The Secret Trinity Unearth (15 page)

When I came out of my room, Kayla threw my coat at my head, “We’d better go. We will definitely be late but at least you fixed your hair.” She slipped on her coat and opened the door to leave.

On the sidewalk we all hooked elbows and made are way down the cobblestone street to the center of downtown. There were no cars allowed on many of the streets. Shops, pubs and restaurants filled the long twisting corridors filled with people. I took in the brightly painted buildings that ensconced us as we walked. It was nice not to dodge cars and it made the area easier to navigate.

Liam’s directions were spot on, and we found the pub he had described with no problem. The dimly lit pub was dominated by dark mahogany throughout, including the floor, with touches of brass fixtures and hangings on the wall. It was no surprise that Liam was inside waiting when we walked in but I was surprised that he was not alone. He smiled hugely when he spotted me and waved us over to the table.

“Ladies,” Liam smirked, “nice of you to join us.” Kayla and Morgan simultaneously pointed at me to make sure the blame found its rightful place, and I mouthed “sorry” to Liam.

“Well then it was worth the wait,” Liam said giving me a quick kiss.

“Ugh,” Morgan grumbled under her breath at Liam’s mushiness.

“I wanted you to meet my friends,” Liam continued, ignoring her as he gestured to our table guests. Sitting across from us were two guys; one had his arm around a beautiful girl. They all looked to be Liam’s age, twenty or so.

“This is Chad, Adam, and Shannon,” Liam continued, pointing out each one. “Guys this is Morgan, Kayla, and my Ari.”

We all exchanged friendly hellos. I did not know Liam was bringing people. I felt a bit shy and was still jet lagged.

Chad was short. You could tell even as he sat on his bar stool. He was very muscular though, reminding me of a wrestler. Adam had a similar build to Liam, broad shoulders and lean, but he had golden hazel eyes and fair skin.

Adam had his arm around Shannon, who was stunning except for the sour expression fixated on her face. Her long strawberry blonde hair waved delicately around her shoulders and a soft flush of freckles gave her blushed cheeks sweetness, which was funny because she looked beyond irritated to be dining with us.

We all ordered greasy pub food and got acquainted. All of them attended the university along with Liam so we talked about the school and classes. Since second semester did not start for two weeks, it would be nice to know more people in addition to Liam.

“Let me tell you Ari, this one is nuts about you.” Chad said pointing to Liam, and he continued. “It is nice to put a face to the name. Whenever I ring, you are all he talks about.” I blushed and Liam kissed my cheek.

“What Liam failed to mention was how lovely your friends were as well,” Adam added smiling at Kayla and Morgan. I could tell Morgan was suppressing an eye roll, and I caught Shannon’s face tightening with annoyance.

“So Shannon, how long have you and Adam been together?” I asked trying to change the subject.

“She hasn’t been able to keep her hands off me for years,” Adam answered for her. With that he planted a loud kiss on her cheek and she glared at him in return. I guess she had not forgiven him for his earlier comment.

Adam was the most outgoing of the three and offered to tour around with Liam tomorrow to show us the sights. We stayed for a while after dinner but Liam called it quits when the girls and I were caught multiple times involuntarily yawning.

“Okay, I think the jet lag’s won. Why don’t I walk you ladies home,” he said while hopping off the bar stool.

“You’re probably right,” I confessed suppressing another yawn, “It was really nice meeting everyone. I hope to see you again soon,” I added sincerely. It had been a lovely first night in Ireland and I was flattered that Liam wanted us to meet his friends.

Everyone had gotten along okay and it would be nice if we could all hang out together. Just as I was thinking this, out of the corner of my eye while putting on my coat I could have sworn I saw Shannon glower at my comment. Okay, maybe not. I tried to brush it off as nothing. We all exchanged goodbyes and made our way out the door.

We walked back to our little apartment and I invited Liam up to hang out for a bit. The girls went straight to bed, and I put on a tank top and yoga pants curling up on the couch with Liam.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re not tired. I’m pretty beat myself,” he said into my hair with a yawn attached. “I know. I just wanted some time together. We have not been alone in forever,” I said snuggling deeper into his chest.

“Why don’t we go in the bedroom?” He said softly. “Oh, um…um,” I mumbled. I did not know what to say.

