Unsettled (Chosen #1) (2 page)

Cian put his arm around my shoulder and nudged me to sit while shoving the
Guinness into my hand. He sat down next to me, sticking me smack in the middle of him and an equally cute blond guy, who was immersed in his own conversation with the others. I don’t even think he noticed I was there. It didn’t matter because all I felt was the sensation of being so close to Cian. His leg was practically straddling mine under the table. Perhaps I wasn’t leaving him enough room? His legs were pretty long. The group of guys continued their conversation over some rugby match they had played that afternoon when Cian whispered in my ear, “I’m glad you finally got your pint.”

I gave him
a coy smile. He smiled back then joined the group, still talking about sports.
Fucking yawn.
At least it could have been about American football.

Moments passed and I suddenly felt like the foreigner. In my own city, no less. Well, shit. If I was going to be packed in the middle of unique testosterone, I was going to play my hand at the estrogen. Wake up, woman and turn on the charm

“
What the hell are you guys talking about?” I said loudly. I felt downright stupid, sitting in the middle of five guys arguing over rugby with Irish fucking accents.

They all turned to stare at me…again. Jesus, could this night get any worse?
It was a night of pompous financial men, guys on stretchers, idiotic Boston College guys drunkenly territorial and now this. Here was an Irish guy named Cian, who was apparently trying to make a move on the poor girl that couldn’t get her own damn drink after fifteen minutes. Why was I squeezed in the middle of this booth? This was not my comfort zone, nor was it what I was looking for all night. I wanted one on one interaction with a guy. I wanted to dance and laugh. I didn’t want to be ignored anymore. I never would have done this in Oregon. I missed people who I knew well enough to get me out of situations like this one.

I sat back and watched them all talk and laugh once more and sipped on my beer.
I was totally uncomfortable. Or was I? I decided to chipper up and flip the switch on my mood. I was, after all, in need of attention since Darcy seemed to suck all of it out of the city of Boston.

“You guys are all wicked smart with your accents and rugby talk. Obviously, this is a
college bar but if you think your charming accents are going to get you into those ladies’ panties, you’re way off. You should be wearing Red Sox hats and perhaps take off the sexy Irish shirts.” I said in a rush, quirking my eyebrow up to them.

Laughter
rang all around the table. I was starting to feel proud of myself just as a huge crash came from the bar. A girl, lying on the bar, started yelling at a patron who obviously didn’t like the body shot he was giving her. Cian and three of his friends from the opposite side of the booth stood up abruptly and headed towards the commotion.

I stared down at my
nearly full beer, not realizing the blond on my right was still in the booth with me. I tucked my hair behind my right ear and swallowed the whole pint of Guinness in several solid gulps. Just then, I realized the lone blond guy was staring at me with a wide smile on his face. I shifted in my seat and started to slide out of the booth. He grabbed my hand, and I was jerked back into my seat. I was so shocked by his touch that I couldn’t move my body. Literally, my body was battling with my mind so I stayed there, stalk still in the seat. After a few moments of my mind racing for what to do next, one thought took over and everything else fell away.
Stay. He is yours.

Three

Darts and Driving

I turned to the blond and he inched his nearly full pint of
Guinness to me. “Thirsty?” he asked.

“Not really,”
I said, looking into the bluest eyes I’d ever seen in all my life. They were devastatingly blue. His smile was plastered on and he had the straightest teeth in the room.

“So, Cian
?” I furrowed my brow at his abrupt departure from the table.

“
Yes, Cian, a close friend and a good lad,” he said in an equally thick accent.

“I found him at the bar
,” I said in a rush. “My friend obviously ditched me and I guess he took pity on me.”

“No
. He was just being polite. Not all Irishmen are assholes.” He chuckled as he took a swill off of one of his other friends’ beers and looked back to me. “Cian has a lady back home in Cork. We all go to university there together.” Okay, either Cian was sending mixed signals or I didn’t understand flirting anymore. Either way, it was time to back off Cian.
Good to know.

“Why are you here? I mean, not in this dump of a bar, but in Boston?” I asked
as I felt the warm rush of Guinness settling into my stomach.

“I’m Teagan
,” he said as he stuck out his hand.

I shook it and slowly
. “Teagan.” I sounded it out in like four syllables as I drew it out. He nodded, expressionless.

“I haven’t ever met a Teagan
,” I said with a smirk.

“Well, there you go. Now you have
,” he replied, taking another swig.

My eyes shifted over to the bar while searching for anything to say in th
at awkward moment when casual hellos turn into blank space. I wanted to crowd our conversation. It was tough to tell if Teagan wanted the latter, so I gave him an out.

“I guess I should let you up so you see the show at the bar.
You wouldn’t want to miss a Bahston love squat,” I said in the dry accent.

“Good here
, thanks, unless you’re interested in checking it out,” he replied as he looked over me to see his friends at the bar. A delicate touch of his fingers danced across my hand in my lap. I was so shocked at that blatant touch that I turned to face him instinctively.

