Irish Love

by Amanda Heartley

  After five minutes, I’m already over it. I wander around the stores, instead. I check the phone regularly, just in case she calls. Even though I’m expecting it, it still scares the shit out of me when it vibrates in my pocket. My heart pounds as I pull it out, but my happiness lasts all of ten seconds when I read her message.

  Siobhan: Flight delayed in San Francisco. I’ll be two hours late. Can’t wait to see you guys though.

  I think for a moment before responding like I imagine Rory would.

  Me: Okay, see you when you get here. Ben will meet you. Something’s come up.

  Siobhan: Ben… :) The sexy one you’re afraid I’m going to try and jump?

  I grin at that. Sexy, huh? I can work with that. I tap out a reply, which I know is going to give my game away, but I can’t resist.

  Me: He’s the one I hope you’re going to jump. Do whatever your body craves with Ben.

  Siobhan: Um…. Either this is Ben, or our relationship just took a turn for the worst.

  I chuckle, imagining the look on her face when she realizes it’s me.

  Me: Yeah, it’s Ben.

  Siobhan: Thanks for the warning. I’m feeling kinda embarrassed now.

  Me: Because you said I’m sexy? Does it even things out if I tell you you’re hot too?

  Siobhan: A little. Crap. Boarding again. I’ll see you soon. What are you wearing?

  Me: Bit early for that. Not sure what Rory’s been saying, but I’m not that kind of guy.

  Siobhan: So I can find you in case this phone goes flat, you dickwad.

  Me: Oh right. Jeans and a blue tee shirt. I’ll be the guy sitting in Cantina Laredo in the TBIT with a crushed heart. So what are you wearing?

  Siobhan: I travel in comfort. Track pants and a top.

  Me: No, I mean underneath that

  Siobhan: Creep.

  I’m still laughing to myself as I walk over to the Cantina and order a coffee. She seems like a fun chick. I honestly don’t know that much about her, other than the fact that Rory wants me nowhere near her. That’s usually enough for me to do what I’m not supposed to.

  The barista hands me my coffee. I smile at her and sit down at the first empty table I find. I’ve got a clear view of the arrivals exit from where I sit—not that I really need that now. I settle myself in for the long wait, already regretting not bringing some work with me. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to be here for half the day. I call Rory, just in case he's waiting to hear from Siobhan.

  “Hi, Ben,” Rory answers.

  “Hey, dude. I'm still at the airport. Siobhan’s flight was delayed in Frisco,” I explain.

  “For how long?” he asks.

  “She’ll probably be another two hours,” I say, taking a guess. “By the time she gets through customs and out to me.”

  He groans. “Shit, sorry Ben. I didn't mean to eat into your whole day.”

  I laugh. “It's fine. It's not like I had much else to do, anyway. How is Amelia?” I add.

  “Yeah, we’re leaving the hospital now. She’s okay but still sick. The doctor thinks it's either food poisoning, or a bug.”

  “I knew you’re cooking was bad, but Jesus, man,” I say with a chuckle, unable to resist a little dig.

  “Fuck off,” he growls in response, but he’s laughing.

  “So, I assume I’m bringing her back to your place?” I ask him.

  “Where else would you be taking her?” he asks, his voice sharp.

  I smirk. “Calm down. I just meant if Amelia is sick, how sure are you it’s not contagious?” I say. “You don’t want Siobhan being sick her whole time here.”

  “Fuck, I never even thought about that,” he mutters. “I guess you have a point. Okay, then I might book a hotel room for her for a couple of nights.” I smile at the thought of her being all alone and away from Rory. “Alone, Ben. Stop smirking, or whatever the fuck it is that you’re doing.”

  “God, man, do you have a camera on me or something?” I mutter, glancing around me. His ability to know what I’m doing at any given moment is spooky.

  “No, I just know you that well,” he retorts. “That and I can hear your mind ticking over.” He grunts, obviously worked up. “You know what? I want you to send me a photo of you every half hour on the dot. You, standing in front of your TV.”

  “What the hell does that prove?” I say with a chuckle. “What’s to stop me from dragging my TV to your sister's hotel room so I can nail her?”

