Declan's chest was tight and heavy. After years away, he had finally revealed the truth about himself to his cousins, his uncle, and the rest of their family and friends. The biggest part of his identity. What defined him as a person. At the time, something that in his mind, understandably, could likely bring ridicule to his family, which lead him to make the hardest decision he had ever made in his young life. A decision, although it had allowed him to venture forth and discover more about himself. It came at a heavy price. A self-inflicted extradition from Derry, away from prying eyes, judging glances and persecution, but now, he had made a choice to be true to them, as he was to himself.
Declan, despite the masculine frame and demeanour he presented, was unmistakably fearful that his family would not accept him, although he knew he had the backing of his mousey, impassive father, Colm; his father had been the one who randomly revealed that his only son was 'A gay.' Declan stood frozen as he caught the gaze of Mary and Sarah, Gerry stood, shell shocked by the revelation, while the guests sat to see how things would unfold. Declan furrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the almost expectant looks coming from Mary and Sarah.
"Is it true, wee Deccy? Are ya really a Gay?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide with utter astonishment.
"….. Aye. very much so, Sarah, I'm gay." Declan confirmed, his breath hitching.
"Ach, well that's grand, so it is! Good on ya, Deccy!" Sarah responded happily.
"Aye. Good on ya, Declan." Mary said softly. "Anyone fancy another cuppa?" She asked, the guests agreed to another tea.
"Aye… Hope you're happy, son." Joe said. Pleasantly echoing his daughters, patting Declan's shoulder. They then carried on as if it was something they'd been expecting.
"I'm sorry?" Declan asked with disbelief.
"What's that now, Deccy?" Mary turned to ask.
"You're…. OK with this?" He glanced at everyone in amazement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Aye, of course we are. Why? Aren't ya not pleased or something, Deccy?" Sarah asked.
"Well…. I dunno…. Ya did hear me right, aye? I just told ya I'm Gay!" Declan started to feel himself panic.
"Aye, Declan. We heard ye well enough." Mary nodded, acknowledging his news again.
"Jesus! Don't make a song and dance about it now, lad." Deidre smirked at Declan.
"Well, truth be told, they do tend to like making a big song and dance about it, Deidre. I reckon that's something to do with their flamboyant personalities!... That's not offensive, is it, Geraldine? Or are ye more equipped to answer for lesbians as opposed to male homos?" Sarah turned to ask.
"I wouldn't be using that word, Sarah! That's sort of offensive!" Geraldine pointed out.
"But flamboyance is a cracker word!" Sarah casually stated.
"Not that word, Sarah. She meant the HOMO word!" Gerry cried with a bewildered look.
"What the feck is your problem?! You some sort of homophobe now?!" Joe barked. "What would that wain Clare think if she knew her best friend's father had a problem with gay people? Well, guess we shouldn't expect anything less outta this prick, aye Declan?" He asked his nephew.
"Aye, what's ya problem, Gerry?! You got something against Gay people. Have ye now?!" Declan raised his voice.
"Grand way to show support for our cousin, Gerry! I mean, he plucks up the courage to come here and tell us that he's a Gay, and you shun him like a prejudice southern state bastard! Isn't that right Tony?" Sarah exclaimed.
They all turned to look at Tony who had been quiet the whole time. Now he wore a bewildered look on his face.
"Ach, is that your name now? Well, grand to be meeting ya Tony, so it is….. Who he is, by the way?" Colm asked the family.
"Aye, I was wondering who the big fella was. Is he your fella, Sarah?" Declan asked.
"CATCH YOURSELF ON!" Sarah laughed.
"Gerry, make yourself useful and introduce them!" Mary huffed.
Gerry rubbed his eyes in despair. "Declan, Colm, this is Tony Galluci. He's our Orla's boyfriend's father."
"He has a name, yer daft useless shit!" Joe barked.
"Ach, you're Marcel's Da, are ya now?" Colm asked, surprisingly sharpened by the news.