That
’s when I was able to take him all in. He wore a red and white striped rugby shirt with another undecipherable emblem on his left chest and khaki pants. I couldn’t see his sneakers but I assumed they were European. Sexy. My heart fluttered a bit. He glanced at me and I took two more swigs of my beer, not remembering I was supposed to be the DD. Darcy was far, far away from my thoughts at that point.

I turned to face him with one of my legs
crossed in front of me to create space between us.

“
So, Teagan, tell me...You didn’t answer me. Why are you here with your friends in Boston?” I asked, looking pointedly into his eyes.

Teagan shrugged
. “University Cork has a work program that all seniors need to complete. There were many places to choose from.” He counted off on his fingers. “Paris, London, China. Since we’re all good friends, we took a vote and, well, we chose America. I like technical engineering so I’m officially starting to work at Foster, Brown, and Crass on Monday.”

“Do you get paid?” I asked, taking another drink.

He laughed softly and nodded his head.

“Sorry, that was so rude,” I said with a frown. “
It just sounds like an internship to me. You know, work credits for your degree.”

“Don’t worry. People ask us that a lot
,” he replied, waving his hand in the air dismissively.

We sat in silence for a long time
. I slowly moved my body away from the intimate position with Teagan as I began to look out over the crowd. It was much rowdier than before and I started to really wonder where the other guys had gone off to. I became restless about how alone I felt and I shivered with the thought. Like he was reading my mind, or my body, Teagan grabbed my hand and said, “Come on, let’s play a game of darts and get another pint.”

Before I could refuse, I was pushed out of the booth
. He maneuvered his body to take the lead up to the bar. He gripped onto my hand and squeezed it firmer than I liked. Teagan pulled me back out into the bar and didn’t look back at me to see if I was even okay about that tailspin move. He spotted one of the male bartenders and put up two fingers. Were all Irish guys this dominating? Cian had a girlfriend back in Ireland, yet it felt like he was coming onto me. Was Teagan just taking care of me now, too? Teagan could probably charm the hell out of every girl in this bar just by opening his mouth but I still couldn’t read him. His death grip was an obvious sign that there was probably no girl back home waiting for him.

After retrieving the pints
from the bartender, he rounded on me. Nose to nose, he placed the glass in my hand.
“Here you are, Lizzie O’Malley.” His smile was so genuine that I smiled brightly back and thanked him seductively. I felt like I was the only girl in this crowded bar of college bombshells that he was looking at, and I felt more beautiful than anyone else. He wasn’t as classically gorgeous as Cian and he wasn’t someone I would normally stare after in a mall or on the T, but he looked at me in a way that I’d never experienced in my entire life. His deep penetrating gaze was beautiful and the magnetism between our stares made my stomach flutter. I hadn’t felt that flutter in years.

In that moment,
I realized that he was not only stunning but mesmerizing. His gaze never left my eyes. To boot, he didn’t look drunk, like he wanted to just hook up. He looked like he was really happy to see me, like we were old friends and hadn’t seen each other in years. There were no words or tension. It wasn’t weird. It just felt right. Was I…was I attracted to this guy?

W
hile we waited to play darts, we had easy conversation, and I relaxed for the first time the whole evening. Teagan and I played three games of darts and laughed at the fact that I was kicking his ass. He startled me when he put his hand on the small of my back and said, “I think it’s time to find the lads.” I nodded, thinking I would agree to do anything and everything he suggested to me at that point. As we walked back to the table, Darcy cut us off and slurred, “Lizzie, let’s go. I just called Conner and he’s pissed that I’m so drunk.”

I looked at her, dumbstruck, and then turned to Teagan. I gave him a sheepish smile, and figured introductions were in order. I really didn’t want to leave so I prolonged the moment.

“
Darcy, this is Teagan. Teagan, this is Darcy, my brother’s girlfriend,” I said with fake enthusiasm. I wanted Darcy to see that I did meet a guy that she had insisted on. I also wanted Teagan to know that I wasn’t interested in leaving him at all. “Darcy, I’m so sorry but I started drinking by peer pressure.” I pointedly looked at Teagan. He laughed out loud and gave me a look that said I was such a liar. I smiled, not paying attention to Darcy as I momentarily got lost in the fact that Teagan and I already had unspoken conversational skills. I turned back to Darcy. “I can’t drive yet. Give me another hour or so, okay?”

“N
o!” Darcy shot back at me, startling me out of my revelation about Teagan. “Your brother is going to dump me. He is so pissed. We have to go now!” She grabbed my hand and practically ran out the crowded door. I left Teagan standing there, already feeling bereft and wishing I had gotten his number. It was the only number I wanted out of Darcy’s promised three and I would have used it. The evening sucked once again.