  “Ben,” Rory growls. I laugh, because he’s so easy to provoke, it’s almost no fun anymore. “Calm down. I'm kidding. Go look after that girl of yours. I'll take care of your sister.”

  “Yeah,” Rory mutters. “That's what I'm worried about.”

  ***

  It’s nearly two hours later and I’m just finishing off my fourth coffee, while doing everything I can to stay awake. I rub my eyes, trying to liven them up, then I stifle a yawn. I glance at the phone and snort. It’s barely eleven in the morning. I can’t remember the last time I was up this early on a Sunday.

  I’m five minutes away from trying to find a quiet place to nap, when I look up and exhale sharply. I recognize the beauty walking in my direction, but holy shit. She looked cute enough on Rory’s phone, but in person, even in sweatpants, she’s fucking stunning. She waves at me, a shy smile on her face. I stand up a little too suddenly, nearly knocking the table over in the process. She laughs, her piercing green eyes lighting up at the sight of my misfortune, but I don’t care, because that laughter is fucking music to my ears. I run my hand through my hair and smirk at her. I know I promised Rory I wouldn’t touch her, but holy hell. God help me…

  Why do I keep making promises I can’t keep?

  Chapter Two

  Siobhan

  “Ben?” I say, letting out a nervous giggle.

  I hide a smile when he trips over his feet as he stands up to greet me. The table nearly goes flying, which causes the people around him to turn and stare. He flushes and mutters an apology, then walks over to me. My heart pounds, because he’s even cuter in person. He smiles at me and extends his hand. I take it, ignoring the rush that jolts through me when he touches me.

  My lord, that smile…

  “Siobhan, hey, how was your flight?” he asks with a grin.

  “Long,” I say, making a face. I look him up and down and then shiver. He’s so cute in the flesh. “It’s nice to meet you in person. Thanks for waiting for me, by the way. Sorry you ended up here for so long. How come it’s you picking me up? Where’s Rory?”

  “Oh, your brother poisoned Amelia with his cooking. Had to take her to the hospital,” he says with a straight face.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I ask, concerned for her.

  “Yeah, kind of,” he says, smiling. “She’s okay. Probably some kind of bug. They should be home by now.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. You had me worried there,” I say, putting my bags down next to the table and sitting down. “Hey, do you mind if I grab something to eat before we leave?” I ask. “It turns out plane food is not so appetizing.”

  “Knock yourself out,” he says with a smile. “But only if I can refer to this as our first date in front of your brother.”

  “Ah, so you got the talk too?” I say knowingly.

  All week Rory had been on at me not to hit on Ben when I got here. The funny thing is, I had no intention to until he kept putting the idea in my head. Now, after seeing him in person…

  “If talk means he threatened to castrate me, then yes, we talked.”

  I laugh. “Wow, he must really think we’re going to hit it off or something. It’s like waving a chocolate bar in front of a toddler and telling them not to eat it though, isn’t it? I mean, being told you can’t have something just makes you want it more…” My voice trails off as he raises his eyebrows. I feel my face heat up. “Not that it’s made me want you anymore than I already did…”

  Yeah, not helping.

  I decide the best thing to do is shut my
mouth and go grab a sandwich. I walk back over to the table and sit down as Ben reaches for his phone.

  “I should let Rory know you’re here.”

  “Oh,” I say, reaching over for his phone with a wide smile. “Let me.”

  He shrugs and hands it to me. I call Amelia’s number, waiting excitedly for one of them to answer.

  “You better not have touched my sister.”

  I giggle. “He wouldn't dare,” I grin, delighted to hear my brother’s voice.

  I’ve missed him, no matter how much he tries to boss me around. Talking to him, and knowing I’ll be seeing him soon gets me excited.

  “The flight got delayed in San Francisco,” I explain with a shrug, “but I’m here now.”

  “Yeah, Ben told me you got stuck there for a while. Is he behaving himself?” he asks, only half joking.

  I glance over at Ben and smile. “For now, he is.”

  Ben shrugs at me, looking wounded. I roll my eyes and turn away, so I can concentrate without him making faces at me.

  “How’s Amelia feeling?” I ask. “Ben said she wasn't well?”