"Who's Marcel?" Tony asked.
"Aye, who IS Marcel? I thought the lad's name was Marco?" Declan asked.
"IT IS MARCO! WHAT THE LOVE OF CHRIST COLM! HOW MANY MORE FECKING TIMES?! MAR-CEL! MAR-CO! THEY'RE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOUNDING NAMES!" Gerry screamed.
"WHO THE FECK ARE YOU SHOUTING AT?! MOUTH!" Joe barked. Colm appeared unmoved.
"Ah, ye know what, Mary? I think I better take Tony over to Jim's….. Why don't we shift, Cathy? Geraldine?" Deidre attempted to make a crafty exit.
"Can I come too?" Sarah asked. "I don't think I want to be surrounded by all this homophobia!"
"For the love of God, will everyone just catch themselves on! Deidre, Cathy, don't yous move a muscle, same goes for the rest of yer!" Mary ordered, her voice raised and her finger pointing at everyone. "No one's going anywhere!" She felt herself shaking with utter disbelief. Everyone stood still, unsure, and fearful to even mutter another word or even move a muscle.
"Christ what an absolute ballache! Thank God the wains aren't here to witness this!" She thought.
"Right…. Why don't we just draw a line here. Declan, no one here is gonna say a word or think anything against ya because you're Gay. We're family! We don't turn our own away, no matter what the difference is." Mary said.
"Aye, just like mammy always said." Sarah agreed. "Also, being Gay is extremely trendy these days, Deccy. But, how come ye never told us before you left Derry?"
"What's that, Sarah?" Declan asked.
"Well, I mean it wasn't like it wasn't obvious. At least not to me." Sarah
Declan was flabbergasted again. "What? Ya mean…. you knew?" He asked.
"Aye, very much so. I am physic. So, I am. I have the certificates to prove it." Sarah revealed.
"Jesus wept! Declan, with all due respect, it was hard to think anything else when we saw you one time with kissing that lad who lived above Duggan's bakery in Pump Street." Mary revealed. Joe raised his brow awkwardly.
"Aye, wee shocker, that was, I mean, someone that fit turning out to be Gay? Blew my mind, so it did!" Sarah asked.
"Is that why ye thought the same about Marco when he first turned up here?" Gerry joked.
Tony spluttered out laughing. "What's that?" He asked Gerry.
"Aye. Sarah took one look at your Marco, and thought he was your James' partner!" Joe chuckled. Tony and Cathy couldn't help but laugh.
Declan saw the funny side of it too. "Well, speaking as a full fledge member, I can understand why ye thought that about James, but not Marco!" He laughed.
"Ach, I knew it! Wha…. Wait a bit…. Have ye met our James, Declan?" Deidre said.
"Aye, he was down Sandinos a few weeks back." Declan said.
"That's a Gay bar! Our James was in a Gay bar?!" Deidre exclaimed; her eyes widened.
"Jesus Christ! What's Erin gonna think about this, Mary?!" Sarah started to panic.
"Whoa! Stall the ball! No…. No….. No….. It's not what ya think, Sarah." Declan started.
"Girls! I think Declan's trying to say that's where the wains all were for Clare's 18th birthday…. Remember?" Geraldine stepped in. Everyone paused.
"Oh, is that where they went now?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, did they not tell yous?" Declan asked.
"Well, we knew they'd gone to a nightclub, I just didn't realize that's where they went." Mary admitted.
"Oh aye. Clare came home in an absolute state. But she did say she had a cracking time." Geraldine said kindly to Declan.
"Aye, she certainly enjoyed herself." Declan agreed.
"Ach, yer see there, girls? There was no need to worry! Declan was watching them the whole time! Well done, son!" Joe said.
"Right, I think we've finally cleared all this up now. No more crossed wires." Mary gasped.
"Well, Ya know, this does remind me of a time where I got my wires crossed. It was just after I had just boiled the kettle, and I proceeded to make myself a cup of tea, but Lord. The water was only lukewarm, so it was. And I remember saying to meself, says I….." Colm started. The family groaned quietly.
