Page 81 of An Irish Summer

“If only it was that simple.”

“It is.”

I finished my club soda while I searched for something else to say. I settled on “thank you” as I rose from the stool, searching my bag for a few stray euros.

She dropped another beer and club soda on the counter. “On the house, it is,” she said. I thanked her again and nudged Collin, suggesting it was time for both of us to leave.

“Right, then.” He echoed my thanks and left a few euros on the bar anyway, then followed me from the lobby in the direction of our dorm.

“I didn’t expect the bartender to also be a therapist,” I said as soon as we were out of earshot.

“I don’t know, Chels. Old Irish women are wise. I’d listen to her if I were you.”

“Of course you would, because you’ve been saying the same thing for weeks.”

“You think it would have sunk in by now.”

“It’s making a dent,” I admitted, as much to his surprise as my own.

“Let’s head up to the roof,” he said. “You can tell me what’s going on up here.” He tapped my temple and sparks rained through my body. I nodded, wordlessly following him through a doorway up a stairwell.

The air was cooler on the roof than it had been on the ground, and I took a few steadying gulps before we sat. “So,” he said after a moment, “talk to me.”

“We’ve done a lot of talking tonight,” I said. “You aren’t sick of me?”

“Oh, no, I very much am, I’m just also very nosy.”

I laughed, knocking my shoulder into his, making him smile. A knowing grin that saw right through me and was relentless in making me feel a rush of emotion I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling. Like I was flying.

“It’s making a dent,” I said again, throwing my hands up. “Everything everyone has been saying since I got here, it’s making a dent, that’s all. I didn’t even want to come to Ireland at the beginning of the summer, and now I’m not entirely sure I want to leave. I was so convinced I was happiest in Boston, but now that I’m here, I’m not so sure anymore.” I rubbed my hands over my face, no longer caring what my makeup might look like. “It’s just a lot. And it’s not like I expected it to be a little, but I didn’t expect it to be this hard.”

“That means you’re having a great trip, at least,” he said, taking a long swig. “All good trips should subvert expectations, don’t you think?”

“For you,” I said, shaking my head. “But not for me. At least not where my future is concerned.”

“What about where this is concerned?” he asked, noticeably quieter than a moment ago, gesturing back and forth between us. “You didn’t expect this, did you?”

“No,” I whispered. “I didn’t.”

“So the unexpected isn’t all bad, then, is it?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but he pressed his lips to mine before words could come out. One single kiss, one hot sweep of his tongue, one deep exhale, and my body responded to him in a way that answered his question better than words could have.

“Come on,” he said when he pulled away, far sooner than I wanted. “I promised we’d make sure you were well-rested foryour interview, and we’ve kept you out late enough.” He got to his feet and held out a hand to help me up, for which I was grateful. The kiss—and the mention of the interview—had turned my legs to jelly.

“Lead the way.”

Collin slipped the key card from his back pocket as we approached the door, swiping it over the sensor and quietly letting us in. We made our way to the back of the room where we’d stored our bags when we’d first arrived, which felt like years ago by now.

The rest of the room was sleeping, so we were silent as we got ready for bed, stealing glances at each other while we changed our clothes. With Collin down to nothing but a pair of shorts, I couldn’t help but sneak a peek, and he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes sparkled even in the dark, and something about the silence heightened the rest of my senses. His gaze alone made me feel like I was on fire.

It wasn’t long before I climbed up to the top bunk and he slid into the bottom, and we whispered good nights over the railing. With the rest of the room sound asleep in the darkness, we had no choice but to end our night.

Or so I thought.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been lying in bed before I heard Collin’s voice. I wasn’t sleeping, just lying there, staring at the ceiling, counting my breaths. Four seconds in, eight seconds out. Every time I heard him move on the mattress below, my heart rate skyrocketed, and I was more awake than I’d ever been.

“Chels,” he whispered eventually.

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