  “Yeah, I took her to the hospital,” he says. “But she’s home now. They think it’s food poisoning, but it could’ve been a bug.”

  “Okay, not contagious I hope,” I say, making a face.

  “Probably not, but it’s not the worst idea if I put you up in a hotel, at least for tonight. I’d hate for you to catch something if it is.” I ignore Ben muttering something behind me about staying at his place. Somehow, I can’t see Rory going for that. “We'll see how she is tomorrow and you can come here. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “It sucks, because I was really looking forward to us catching up,” he says, sounding disappointed. “I'm sorry you come all this way and now I'm dumping you in a hotel. I feel like a complete tosser.”

  “Trust me, it's fine,” I say with a laugh. “If the alternative is catching whatever she's got, then I don't want it. Especially if it was your cooking,” I tease. “Even without the salmonella, your food is hard to swallow.”

  “Funny, Ben said the same thing. Maybe you guys are perfect for each other, after all,” he grumbles. I blush at the thought. “Okay, so you go and settle into the hotel. I’ll call now and book it, then text you the address. I’ll let them know you’re on your way.”

  “Great,” I say. “I'll get Ben to drop me off.”

  “And then you’ll get him to leave, right?” he presses.

  “Yes,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Now, can you stop being such a big brother for five minutes?”

  “No, I can’t. It's my job to look after you. And tell Ben to stop smirking,” he orders. I glance over and laugh when I see that's exactly what Ben’s doing.

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” I assure him. I end the call and hand Ben back the phone, my cheeks heating up when his fingers touch mine.

  “He takes the protective big brother thing quite seriously, doesn’t it?” he smirks.

  “Very seriously,” I laugh, “but he means well, even if his concern is misplaced.”

  “Ah, so I don’t need to be concerned about you throwing yourself at me?” he murmurs.

  “Definitely not,” I assure him, but deep down, I’m not so sure about that.

  I finish my sandwich then stand and turn around, ready to tackle my mountain of bags. Before I can pick them up, Ben swoops in and takes them for me. I follow him outside and over to his car, a rush of excitement sweeping over me. I’m in LA.

  I’m so excited.

  We drive away from the airport and into the light Sunday traffic, heading toward the city. I’m mesmerized as we drive through the streets of Los Angeles in the direction of my hotel. I can’t get over how pretty it is. There’s people everywhere and everything feels so big. It’s a completely different atmosphere to what I’m used to back home. Ben glances over at me and raises his eyebrows. I flush, feeling the need to explain myself.

  “I’m from a small village out of Dublin so this is completely unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” I explain, shaking my head. “Sorry,” I add, feeling silly at reacting this way. “You’re no doubt used to all the glitz and glamour.”

  “Hey, you're allowed to be excited,” he says with a grin. “It is Los Angeles, after all.” He glances at me. “So, how long are you here for?”

  “A week.” I feel a pang of disappointment even saying it because it doesn't feel like nearly long enough, especially considering the sixteen-hour flight. “I’m on a study break, before my exams begin at college,” I explain. “Otherwise, I’d stay longer.”

  “Then shouldn’t you be, uh, studying?” he teases.

  “You’d think that, right?” I say with a grin. “Rory really wanted me here when he proposed to Amelia,” I explain with a shrug. “And I’ve been studying my arse off all year, so I thought why not? I’m confident I’ll do well, even without this week.”

  “So, what are you actually studying?” he asks curiously.

  “Animal science,” I say, my mood brightening instantly.

  Just mentioning my studies cheers me up, because it’s something I really love. I've always wanted to work with animals, ever since I was a kid. My uncle was a vet and I remember going out with him to treat horses and cows on the farms. I loved it, so it made sense to make a career out of it.

  “Nice,” Ben says with a smile. “So, you're smart and cute. Interesting.”

  I narrow my eyes at him and shake my head, resisting the urge to ask why that’s so interesting. I don’t know what to make of him yet. The attention he’s intent on giving me is nice, but I've met guys just like him before. Guys who'll say whatever they think you want to hear, to get you into bed. I don't doubt that Ben has a different woman every night. Rory hinted at that when he told me Ben wasn’t my kind of guy.