"Hello, anyone in?" Jim from across the road then made his way into the kitchen.
"Thank God!" Mary crossed herself.
"Ach, Jim! How goes it?" Colm asked. "You're just in time to hear about the time I got my wires crossed…." He started again.
"Oh, time for an introduction." Joe interrupted. "Jim, meet Tony. Tony, Jim from across the road." Joe proclaimed. The two men happily shook hands.
"Alright there, Jim?" Tony asked jovially.
"Aye. Grand to finally meet ya, Tony. I was just coming over to get yer settled. Wondered if ye fancied a wee drink?"
"Ah, Yer timings impeccable, Jim. Come on lads. Let's give the girls some space. You too, Colm. Shift yourself." Joe sighed.
"Ach, is this not wee Declan?" Jim asked. "Is that yourself, son? Welcome home! It's been a wee while, hasn't it now?!" Jim happily shook Declan's hand.
"Aye, just a wee bit." Declan smiled.
"And you're never gonna guess what, Jim?" Joe said, sounding excited.
"What is it now?" Jim asked.
"Our Declan here, he's a Gay!" Joe proclaimed proudly.
"Ye never?" Jim gasped.
"Aye, true as I'm standing here! We'll talk about it more over at your place. Come on lads." Joe replied. Declan turned and smiled at Joe's acceptance as he followed the men to Jim's house across the road.
James regarded Michelle who stood in shock alongside Erin. They all glanced at each other awkwardly as they took in what Marco had just shown them. The wee English fella then glanced over towards his friend, who was flanked by Orla and Clare. James looked down and stroked Coco Pops who was sat at his feet. Although the girls knew there had been an altercation in Marco's past, he'd never gone into any true detail, nor had they dared to ask him. But the sight of him hunched over, catching his breath, failed in comparison to the scars on his back, which made their blood run cold.
"Jesus Christ!" Michelle gasped. "Did you know about all this, James?" She asked, sounding half angry. James nodded cautiously. "Why the fuck didn't ya say something then?!" She moaned sadly.
"Don't jump down James' throat, Michelle! You're the one that hit Marco in the back!" Erin argued.
"Erin, please. It's alright. Michelle didn't know." Marco said slowly.
"Are ya alright there, Marco?" Michelle asked awkwardly. He looked over and flashed a warming look.
"So, do ya wanna talk about it?" Erin asked anxiously.
Marco paused and then turned to look at Orla. Her expression was sad, yet affectionate. She nodded, as if to say she was ready to hear his sad story again. Michelle hastily reached into her inside coat pocket and yanked out a bottle of brandy and took a large swig.
"Where did you get that from?" James asked.
"Ye didn't swipe that from yer Da's drink cabinet, did ya now?" Erin asked.
"Catch yourself on! I swiped it from Dennis' while he took a delivery." Michelle answered, gasping at the potency.
"You stole that from Dennis?... SWEET SUFFERING JESUS! YA STOLE FROM DENNIS?! ARE YOU INSANE MICHELLE?!" Clare screamed.
"Say it a wee bit louder, Clare! I'm not quite sure the whole of fucking Derry heard ye!" Michelle shot.
"I don't think getting pished is the answer to our present situation, Michelle." Erin groaned.
"Don't burst ya hole, Erin! I'm just calming my nerves. Anyone else wanna swig?" Michelle offered her the bottle.
"Me!" Orla suddenly beamed.
"No! Not that this particular moment, thanks." Erin intervened.
"Well, we might as well, Erin! We're accessories all over again! We best consume the evidence before Dennis finds out! Give us it here!" Clare snatched the bottle in a panic. Quickly taking a swig from the bottle. She then quickly spat the contents out.
"Jesus! What the fuck, Clare?!" Michelle moaned.
"Oh my God! What is that?" Her voice was now a raspy whisper from the potency.
