent concourse in the shopping centre. There, in the middle of the concourse, were Marco and Orla, Orla had her back to Marco and was looking around, and as soon as she turned back, they all witnessed Marco planting his lips on Orla's. If a picture was worth a thousand words, then this was certainly worth a million words. Clare gawked, as she covered her mouth, but was hiding a large smile underneath. For the first time, possibly ever, Michelle was absolutely gobsmacked. She thought she may have been angry, but she wasn't. Erin sported a very large gawking smile and didn't try to hide it. She clutched her chest as she felt her heartbeat rapidly and she stumbled backwards into James. The two eejits locked eyes when they collided, and they smiled at each other. They both turned to look again at their respective counterparts, still with their lips locked. They both smiled in admiration, Erin rested the back of her head on James's chest. She then felt James touch her hand. She gulped and looked up at him. James felt Erin grip his hand, he gripped it back, they smiled at each other again. They were now oblivious to everything else, but Michelle and Clare began to snigger as they saw Orla staring off into space.