Once Niall's clothes were finally dry, Gerry offered to drive him home, along with anyone else in need of ride. The rain had died down some, but it was still falling consistently. Michelle called shotgun, leaving the rest in the back. Erin and Orla sat on their fella's laps, while Clare was smushed between them.
"This is not legal, Girls!" Clare protested.
"Calm yer tits, shite the tights," Michelle chuckled. "Gerry isn't objectin' to it."
"I'm not exactly happy 'bout it," Gerry retorted. "But, it's not a long drive."
"As if Clare wouldn't wanna sit on Laurie's lap," Michelle wiggled her eyebrows.
The wee lesbian merely made a squeak, turned red, and sunk into her seat more, getting a laugh from nearly everyone in the car.
The Mallon house was the first stop. Erin was pouty like always having to part ways with her wee English fella. The two shared a kiss as he got out of the car.
"Fucks sake, ye see each other nearly every day," Michelle groaned.
"I don't see ye excited when ye have to part with Fin," Erin retorted. "An' ye see him nearly every day hi."
Michelle didn't verbally respond, she just flipped Erin off and got out of the car.
"See ye later then, Niall," she smiled warmly.
"Night, Michelle," he replied with a warm smile as well.
"Catch you later, Niall," James said with a smirk.
"Later, ye wee English prick," Niall replied with a chuckle and wink.
Erin decided to move up to the passenger seat, so Orla could sit next to Niall and Clare would be less nervous. The newly formed couple continued holding hands, never taking their eyes off each other and smiling broadly. Erin caught glimpses of them from the rear view mirror, and for a moment she got why Michelle groaned about her and James, but at the same time was glad her weirdo cousin found someone.
Niall gave Gerry directions to the groundskeeper's house, which wasn't too far off from Brooke Park.
"Thanks fer the the lift, Mr. Quinn," said Niall.
"Not a problem, son," Gerry replied with a smile. "An' Gerry'll do just fine.
Niall smirked at the acceptance, then turned his attention back to his new girlfriend. Girlfriend? Absolutely mad! Hadn't even been free a week, and he had himself a girlfriend!
"See ye tomorrow then, hi," he smiled warmly and gave Orla a peck on the lips.
"Aye, sounds cracker, it does," she smiled back.
The ride home was quiet, with nobody bothering to try and make conversation. Clare was lost in thought as she looked out the car window. She'd been living with Orla for a month now, and it turned out much better than expected. Oh sure, she was experiencing the Quinn/McCool eccentricities on a much more frequent basis now, but she surprisingly didn't mind. Maybe it was getting to be with her friends again, or having a girlfriend, or a combination.
Regardless, it was the happiest she'd felt since losing her Da last year. She still had her depressed moments. There were some nights Orla heard her crying, so she'd lie in bed with her for comfort. She remembers Orla asking her something on one of those nights.
"What's it like, havin' a Da?" Orla asked.
"Why are ye askin'?" Clare replied.
"Cuz I never had one," Orla shrugged.
The wee lesbian felt silly now for even asking that. She sometimes forgot this about her friend.
"Ach! Sorry, slipped my mind," Clare frowned.
"No worries," Orla smiled. "Not somethin' I really think about often. Mammy is grand, she is. Plus I got Uncle Gerry, Aunt Mary, an' Granda. They're all like spare parents hi. But, sometimes I wonder what it's like havin' a proper Da, I do."
"Ye never asked Erin?" asked Clare.
"She'd just think I'm bein' weird," replied Orla.
"I s'pose that's possible," agreed Clare. "Ye ever ask yer Ma about who he was?"
"No," Orla shook her head. "Been too scared to ask Mammy. Worried I'd hurt her feelins if I did."
"Understandable," thought Clare.
"So, what's it like?" Orla asked.
"I'm not really sure how to answer that," Clare admitted. "I mean, he was just... always there. Then suddenly... he wasn't. Earliest memories I have of him are playin' on the livin' room floor. I actually came out properly to him an' Mammy the same day ye did yer step aerobics at the school talent show."
"Really?" asked Orla.
"Aye," nodded Clare. "I was a walkin' cack attack about it, I was. I was scared they'd react poorly to their only daughter bein' a lesbian."
"Did they?" asked Orla.