"It's just Brandy!" Michelle said.
"Tastes like fire water!" Clare rasped.
"Ach, let's have a go!" Orla snatched the bottle and took three gulps.
"Jesus, Orla! Not that much!" Erin yanked the bottle away. "It's brandy, not Capri-sun!" She then noticed Orla's eyes were wide open.
"Are you alright, Orla?" James asked.
"Orla?..." Marco asked.
Orla's face was contorted. Her throat tingled as she breathed out. "This must be what it feels like to be a dragon!" She rasped happily. "Cos my mouth feels like it's on FIRE! THIS IS CLASS!"
"Right….. fancy a wee bit of Dutch courage?" Michelle asked Marco offering him the bottle.
"Yeah, fuck it! give us it here!" Marco shrugged and took a swig. He scoffed at the strong taste.
"That's not gonna do him much good, Michelle. Marco's never been to Switzerland either." Orla rasped.
"You sure you wanna do this, mate?" James asked. Marco smiled at his friend, handing him the bottle, James shrugged and took a swig.
"James!" Erin shot. He then turned to her and offered her the bottle. "… Ach, feck it!" She grabbed the bottle from him and took a swig for herself.
"So. When did it happen?" Michelle asked Marco.
He took a deep breath, with Orla holding his hand, he began. "…. It happened after I found about…. You know?..."
"About your Da not being your real father?" Clare asked.
"Subtle, Clare!" Erin said sarcastically.
Marco nodded. "… Billy turned up one day and just said he was moving in…. I mean, Mum had only known him a couple of weeks and he walked round like owned the place….. Thing was, Billy was an absolute bellend! He'd get drunk and always end up breaking something, so Mum had to call Dad to come and fix it."
"Prick!" Michelle huffed.
"Yeah, twat didn't have a clue!... But then he had the fucking nerve to stand there and have a dig at my Dad about me, he did that a lot." Marco grimaced at the memory.
"You're wrong, Michelle. He's just an Arsehole." Orla said.
Marco continued. "Dad never reacted though. Then, Nonno started coming round instead….. mouthy wanker never did know when to shut up! He did the same thing, So Nonno chinned him one…. Put him in his place, that did….." Marco half chuckled.
"Good, It's no more than he deserved!" James exclaimed.
Marco's smile then turned into a sad frown. "But just before Christmas that year, Nonno died. Dad didn't come round at all. Billy started saying things to me….. about my Nonno, and Nanna….. and what I was." Marco's eyes looked heavy.
"Yeah, I remember you telling me that in your letter." James said sadly. Erin wrapped an arm around him.
"Your Granda had just died, and he taunted you?!" Clare gawked sadly.
"That's disgusting!" Erin scowled with distain.
"He wouldn't 'ave tried that with me around, I'd have protected you!" Orla stated. Turning to look right at her. Marco smiled and kissed Orla on her forehead.
"It's alright, Marco. Keep going." James said. Rubbing his shoulder.
Marco looked off, swallowing hard at the memory. He spoke slowly. "…. Nanna's health then started to go downhill. Dad was taking her to hospital a lot. But he had to work, so I went round and took care of her, even when I was meant to be at school. Every time I went home, there was Billy…. Pissed out of his head…. And he just kept on and on….. then one day, I just had enough…. I went for him, but he pushed me down to the floor….. next thing, I felt this….. sting shoot right across my back…. Then it happened again… God, it stung!" Marco's lip started to quiver, a mixture of anger and pain cast across his face. Orla rested on his shoulder; her ears covered.
"Oi, it's alright Orla." Michelle frowned sadly as she comforted her friend.
Marco continued. "…. I looked up and just saw him holding this belt in his hand, and he said if I ever told anyone…. He'd do it worse…. Then he just laughed and walked away."
Orla felt Marco shake. "It's alright, Bear. I'm here." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, Erin was amazed at Orla's bravery.
