Page 6 of Stronger Than Love

Her shorts showed the rounded flesh of her ass and legs that went on forever.

It was going to be a long summer…

Niall waved as he strode out of his family’s summer home. Fuck me, but it was grander than the majority of homes in the village. It blew my mind that this was only their summer home. What did the home they lived in the remainder of the year look like? I’d often visualised a palace-type structure.

Oonagh stood in the garden, reminiscent of one of those statues that were there to tempt you. She gave a small smile as she wandered into the house. I wanted to stop her and chat the way we used to, but I’d burnt that bridge a long time ago when awkwardness threatened to choke me.

Niall approached, and I stuck a fixed smile on my face. “Fancy going surfing for the afternoon?” I suggested. It was one of my few pleasures in life. Callum’s mate lent me his surfing board every so often when he wasn’t using it and the waves were perfect this afternoon. Tomorrow, I was back to work, but this one afternoon was mine to lose myself in the waves.

The sea washed away my troubles and the wind battered me until I forgot about school and my brothers. My body contorted to keep me stable on the board, my feet planted even as the sea fought against me. Niall fell in so many times, he sulked off onto the beach, soon attractinga group of girls.

I stayed in until I couldn’t bear the cool water of the Irish Sea, even though I had a wetsuit on. Water dripped down my face from my hair, but I pushed it back and stumbled up the beach on shaky legs.

“Niall left with his admirers. I stayed to ensure your stuff wasn’t stolen.” Oonagh sat beside my possessions that were worth nothing but meant everything to me. It was her compassion that touched me more than anything. She never asked for anything in return.

“Still looking after the lost and bewildered on the beach?” I teased her.

“No, I came to tell him that Mum was looking for him and saw him wandering off.”

A shiver wracked through me and Oonagh handed me my towel.

“Come on,” she said, standing. “Mum made a batch of cupcakes and I know where she has the hot chocolate stashed.”

I followed her because she attracted me to her light, like the moths I watched flying around the bulb on our rear patio. She contained compassion in her soul. That was the beauty of Oonagh, it wasn’t just her gorgeous face or knockout figure. No matter how badly I treated her, she always cared for me.

“How did your exams go?” she asked while heating milk at the stove.

I shrugged. “Fine, I guess. Yours?”

She smiled and waved her hand to and fro. “So-so. Any thoughts about what you want to do next?”

The possibilities of what I wanted to do were endless. The reality was much different. I met her pale blue eyes that reminded me of the sky on a clear summer day. “We both know I only have one option. Callum can’t keep supporting everyone.”

She nodded; her lips pursed. Oonagh never pitied me, she accepted what my life entailed and when she could, helped me. Niall already told me she wanted to be a doctor. She’d be the perfect person to care for those sick and wounded. I wouldn’t object to her running her fingers over my brow to feel my temperature…

A lot of the guys in my class had girlfriends and were constantly boasting about kissing them and taking them on dates. None of the girls in my class interested me because of the one standing here making me hot chocolate and cupcakes.

Her smile when she pushed the mug across the counter made my heart stutter in my chest and my breath catch.

“Why don’t you tell me about what’s been happening with you?” Oonagh invited, sipping her chocolate.

My life was boring with nothing to tell. I imagined talking to her most days because she was the only one who ever listened to me. Sat here in the familiarity of her kitchen, I found myself spilling out all my problems. Her fingers tapped the side of her mug as she stared off through the window.

“You’re too young to be legal guardian to any of your brothers and Callum won’t be granted it for all of them. Do you have any aunts or uncles?”

“None that can be bothered with us,” I finally admitted.

Oonagh and I spent a magical day together, just hanging out the way we did as children. Niall never noticed I was missing. When we headed down to the bonfire on the beach that night, he was kissing the face off some girl I recognised from school.

The heat of the fire lulled all of us into a languid state, people roasting marshmallows and sharing stories. Oonagh and I wandered down the beach with only the light from the moon to guide us, the tips of our fingers touching.

“Truth or dare, Liam?” Oonagh whispered, her head touching my shoulder.

“Dare?” It emerged as a question because my emotions were everywhere right now with her presence intoxicating me.

“Kiss me.” Her eyes were huge as she peered up at me.

My trembling hands cupped her face and taking a breath of courage, my lips descended to hers.

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