I felt his chest shake with silent laughter, “I’m not propositioning you, Ari. I’m merely suggesting a sleep over. You would have me all to yourself for the entire night.”

I felt embarrassed. He took his arm away as my head rest and stood up from the sofa holding out his hand. His gray eyes were smiling at my earlier assumption and I looked at the floor.

“Come on, let’s go to bed.” He took my hand and pulled me from the couch.

As we lay in the full size bed together, I had found my second wind. The feeling Liam gave me with our forearms touching made it difficult to sleep. I lay face up, silently staring at the dark ceiling, wishing I had put up my glow-in-the-dark stars. I thought about what I would say if Liam had propositioned more than sleep. I love him and your first time should be with someone you love. So, what was stopping me? I took a nervous gulp.

I heard Liam sigh beside me, “You’re not sleeping are you?”

“Not yet.” I answered nervously. He moved his arm to my other side and propped up so his face was directly above mine.

“Of course I have thought about it Ari, look at you,” and he moved his hand slowly down my leg. All the hair on my body stood up with electricity.

“Whenever you are ready I’m all yours, but either way, it won’t change how I feel about you” and he gave me a soft kiss.

“Have I told you how amazing and sweet you are?” And I gave him another kiss letting it linger a bit longer. He laid back down and put his arm around me. I curled up to his chest trying to put my mind at ease as I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 21: Sightseeing

I woke up the next morning to a soft knock at the bedroom door. Light came through the window but it was muted under a thick coat of overcast in the sky.

“Hey Ari, Adam is here.” I heard Morgan say from the other side of the door. I looked over and Liam was already up off of the bed.

“We’ll be right out,” He answered for me. “Um…okay,” Morgan said trying to hide the surprise in her voice to hear Liam.

I got up, threw a sweatshirt on over my tank top, and slid into my moccasins by the bed. We walked out of the bedroom, and everyone including Adam was in the kitchen grinning at us.

Kayla broke the silence, “Hey you two, did you sleep okay?” she said mocking me as she held out a cup of coffee.

I crossed the living room and took the cup, “We slept fine, thank you.” I answered with a more serious tone and took a sip from my mug.

“Anyway…” Adam said awkwardly, “as I was saying, I popped over to see if I could take you ladies out for breakfast before we see the sights. Shannon wanted to meet us.”

Adam looked at Liam, “I would ask you to join us mate, but maybe you want to get cleaned up first.” Adam’s smirk had an edge I could not place. Liam looked annoyed by his comment, or his presence, I was not sure which.

“I should go home and change,” Liam replied simply.

“What do you say ladies, breakfast?” Adam asked. Kayla shrugged, “Yeah, it’s not like we have food here anyway.”

Liam kissed my cheek and looked at Adam. “I assume Murphy’s?” Adam answered with a nod. “I will meet you there later.” Liam grabbed his coat from a hook by the door and said goodbye. Adam went to the sofa, flipped his baseball cap backward, and clicked on the television to wait while the girls and I got ready.

We stepped outside. There was a noticeable chill in the air but it was nothing compared to frigid Wisconsin winters. I was grateful for the more mild temperature. Today I wore flat heeled riding boots to account for all of the walking we would be doing and I was excited to start sightseeing. Adam led us to a place downtown called Murphy’s which was clearly the hot breakfast spot because it was shoulder-to-shoulder as we went in.

Luckily Shannon was sitting at a table ready for us or we would have waited for a long time. She smiled and bid us good morning as we sat down, but I got the feeling that Adam had exaggerated earlier. It didn’t seem like she wanted to be here at all. She hardly said a word during breakfast. Every time Adam showed her affection her jaw tightened, but he ignored it.

Liam came in just as we were about to leave looking freshly shaven and his sandy hair neatly combed. He wore dark jeans and a light cream sweater under his wool coat. The light color looked good against his tan skin, and I smiled at my devastatingly attractive boyfriend. Adam gave Shannon a quick peck on the lips to say goodbye since she would not be joining us this afternoon. She smiled tightly and left the restaurant breezing past Liam without a word.

Adam shrugged, “you will have to excuse my girl. Shannon has never been a morning person.” I was not a morning person either, but I got the feeling she was cranky for another reason.