Marco nodded. "I'd started going to a Boxing club after that. If I wasn't taking care of Nanna, I was at school or boxing club. But for a while, all I thought about was getting back at him… that's all I could think about…. Then Mum got a call because I got into a fight at school. I'd missed a bunch of GCSE coursework deadlines as well….. When I got home, Mum was fuming at me…. And there was Billy, just smirking at me….." He huffed out, remembering sadly.
"What did he do?" Clare asked, her tone was sad.
Marco scowled. "Billy just staggered up to me and said, 'Guess it just runs in the family…. Maybe you're not the bastard everyone says you are.'
"Fucking Shit Scumbag!" Erin scowled, appalled at what she heard.
Marco scoffed. He looked down and clenched his hand. "I just remember everything going red…. Next thing I knew…. I was throwing my fist right into his face…. He dropped like a sack of potatoes…. I'd never knocked anyone out before that…. Mum pulled me off him, and there he was…. laid spark out on the floor."
"Fuck yes!" Michelle punched her own hand. "Oi, that must 'ave felt fucking class, aye?" She shook with adrenaline.
Marco's eye now began to well. His voice began to crack. "…. It did feel good. But not for long…. Mum told me to pack my bags and get out. So, I moved in with Nanna. For so long, I felt so angry…. I never felt so shitty when that happened…. It felt like I let everyone down….. and it didn't matter how much I tried; I couldn't get him out of my head…. even when I was fighting Madstab, all I could see was him." Marco then stopped. "I sound like some sick psycho, don't I?" He huffed sadly.
"It's alright, Marco. Shhhhhh." Orla's face strained with sadness as she hugged him.
"No, Marco. You're not sick. You were hurt." Erin said.
"Yeah mate. Like I said before, you didn't let your Grandad down. You did what he would have done!" James said.
"Aye, and that was a big step you just took in telling us all that, Marco. That takes bravery, so it does." Clare smiled.
"Aye, they're right, It like what that Fatboy Slim song says. Ye know? We've come a long way together… and you have too!" Orla said as she tightened her hug.
"Exactly, and Oi, now you've got your own thing going for ya." Michelle said.
"What thing?" Marco asked, confused.
"Well, everyone here has their own thing going on in the group…. Clare's a raging lezzie, Erin's a slabber, Orla lives in a bubble…" Michelle tried to quip.
"Awww, thanks Michelle." Orla smiled with genuine gratitude.
Erin rolled her eyes. "No, Orla, she's not paying ye…. Forget it."
"And James…. well, he's an annoying ball bag of an English Prick! What more can I say?" She quipped again.
"Really Michelle!" Erin scowled.
"It's alright, Erin. She's just pointing out my good points." James said sarcastically.
"What's your thing, Michelle?" Orla asked playfully.
"Ach, this I have to hear." Erin folded her arms..
"Well... Alright, I admit…. Sometimes…. I might…. Do the odd thing that might seem….. questionable…. And I can be a wee bit of a mouth from time to time…." Michelle half admitted. Clare scrunched up her face.
"Sometimes?" Clare stressed. "Just…. SOMETIMES?!"
"Really? I never would have thought that!" James shrugged, again sarcastically.
"Well, that's mighty big of ya, Michelle." Erin hissed. Her face contorted.
"Aye, it really is." Orla smiled, making Marco laugh. "OH! Look Michelle! We made him laugh!" Orla bounced happily.
"Ya see? He gets it! And Marco's a minted mental! Bit like your Royal family, Aye James?" Michelle said, slapping his face.
"That's certainly one way of putting it." James shrugged.
"The point I'm making is this. We all got our own things going on, but It doesn't matter, not when we're together. Whatever happened in the past, Marco, leave it there. You're here now, and you're one of us. End of story." Michelle said emphatically.
The lad could slowly feel a different feeling build in his chest. Her words genuinely warmed him. He glanced at all of them. James smiled, then Erin, then Clare. Marco turned to Orla, who was smiling with affection at him. He then saw Michelle's fist was held out. He caught his breath as he smiled and pumped his fist into hers, followed by James, Orla, Clare and Erin.