As
we headed out to the slightly cooler air on Commonwealth, I turned and faced Darcy. “Honey, I can’t drive yet. I’m going to wait in the line for a coffee,” I said in my most soothing voice, pointing at Dunkin Donuts.” I knew how to coddle drunken friends that want to drive home. My mantra is, “Always keep them from the keys and the car.” Keys, check. Car, check. But I knew Darcy always got what she wanted, and I felt uneasy about this. I did feel bad that I drank but I did not feel bad about drinking with the yummy Irishmen. I wasn’t shitfaced. I just needed a little time. Nonetheless, I was taken over by guilt that I hadn’t been a proper designated driver. It felt like we had only been in Mary Ann’s for an hour. Looking down at my watch, I saw it was still so early in the evening that I could get a cup of coffee and wait out the beers I had drunk. Concurrently, I felt awful that I didn’t get Teagan’s fucking phone number. Ugh. I was so confused.

“No, Lizzie. I…”
she stuttered as she tried to put her hands on her hips.

Our conversation
was cut off by an Irish accented male yelling, “Lizzie!” I whirled around and saw Teagan step out of Mary Ann’s with the boys right on his heels. He looked worried but I thought I saw relief in his expression as our eyes met. I held up my hand to Darcy, silently telling her to wait. I walked towards Teagan.

“Hey, what’s going on with your friend
?” he asked as he looked over my shoulder and gave a quick cork of his head.

“She wants to go home.
We live in Wellesley. It’s about 20 miles from here,” I said as I pointed up aimlessly to Route 9. “But I…I had three or four beers, I mean, pints and I’m not sure I can drive yet.” I frowned in despair. In that moment, those quick twenty miles felt like two hundred to me. I was simply not ready to get behind the wheel. Even the thought of it sent me into a panic attack.

“Aye, I see,” h
e said, smiling at me. He saw the apprehension in my body language and our eyes locked again and I told him it wasn’t a joke with my look. His smile sobered and he cleared his throat and looked between Darcy and me.

“Well, our place is right there
,” he said, pointing over to a big brownstone with a green awning. “She can use the phone to call your brother. I’m sure we can work it out,” he said.

I pondered his invitation for a moment as I stared deeper into his eyes. All I saw was warmth
, and was that...interest?  Did he want me to stay with him a little longer? Was this the polite Irishmen gesture that he was talking about in the bar? Why am I even considering this? Darcy couldn’t go to the apartment of five foreign bachelors. Conner would flip. He knew about my one-night stands in the past and probably thought I would rub off my promiscuity on Darcy. Whether or not I moved back to Boston to get my head on straight, he obviously didn’t trust me. I was at a proverbial fork in the road, where I either made the right choice or the smart choice. I just couldn’t figure out which was which.

I looked over my shoulder at
Darcy. She was wringing her hands frantically and pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. I walked up to her with determination and put both my hands on her shoulders. “Darcy, these nice guys have a phone right across the street and we need to sober up for just a little while before we go home. Conner isn’t going to be mad at you. He will only be mad that I drank tonight. I’ll call him myself. It was my bad,” I said.

Darcy
went absolutely ape shit. Faster than I could think the next word in my head, she shoved my hands off her shoulders and tore my clutch out of my hand with a look of disgust. I was so taken aback by her flailing that I didn’t comprehend what was happening until she tore the keys out and was halfway across the street to the car.

“
Darcy! Wait! What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled after her. She was stumbling, and for the first time ever, she didn’t look so elegant. It was obvious that the drunk driving pep talk wouldn’t work on her so forceful intervention was in order. I tried to walk in my heels with grace but the blisters on my feet were popped and holy fuck, it was so painful. I made it to the car as she started to open the door. I threw all my body weight into the door. Fucking ouch! Pain shot up my whole side and I cringed. After several seconds, as she stared at my forceful approach, I regained my composure and got in her face.

“N
O!” I angrily said in her face. “You’re not going to drive.”

“I
’m fine.” Darcy clipped out each word. I gaped at her and shook my head. Her eyes were glazed over, her mascara not quite crisp and she was swaying just the tiniest bit. Maybe drinking and driving was a normal occurrence, but no one knew more about the consequences than I. By my senior year in high school, five kids were put into the ground after dying at the base of trees. She didn’t fully understand that driving drunk was Russian roulette.

Out of the corner of my left eye, I saw
the five Irish guys heading towards the car. Cian and one other stood at the front of the car, two took the place behind the car, and Teagan stood next to me. All of them stood at attention, as if they would pick up the car. All they needed was one look from Teagan. He was obviously the alpha leader in the pack.

“Problem?” Teagan asked
, looking at Darcy. I felt his words like a sharp knife and knew he was clearly directing the question at me.

Looking down at the ground
, and in the smallest voice I could muster, I said, “I was DD. I fucked up. She wants to drive and she has the keys.” I balled my fists at my sides and Teagan’s eyes were drawn to them. He snapped his head up and blinked twice.

“Damn straight
, I’m going to drive!” Darcy slurred out her words. “Now get in, Lizzie. You don’t even know these guys.” That was very true, but God, I didn’t want to get in that car with her either. My head was swimming with alcohol and confusion.