Page 27 of Twist of Fate
He looks back at me briefly before pulling the mic back up to his mouth. “Have you ever heard of hurling in America?”
And just like that, we’ve moved off the subject of soccer, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
* * *
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is stunning.
The sunny weather that Ireland is offering today only adds to its beauty. As I sit on the grassy lawn, gazing up at it while enjoying an ice cream cone, I’m feeling pretty damn content.
My tiredness from the morning has faded, the anxiety I experienced on the bus has disappeared, and I’m currently focusing all my energy on living in the moment.
And this one happens to be a good one.
I lost Mom about half an hour ago after I walked up and down the cathedral and back again. Like most places on this tour, she’d been here before. It’s not to say she’s not thrilled to be back—because she most definitely is—but I doubt she approaches it with the same thoroughness as I do. But, then again, I majored in history, and I don’t think anyone could be as thorough as I am when touring an eight-hundred-year-old church filled with ancient artifacts.Don’t threaten me with a good time…
“Mind if we join you?”
I look up to see a group from my tour coming closer and nod. I recognize the four young men but haven’t had the opportunity to introduce myself. “Sure,” I say, shading my eyes from the sun with my free hand.
“You look like a sun goddess sitting out here,” one of them says as he takes the spot next to me. He’s good-looking. Fit. The kind of guy you’d expect to see on a hiking trail or mountain biking. Outdoorsy, with slightly overgrown, sun-kissed blond hair and tanned skin.
“I’m from the Midwest,” I tell him with a smile. God, what is his name? Clark? Kirk? “It’s been a long winter.”
“Chicago, right?”
“Yeah, you?” I ask before adding somewhat sheepishly, “Sorry, I have a shit memory.”
“It’s all good. That meeting was a lot to take in. I’m Clint, by the way. And that’s Rafael, Jessie, and Kyle.”
“Nice to meet all of you. I’m Aisling.”
“We remember,” they all say in unison.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” I laugh.
“In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many people on this tour under the age of forty.” His eyes narrow on my mouth as I take a bite of my cone, and I instantly feel my cheeks heat. When I look up, I have to stifle a gasp as my eyes meet a familiar pair of green eyes in the distance. Finn is seated on a nearby stone bench, watching our interaction. When he sees me, his mouth flattens, and he turns away.
“We’re all from Kansas City, by the way.” Clint gestures to the other three guys, bringing me back into the conversation. I try to ignore the surly Irishman in the distance because, seriously, what is his deal?
“So, are you on a guys’ trip like the group of moms from Arizona? Did you leave a school bus of kids at home?” I try to gauge their ages, and if I had to guess, I’d say they’re all in their thirties.
“No,” Clint answers with a laugh. “Definitely a guys’ trip, but we’re all single. We do this a lot, actually.”
Finally, one of the other guys decides to join the conversation and chimes in. “Ever since college. We go about once a year.” His name was Jessie, right? God, I really am terrible with names. Didn’t have any trouble remembering Finn’s name.Shut up, brain.
“This is our first bus tour, though. For years, we did the hostel thing and just sort of winged it, but then, as we got older?—”
“And had more money,” Rafael added with a smug grin. I remember his name because…Ninja Turtles. Duh.
“Right, that too,” Clint agrees. “But up until now, we’ve sort of done our own thing. We’d plan it out, or we’d just show up somewhere or see where the week took us.”
“That sounds terrifying.”
“No, it’s great. Best way to travel if you’re up for a little adventure.” His eyes are filled with mirth, and I can tell he’s the kind of guy who is always ready for anything. His social life is probably more active in his mid-thirties than mine is at twenty-four.
“So, what changed?”
“Nothing. We just decided to try something different.”