"Thanks girls." Marco smiled.
"Right. Now, let's talk about something else, yeah?" James suggested, his arm draped over Marco.
"Aye. How about we talk about next week, and who yous two are gonna ask over, cos there better be rides there, or…." Just then, Coco Pops started barking.
"What is it, Coco Pops?" Orla asked. Coco Pops barked again. "Raining, is it now?" Orla looked up.
Clare held her hand up. "It's not raining, Orla." Coco Pops barked again.
"Catch yourself…. Ach, shit! It is so!" Michelle moaned. Feeling raindrops falling on her.
"Come on, let's get back before it proper comes down." James said.
"Up you come, boy." Marco caught Coco Pops. The wains hastily made their way back to Erin's.
The men's heads were unmistakably hazy. Gerry and Jim felt a sense of Déjà vu but were thankful that the whiskey helped them endure through Colm sloshed through his mundane stories about shoelaces, hard boiled sweets and American presidents. Gerry glanced to see Tony was chuckling away at Colm's rambling.
"Alright there, are ye Tony?" Gerry asked, smiling.
"I'm good, Gerry. Very good." Tony smiled back. "Colm's just talking about some woman who got blown away. What was she again, Colm?"
"Ahh, she was a bride on her way to her own wedding, no less. Lifted up like a paper doll, she was., and fell right into a flowerbed" Colm repeated.
"She must have looked like one of those crochet ladies you see in people's bathrooms." Tony laughed
"What, you mean those wee things that holds the toilet paper?" Gerry asked.
"Yeah, that's it." Tony laughed.
"Ach, I have one or two of those." Jim proclaimed. Gerry looked off and started chuckling
"Aye, I'm sure ya do, Jim." Gerry laughed.
Meanwhile, Joe and Declan had excused themselves and had gone into Jim's kitchen. Declan felt overcome with relief as he saw the warm smile coming from his Uncle. Joe McCool, despite his tough manly exterior, again showed that the depths of his kindness knew no bounds when it came to his family. Hunched over as they sat at the kitchen table.
"Are ye alright there son?" Joe asked.
"Aye. I am. Thanks, Uncle Joe." Declan's breath hitched as he spoke. "Ye have no idea how much that means to me."
"Ach, come now. Why in the world would ye ever think I'd look at ya any less just because yer Gay? Especially after everything ya used to do for ya Aunt Marie? She thought the world of yer, lad. It's been hard without her. Not a day goes by where I don't miss her." Joe said sombrely.
"Aye, I miss her too…. But ya know what it was like round here back then, Uncle Joe. If ya sneezed the wrong way, they'd bite yer head off. Especially with pricks like the O'Driscolls, especially that mouth, Patrick shooting his fucking mouth at every fucking chance he got about what's 'morally wrong'…. But the one thing…. Is that I started to listen to it, and I just thought to myself I thought…. if I was myself, my true self. It'd just bring nothing but bother to the family. That's why I left." Declan sulked.
"Oi, you listen to me now lad!" Joe said. "Any one of those mouthy pricks wanna say something about us, they can come and say it to our face. Otherwise, they can feck off! Let me tell ya. I've seen enough families pulled apart by worse things. And as far as people like Patrick O'Driscoll go, well, let's just say 'Pass not judgement on others.'
"Aye, I read all about that. What a prick!" Declan smirked.
"Exactly. It's your life, Declan. It doesn't matter what you are, it's who you are. So, I ask you, are ya happy with who you are?" He genuinely asked.
Declan took a moment. "Aye, yeah I am." He answered.
"Well, there ya go!" Joe patted his shoulder with affection, smiling warmly. "If being Gay is who ye are, then that's who ye are, lad! And I'm fecking proud of ya, I always have been."
"Uhh, is the bottle in here?" Gerry asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, trying to skive more of Jim's booze are ye now, stingy southern shite!" Declan shot. Joe looked off and sniggered.
