At Seventeen
Chapter 9
The two lads turned back, only to see that Mark and Shane were
still heavily engrossed in the concerns of Shane's relatives. Kian stifled his
laughter and avoided Bryan's eyes. It was then that Mark remembered. He glimpsed
Bryan behind Shane and went over to whisper something to him. Then they set off
at a pace for the pub again. Kian and Shane lagged behind. Shane looked
bewildered.
They found Jane almost in tears at the near-empty table, being comforted by
Eimear, whose expression was closed, devoid of showing anything. She looked up
to see Mark. Her lips tightened. As soon as Jane sighted Bryan, she was
immediately altered. The tears vanished, and she was all smiles again. Meanwhile
an uneasy Mark faced a stubborn Eimear.
"I'm sorry we went off on you like that," he said bluntly. "We
needed some space." "Sure,"she replied, but her tone was icy, and
Mark looked imploringly at her. "Please, Eimear, I've said I'm sorry.
Friends?" Eimear fell silent and looked at the ground. Mark stood beside
her, waiting for her to speak.
While they were in this awkward situation, Kian, seizing the moment, came up to
them, begging Mark to let him be introduced. "You already have been
introduced," said an amused Eimear, struggling not to smile, but the
struggle proved too much, and Mark reckoned he was forgiven, judging by her
expression. "Hi, I'm Eimear." "So I gathered," Kian answered
coolly. "Shane's somewhere around, I'll find him," before he
disappeared again.
Eimear couldn't hide her laughter after he had gone, and Mark joined in.
"Am I okay so?" "Yeah, you're okay. Only okay though." And
then Kian came upon them again, saying that he couldn't find Shane anywhere.
Slight lines of worry appeared on his and Mark's faces, until he was discovered
trying to fade into the background where Jane and Bryan were, holding hands.
Obviously, it wasn't working for him.
Kian went over, grabbed Shane's arm, and whispered something like "Now be
nice to this girl, I'm telling you," judging by what Mark could read of the
conversation. Eimear, meanwhile, was completely oblivious. "Eimear,
Shane." Kian reappeared and bowed to Eimear. She grinned again, but her
smile suddenly stopped short. "A pleasure." Shane didn't smile as he
shook her hand, which she had outstretched unaware.
Her reaction to the handshake was something like an electric shock, as his hand
touched her skin. Oh my God, her conscience screamed, what is happening, what
are you doing, he's famous after all, you can't fall for him. But although she
was shaking inside, on the outside she couldn't manage anything but a small shy
smile. Oh damn it, her more dreamy, impractical side muttered, I won't be able
to speak a word to him now. His green-hazel eyes, alike to hers, stayed on her
for a moment, before looking away.
The rest of the night was a blur to Eimear, as everything was in a state of
confusion. She was certain that the deep throbbing of her heart had something to
do with the silent Sligo lad in front of her, calm and unruffled in the middle
of a loud argument between Bryan, Kian and Mark about whether The Spice Girls or
TLC were more musical. Every now and then Mark or Kian would give her a worried
look, as if to ask 'Are you alright?', only for her to give a weak smile, which
generally translated as 'Yeah I'm fine'. But she wasn't. She knew she could
never be the same again. As the six got up to leave, Shane's hand accidentally
brushed against hers. "Sorry," he said with a slight smile this time.
She returned the smile. Though her conscience was telling her not to be a fool,
her other side was taking over - He smiled at me. And her hand was immobile for
a few seconds afterward.
She heard Bryan's voice in the midst of her musings. He wanted to go onto a
nightclub, did anyone else want to come. Eimear looked at her watch. It was half
eleven. That late? Kian, Mark and Jane all added their enthusiasm for
"going out and getting locked", as Kian put it. Shane was not so
enthusiastic. "I'm so tired, I need to get home now," he murmured,
which the three other lads readily agreed to, but Eimear's steady refusal to go
was not received so well. "You have to come, Eimear," cried Mark, who
had got to like this Dublin girl rather well, she was certainly good company.
Kian echoed him.
But Jane was distraught. She took Eimear aside. "Please come, Eimear,
please!! I'll be so embarrassed on my own." Eimear's stern reply put her in
her place however. "What about Bryan? You spend so much time with him, why
should you be embarrassed?" "Yeah, well, I just wanted you to put in a
good word for me..." "You don't need a good word put in. You have it
made. I'm going back to the hotel." Jane shook her head, before belatedly
shouting "I'll be back at about 1.30" at her friend.
Shane seemed to have left already, as Eimear bade farewell to Bryan, Kian and
Mark. Mark insisted on her joining them the following night, however, which she
felt deserved no answer other than "Yes". They were really nice lads,
and didn't deserve to be disappointed. She left the pub, and looked down the
road, to see Shane was walking in the opposite direction. So what? her
conscience asked. What does that matter? But as she headed back to the hotel,
alone, her head was full of one person who had barely spoken two words to her.