"There was definite shock on their faces," said Clare. "But, they almost immediately hugged me right after. They said I was their wain, an' they loved me for exactly who I was. They also said they were proud of me fer bein' honest to them."
"That's real class of them, it is," Orla said with a smile.
"Aye, it really is," Clare agreed, tears starting up. "There's been so many nights where... I think it's all just a really bad dream hi. That I'll wake up, an' he'll be there... like nothin' ever changed. But, it doesn't take long fer me to realize he's really gone..."
"Ach! He's not truly gone," said Orla. "So long as ye still got yer memories of him."
Clare couldn't find the words in that moment. Orla simply embraced her friend, let her cry it out, and they fell asleep hugging.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout there?" Erin asked, breaking Clare out of her thoughts.
"Just the last month or so," she answered.
"Been cracker, it has," Orla said with a smile.
"Aye, it really has," Clare agreed with a soft smile.
"Must be a bit strange, livin' with us," Orla commented.
"As someone who's lived with ye my whole life, I can confirm it's very strange, Orla," Erin retorted with a chuckle.
"Maybe just a wee bit," said Clare. "But, I'm still glad I decided to do it."
"We're all very happy 'bout it, love," Gerry chimed in with a smile.
Clare and Orla decided to spend some more time with Erin in her room. Orla sat with Erin on her bed, while Clare sat in the chair. The discussion of relationships came up.
"So, Orla, how does it feel bein' in a relationship?" Erin asked.
"It's really cracker, it is," Orla replied with a big smile. "Now I get why the rest of ye look so happy all the time."
"Do we now?" Clare giggled, already knowing the answer.
"Aye, ye do," said Orla, still smiling. "I can always tell when Erin is thinkin' of James hi."
"How's that exactly?" Erin asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yer smile is different from yer other ones, they are," answered Orla. "Same goes for James and the rest of ye."
"I s'pose that makes sense," said Erin.
She definitely noticed her wee English fella smiled at her in a way he didn't with others, made sense she did with him too.
"Will ye and James get married?" Orla asked.
Her cousin and wee lesbian friend went wide eyed, with Clare letting out an audible squeak.
"Oh my god, Orla!" Erin exclaimed. "How the hell can ye just ask that!?"
"Ye love each other hi?" Orla asked with a shrug.
"Well... y-yes, we do," Erin fumbled with her answer.
"That's what people in love do, isn't it?" Orla asked.
"I... s'pose that's true," Erin replied, blushing brightly. "But, we're still in high school, we are. An' we still got university comin' up."
"Students don't get married?" Orla asked.
"Sometimes they do," Clare pointed out.
"We've only been goin' steady a couple months," Erin retorted. "It's a bit fast to be thinkin' that far ahead!"
"Ye definitely think about it though," said Orla. "Ye've written 'Erin Maguire' in yer diary more than once, ye have."
"Jesus, Orla," Erin shrieked, turning bright red. "Ye have got to stop readin' my diary, ye do!"
"I always figured ye'd keep yer maiden name," said Clare.
"For writin' I would," explained Erin. "But, I figure on official documentations... I'd use my husband's surname."
"An' that husband would be a certain wee English fella?" Orla asked with a grin.
"Shut up, Orla!" Erin exclaimed, but then immediately chuckled.
Erin wouldn't say it out loud, but she did indeed think about her future with James. Sure, they'd only been dating a couple months, but they'd had feelings for each other for a couple years now. They didn't really talk about the future of their relationship, more future careers. Erin, of course, wanted to be a writer, while James wanted to make movies. This got the two talking about writing something together that James could then direct (like that documentary they worked on a while back).
A future where they're married? It certainly seemed plausible at this point, obvious really. Like Orla said, that's what people in love do. Erin certainly loved James, and she knew he loved her. She was the happiest she'd ever felt every day since they starred dating, she's pretty sure he felt the same. He loved her for her, craziness and all.
"Ye're thinkin' 'bout it now, ye are," Orla teased.
"Feck off," Erin chuckled, smacking her cousin with a pillow.
Orla dramatically fell backwards from the hit, everyone laughed hysterically.
"YE WAINS KEEP IT DOWN NOW!" Mary shouted.
The three immediately covered their mouths to hold in their laughter. Lord knows they didn't wanna face the wrath of the Quinn matriarch.