"It's not for me, Jim and Tony want a top up." Gerry protested. Reaching for the bottle of whiskey.
"You leave that alone! I take it to them. This tight bastard's likely to sneak it in his coat and run a fecking mile, right Dec?" Joe staggered to his feet and made his way to the living room. Gerry stared as Joe stumbled into the living room. He then turned to look at Declan, who was sniggering.
"Jesus, some things never change, aye Gerry?" Declan laughed.
Gerry's bland stare softened, and the two men laughed together. "Aye, I forgot how much ye liked being like yer Uncle Joe. Now I got both of yous jumping on me again." Gerry laughed.
"Ach, ye know I'm only having a craic with ye. And you fall for it every fecking time!" Declan laughed. They then heard a thud in the living room.
"Sounds like Joe fell for it this time." Gerry joked. They walked into the living room and saw Joe laying on top of the other men on the sofa. They all laughed.
"Oh, I've seen this somewhere before….." Declan said to Gerry. "The fellas had less clothes on….." He laughed out loud at Gerry's awkward face. The front door opened and in came the wains. Coco Pops bounded to the sofa while Erin lead the group into the living room.
"Daddy, Ma asked me to come over and make sure ye weren't…. Declan!" Erin rushed to him.
"Oi! Come 'ere you!" Declan smiled, putting his arm around Erin.
"You alright Declan?" James smiled.
"Oi, how are ya, ye English prick?" Declan joked. Michelle cackled while James playfully rolled his eyes as Declan put his other arm round James. "Alright there girls?"
"Alright Deccy?" Michelle smiled.
"Hi Declan, how bout ya?" Clare asked.
"Oh, it's yourself, Clare. Last time I saw this girl, she was covered in glitter and pished out her skull." Declan said. They all laughed as Clare's face turned a bashful red.
"Aye, Clare. Ye should ease off the drink. You'll get yourself a bad reputation." Michelle quipped. Clare scrunched her face.
"Oi, where's Orla and the other one?" Declan asked.
"They're just out front. They're just having a chat." James said.
"They alright, James?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. They're fine, Tony." James said assuringly.
The rain fell steadily and sounded like a gentle applause as it cascaded upon everything. Marco held Orla tight as her hand stroked the area of his back which bared the scars. Orla cupped the back of Marco's head as she nuzzled her nose into his neck. She smiled warmly as Marco pecked her ear repeatedly. Their eyes then met each other's. Resting his head on hers, Marco smiled at her.
"Are ye alright, Bear?" She asked.
"Yeah… I just can't believe I told them." Marco said, his breath hitching.
"Aye. Ye did it! I know that took so much for ye to do." She said, her smile was wide.
"You just keep saving me, don't you. Are you sure you're not an Angel?" Marco breathed out heavily with a smile.
"I wish I was an Angel. It'd be cracker to have wings." Orla smiled mischievously.
Marco paused. Then he smiled. "I think you are." He whispered.
Orla softened, then closed her eyes. Smiling, the two embraced each other. Marco leaned in, their lips met. Comin gout of their gentle kiss. Marco regarded her again. The two smiled at each other. Moving in again, their kiss deepened. Orla reached under his shirt and stroked his back gently, he shook at the tremendous feel of her fingers stroking up and down his back, Orla felt herself shake with excitement, her chest tightened as Marco brushed his fingertips along the soft skin of her bare lower back. She lunged forward to deepen their kiss more.
"Oi! You two!" Michelle made them jump.
"What is it, Michelle?" Orla turned to ask, gasping.
"Your cousin Declan's in here. He's just come out to everyone, and they're all inside getting pished, including yer Da, Marco. In. Now." She about turned and went in.
"Ach that's class! Deccy's here! Ach, we can ask him to come round next week for yours and James' house party, can't we?" Orla asked, shaking with excitement.
"Yeah. Alright then." Marco chuckled. Feeling himself being pulled into the house by Orla.
