Page 35 of Our Song

‘I didn’t want him to think he was auditioning!’said Ruairí.‘I just asked if he wanted to have a drink.And said some of my friendsmightjoin us.’

‘Well, I hope he’s not too disappointed not to have a cosy tête-à-tête with you!’I said with a laugh.‘Right, I’m going to the bar.’

The bar was busy and I had to wait for ages to get served.While I waited, I texted Brian and Joanna and suggested we get together the next afternoon.If the mysterious Tim seemed promising, I could invite him along to meet them.I finally got my pint and fought my way through the crowd to our table.

‘At last!’said Ruairí.‘Laura, meet Tim.Tim, meet Laura.’

Startled hazel eyes met mine.My pint slid from my fingers and smashed on the tiled floor, to the whoops of a gang of second years.

Because Ruairí’s old friend Tim was, unmistakably, Tadhg.

‘Laura?’ he said.

‘Hang on, you know each other?Brilliant!’said Ruairí.‘Let me get Tim a drink and generously replace that pint, Laura, while you get over the shock.’

He headed to the bar and I sank into a chair opposite Tadhg.

‘I’m sorry, I had no idea …’ I said.‘Ruairí said his friend’s name was Tim.’

‘My nameisTim,’ said Tadhg.

‘What?’I said.‘No it isn’t!’

‘Well, I was called Tadhg in the Gaeltacht every summer,’ said Tadhg.‘But usually I’m Tim.Hang on, did you really not know?’

‘No!’Even though Katie had been called Cáit, and Brian had been Brían, somehow I had always just assumed that Tadhg was, well, always Tadhg.It never crossed my mind it could be an Irish version of another name.‘So you mean … everyone calls you Tim?All the time?’

He laughed.I’d forgotten what a lovely laugh he had.‘Pretty much.I mean, itismy name.’

I shook my head.‘This is so weird.It’s like finding out Ruairí is really called Roderick or something.’

‘Well, you can still call me Tadhg if you like,’ he said.‘It’s a better name than Tim.Anyway.’He smiled at me across the battered black-painted table.‘It’s really good to see you again.’

And I smiled back at him.‘You too.’

By the time the generous Ruairí got back with pints, Tadhg (I couldn’t think of him as Tim yet) and I were catching up.

‘I felt so bad when I realised we weren’t going to see all of you on the train,’ said Tadhg.‘I always hoped we’d bump into each other again.’

‘Well, we finally have.’I couldn’t stop smiling.

‘So,’ said Ruairí, sliding into the seat beside Tadhg, ‘have you asked Tim yet?’

Tadhg looked intrigued.‘Asked me what?’

‘So …’ Now I realised that I was asking Tadhg,theTadhg, my ultimate teenage crush who’d played that dazzling guitar solo at our Coláiste Laoise gig, to be in my band, it felt like a bigger deal than when I was just asking Ruairí’s random friend Tim.‘I’m in a band.With Brian – I mean Brían, from Laoise.’

‘No way!’said Tadhg.‘And Cáit?Although isn’t her name usually Katie?’

‘It is Katie,’ I confirmed.How did he know her name was Katie and I had no idea his real name wasTim?‘But she’s not in the band.’

‘So what do you need me for?’

I told him, and he immediately said, ‘Okay, I’m in.’

‘Seriously?You don’t need to think about it?’

‘Of course I don’t!’said Tadhg.‘It feels like fate, doesn’t it?If it wasn’t for that bus breaking down, we’d have been in a band since 1999.’

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