Chapter 11
Sunday 9th June
Annie woke up the following morning to the familiar smell of breakfast cooking. Tadhg’s bed was even comfier than the bed in the spare bedroom. She spread out, stretching her arms and legs and yawning gently. She could really feel last night in her muscles, pulling pints and running around the bar. Plus all the exercise when they had went to bed...
She could still smell him on the sheets. It was a long time since she had felt so satisfied. She could lie her forever.
The door creaked open and Tadhg appeared through it with a tray, as Annie peaked out at with one eye.
“Wakey, wakey sleepy,” Tadhg teased.
He gestured to the two plates of food on the tray as he set it on the bed, “hungry?”
“Famished,” Annie replied, rubbing her eyes and propping herself up and drawing the duvet up around her to cover her modesty.
“Do you want a t-shirt?” he asked, eyeing the duvet around her chest.
“Please,” Annie laughed awkwardly, “I know you’ve seen it all now but it’s different when it’s not dark”
“It’s fine,” Tadhg replied.
He rummaged in his bedside drawer and produced an old maroon football shirt.
“This sound do the trick,” he said, chucking it across the room to Annie.
She put her arms through the sleeves and lifted the shirt carefully over her head while trying not to let the duvet drop.
“I look like a fool,” she remarked as she finally got the shirt on.
“You’re fine,” Tadhg smiled as he got into the bed beside her before letting out a hearty laugh, “but wait until you realise you’re not wearing any knickers.”
Annie gave him a playful slap.
“Shall we eat?” he asked, pulling the tray towards them.
“Oh yes, it does smell great” Annie replied, picking up a fork and wondering how this was going to work - a fry isn’t the most gracious thing to eat, especially in bed.
“Don’t worry about making a mess on the bed,” Tadhg said, “I’ll throw the sheets in the wash once we’re out of bed.
“Well then…” Annie replied, going straight for the beans.
...
By the time they were finished Annie had made a huge mess, dropping two full spoonfuls of beans on the duvet. Not that Tadhg had minded; he barely even noticed, spending the whole time gazing tenderly at Annie.
“What does he see in me?” Annie had asked herself when she caught him looking.
Here she was; bed-headed, making a mess, dressed in his old football jersey and still wearing last night’s make-up. And yet this self-assured man’s-man couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“So I was going to ask... ah,” the words failing Tadhg, “it was just, I was wondering if…nevermind.”
Annie hadn’t seen him nervous like this before, not that she had seen much of him. Thinking about it, she had only ever seen him in the bar, really, and in the kitchen yesterday.
“What is it?” Annie asked tenderly.
Tadhg laughed again, but not his usual deep hearty laugh. His laugh wavered, sticking somewhere near the back of his throat.
“It’s fine” he said, finally.
“You can ask me anything,” Annie said, her heart rising in her chest.
“It was just...I like you Annie, and I think we’re good together. That might sound silly as we’ve only just met, really, but, you know... sometimes you only get one shot a things like this...”
Tadhg could feel himself rambling and tried to bring himself on topic as Annie sat, doe-eyed and patient beside him.
“What I was going to ask was, do you want to stay here a while? We don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to stay in this room, you can keep the spare room if you’d like, I’ll make it up nice for you. But I feel like we have something and I’d hate myself forever if I didn’t ask you to stay. Will you?”
Annie took his hand in hers and drew him to her, kissing him gently and full.
“I’ll stay for you,” she whispered in Tadhg’s ear, before lying back down in the bed and pulling him with her.
…
Afterwards Annie had lay with her head on Tadhg’s chest thinking about how she make some money to stay here as long as possible, while he stroked her hair dotingly.
She imagined herself becoming a romantic novelist; spending long winters in a cabin by the wild Atlantic Ocean in front of roaring log-fire, typing her manuscripts whilst Tadhg worked in the pub. Taking long walks along the cliff fronts and skinny dipping in the sea, floating in the cool ocean…
Annie could hear her name spoken softly somewhere, “Annie, Annie.”
She opened her eyes slowly, her head still resting on Tadhg’s warm chest as he repeated her name, “Annie, Annie.”
“Hmmmhmm,” Annie responded.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you but it’s after 12 and I need to get a few jobs done before the pub opens,” he said, “it should really be open already, to be honest.”
“I was asleep?” Annie asked, not really listening.
She lifted her head and letting Tadhg get up.
“Yes, for at least an hour!” he replied as Tadhg rummaged through his drawers again for some clean clothes.
“I was so comfortable. I was swimming with you in the ocean.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Tadhg replied as he put his jeans on, “it might be a bit chilly at the minute, though. You can have a shower first if you like, I have a delivery arriving in 10 minutes so I’ll shower in a while.”
“OK,” Annie replied.
“I wouldn’t normally skip showering in the morning, in case you’re wondering,” he added, “it was just so hard to get out of bed when you’re there too and I really need to get going.”
Annie giggled.
“Do you need me to help tonight?” she asked, feeling more awake now.
“If you want, you don’t have to. It’ll be much quieter this evening, I reckon,” he said.
“I want to help,” Annie replied, “maybe I’ll talk a walk and see some of the sights and get some lunch. Would you like anything back?”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be grand - I’ll grab a sandwich from the shop. I can have dinner ready for us when you get back. If you like? I have enough food to make a stew for two.”
“That would be lovely, I’ll bring us a bottle of wine to go with it,” Annie offered.
“If you want… there’s a bar full of wine downstairs remember…” Tadhg laughed as he buttoned his shirt in the mirror while Annie admired his bum.
“Oh yea,” she laughed, “I can bring dessert then.”
“Perfect. I’ll have the food ready for 5pm-ish if that’s OK? Before the rush starts and I have to run back down to man the bar,” he said, putting his watch on, ready to get to work.
“It’s a date,” Annie smiled.
“Can’t wait,” Tadhg replied as he leant down to her, kissing her softly.