Page 14 of Twist of Fate
“All right, fair enough. I guess they don’t call you Five-Star Finn for nothing.”
“They don’t call me that. No one calls me that, you eejit.”
“Well, they should.”
I simply shake my head and carry on with my story until I reach the part where I walk into the pub.
“She’s in your tour group?” He bursts out laughing. “I should have seen that coming. Oh, god, that’s priceless.”
“It’s fucking bad luck is what it is,” I groan. “How does that even happen, Rian? You should have seen my bleeding face. I’m pretty sure the rest of the guests thought I’d gone mental or saw a ghost.”
“You kind of did,” he argues, his voice dripping with amusement. The bastard. “So, what did you do? Did you talk to her? Please tell me you asked her if she found what she was searching for. Fuck, that’s a great pickup line. I’ve got to jot that one down.”
A heavy pause fills the air as I try to find an answer.
“Oh my god, you’ve already bolloxed this, didn’t you?”
If by “bollox” he means, did I panic, avoid eye contact, and then piss her off so much that she ignored me for the rest of the night—then yes, I completely fucked this up.
“Bolloxed what?” I respond instead. “There’s nothing to bollox, Rian. She’s a guest on my tour. A paying customer for a company I happen to?—”
“Oh, come on, Finn. Live a little!”
I let out a frustrated sigh, questioning why I even brought this up. “She’ll be here for a week, and then she’ll get on a plane and return to her life in the States, and I’ll?—”
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “You know, even if?—”
“When,” I correct him.
“Right—when your da takes you back into the fold, it’s not like your life will be over. I know you feel like you have something to prove to him, but don’t let that dictate the rest of your life.”
“I just need to stay focused. I can’t have any distractions. Relationships are distractions.”
“And you would know because?—”
“I’ve dated…”
“Dating Brenna O’Leary for two months in sixth year doesn’t count.” Before I can protest, he adds, “And neither do one-night stands that just happen to last a week or two.”
“Fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that this girl is still leaving in six days.” I frown. “No, I’m just going to treat her like any other guest and get through this tour.”
“Well, it seems like you’ve got everything figured out.”
Did I, though?
FIVE
Aisling
PRESENT
“Oh my god, honey. Look! You can see it! Right down there!” The middle-aged woman sitting next to me practically squeals in my ear, leaning into my shoulder as she tries to catch a glimpse out the window. “Wait, why are we over water?”
She does know it’s an island, right?
I offer a polite smile as she finally returns to her seat.
I really should’ve sprung for those first-class tickets.