  Hearing him say that of course made me want to go after him, just to prove Rory wrong, but then I worry that maybe he’s right. I can see myself falling for someone like Ben and getting my heart broken in the process. Besides, I much prefer a guy who cares about me and listens to what I want, rather than just saying what he thinks I want to hear.

  Eventually, we pull into the parking lot of the London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills. I bounce impatiently in my seat, a rush of excitement hitting me. This place is amazing. I can't believe Rory went to this much trouble and expense to put me up for the night. I would've been just as happy at a little bed-and-breakfast or something—not that I'm complaining.

  “You go and check in. I’ll grab your bags,” Ben suggests.

  I nod and get out, racing inside without waiting for him, then I walk up to the desk. Everything is already paid for, so check-in is nice and painless. My eyes widen when I see how much a room costs. It’s even more painless that I’m not paying. Holy fuck, this is one expensive hotel.

  Ben insists on carrying my bags up to my room, even though the bellboy is right there and offering to assist. I roll my eyes and relent, letting Ben take them, even though I'm sure it's just because he wants to try and worm his way into my bed. That is so not going to happen.

  I meant it when I promised Rory that my flirting with Ben was innocent. I wouldn’t appreciate him going back on a promise to me, so I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t think I could keep it. I shiver, because seeing him in the flesh stirs something in me. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that. I can't deny he’s gorgeous, but the problem is he knows it. Guys who know they’re attractive are usually the ones you want to avoid.

  When we reach my room, I swipe my key card against the door, buzzing it open. Walking inside, with Ben right behind me, my eyes nearly bug out of my head when I see how nice the room is.

  “Wow,” I gasp. I was expecting nice, but not like this.

  I head straight over to the window, where the most amazing view of the city is laid out in front of me. I stare out, the scene enough to make me weak at the knees.

  “I can just imagine how beautiful t
his is gonna be at night,” I mumble, more to myself than Ben.

  “Maybe I should stay and find out.”

  I turn around to glare at him. He’s sprawled across my bed. I can’t help but laugh as he takes a selfie, no doubt to torture my brother with. I roll my eyes at him.

  “What?” he asks innocently. “It’s comfortable as hell,” he adds, patting the bed next to him. I shake my head, smiling, because I know exactly what he wants to do.

  “I’ll check it out later. When I’m alone,” I add. “In fact, I’m pretty jet-lagged. I think I need a nap now.” My hint goes right over his head, because he just shrugs and grins at me.

  “Sure, I'm up for that. What side do you prefer, left or right?”

  “The middle,” I fire back.

  “Then I guess I’ll be lying on top of you,” he says with a smirk. I glare at him until he sighs and gets up. He wanders over to the door, looking like a wounded puppy.

  “Thanks again for picking me up,” I say, walking him out into the hallway. “I appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” he replies. “You can pay me back tomorrow.”

  I have no idea what that means, but I’m too tired to try and figure it out now.

  I wasn’t lying about needing a nap. It’s barely two in the afternoon, but I’m still on home time, which makes it…okay so it should only feel like ten o’clock Sunday night, but combined with the long flight and lack of sleep on the plane, I’m exhausted.

  I walk back over to the bed and climb under the covers. Before I go to sleep, I find my friend Kayla on Facebook and send her a message. She’s been in the States for quite a while, so I'm keen to catch up with her. Placing my phone on the nightstand next to me, I yawn and close my eyes, ready to fall asleep. Unfortunately, my mind has other ideas. I waste over an hour trying to drift off, before I give up and climb out of bed. I check my phone, pleased to see a message from Kayla on there. I fire up Skype and press call, excited to see her face and hear her voice again.

  “Siobhan,” she screams. I chuckle at her reaction. I’ve missed Kayla a lot, so it’s good to know she’s missed me too. We grew up together in the same village in Ireland, but it wasn't until we hit high school that we became close friends. She was loud, outgoing and feisty, whereas I preferred to do my own thing, away from the limelight. I wasn’t exactly an introvert, but I didn’t really care if the popular kids liked me or not. Despite our differences, our friendship blossomed. We complemented each other. She pushed me out of my comfort zone, while I brought her back down to earth a little bit.