We started the day with a quick walk around downtown peeking in the windows of the little shops and restaurants. The cobblestone paths of the pedestrian streets had an old world charm that you don’t see much in the States. Each place was unique in décor and style. It felt like we were on a private movie set with every little detail purposefully thought out, right down to the coordinated flower boxes and plant hangings.

Galway Bay rested on the west coast of Ireland so naturally we went for a look at the bay, taking pictures of each other with the ocean as our back drop. We rounded out the day with a scenic road trip to the famous Blarney castle to kiss the “magical” Blarney stone.

We arrived back in downtown Galway finding a quaint pub and grill spot for a late dinner. Since you can drink when you are eighteen in Ireland, I guessed that dining in pubs was second nature to the guys. We ordered our food and Adam invited Kayla and Morgan to a game of darts while we waited. They went across the pub to the dart board, giving Liam and me a moment alone.

“I don’t think Shannon likes us,” I tried to say casually.

He took a sip of his drink before answering, “Of course she likes you.” I shrugged, unsure of his assumption.

“I don’t know. She seemed a bit upset during dinner last night. At first I thought she might be shy, but then it was even worse at breakfast today.” Liam waved it off, “Don’t worry yourself. It’s not you, it’s her. She has a jealous side that is hard for her to control.”

I pressed my lips tight, “Why would she be jealous?” Liam looked at me like the answer should be obvious. “Ari, how would you feel if your boyfriend was hanging out with beautiful girls from an exotic land.”

I laughed, “I wouldn’t exactly call the Midwest United States exotic, but I suppose I see your point. She has nothing to worry about though; Kayla and Morgan are not the cheating type.” He only smirked and I decided to change the subject.

“So what do people do for New Years Eve around here?” He smiled, “Pretty much what everyone else in the world does, party like there’s no tomorrow.” I nodded, “Okay, sounds fun, anywhere in particular?”

He looked up, thinking for a second, “All the pubs around here will be hopping with people usually spilling out to fill the streets. Live music, champagne, what do you think?”

“New Year’s Eve in Ireland, I cannot wait!” I said giddy with enthusiasm, but I was thinking more about a big midnight kiss with my hot boyfriend than the party.

Our food arrived and we called everyone back over to eat. We all played a few rounds of darts after dinner. I was the worst player, hitting the wall more often than the board. Everyone made fun of me except for Liam who assured me it was a good effort, but I knew he was only trying to be polite. It was dark when we left the pub to walk back to our apartment.

“It’s not that late. Does everyone want to come over to my place for a night cap?” Liam asked. I could see his breath fog in the cold night air as he spoke.

“Sorry, I should probably meet up with Shannon,” Adam responded first.

“Ladies, how about it?” He turned to us as we approached our front walk. “I parked my car right over there,” Liam continued, pointing to a car down the street.

“Sure,” Kayla said, “why don’t you warm up the car; we’ll be right there.” Liam nodded, unlatched his hand from mine and began walking toward his car. Adam said goodnight continuing down the street to his car, leaving me and the girls alone.

“Okay spill, you lost it last night didn’t you?” Kayla said facing me.

“Lost what?” I asked innocently.

She rolled her eyes, “Oh please, you know what I’m talking about.” I smirked, satisfied with her eager irritation which would only end in a letdown.

“Nothing happened. He only slept over, nothing more,” I finally revealed. “Awe, I was expecting some juicy details,” Kayla huffed crossing her arms. I shrugged, “Well sorry to disappoint you.”

“Be careful Ari. I know you love Liam, but you only lose it once,” Morgan added. She sounded borderline grossed out, and I looked at her thoughtfully.

“I know, don’t worry. He’s not pressuring me or anything. When I’m ready, I’m ready,” I said matter of fact.

Kayla yawned, “I am suddenly feeling very tired. I think I’ll pass on the night cap after all.” She winked at me and walked up the stoop to the entrance door.

Morgan laughed, “Very smooth, Kayla. There is this thing called subtlety. You should try it sometime,” and Morgan followed suit up the steps. “Ha, you should talk. Other than me; you are the least subtle person I know,” Kayla retorted.

“Well don’t hold your breath for juicy details,” I interjected as they went inside, almost believing it. “Sure, sure we’ll see,” Kayla paired that comment with a wag of her eyebrows, and they waved goodnight before going inside.