“This one?” I held the picture closer to my eyes, examining the blurry shot.
“No.” Leaning closer, his hair brushed my cheek and my breath hitched.
“Let me guess…you aren’t even in the picture.” I turned my head and held his gaze, the force of his eyes drawing me closer to him.
Breaking the moment, he snatched the picture out of my hand and sat beside me, his hip and thigh pressed against mine. “I am. I’m the one hiding under the blanket.”
I grabbed the picture back from him and scrutinized the yellowed photograph. Two eyes popped out at me. “Very cute.”
He placed his hand on my arm. “It’s tradition. Here.” He handed me the bag, the pirate sword, and a hat. “We have your costume.”
I took the items and rubbed my finger over the smooth plastic. He cannot be real right now. My face froze with a tilted smile, and I looked past his shoulder into the kitchen. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of Deirdre, so I accepted the items with gratitude.
“What are you going to be?” Deirdre asked Jaime, setting a tray with a serving set on the table in front of us.
“Dunno yet.”
I pictured myself out in Dublin, celebrating Halloween in Ireland for the first time, dressed in a trash bag. My pride was wounded, but I pushed it aside, and glanced at Jaime and Deirdre. “I’m sure we’ll find something,” I said.
Deirdre packed away the tote, and Jaime and I settled in his room. I dropped my bag on the sofa bed and walked up to him in three steps. A smile ran across my face, and I grabbed his shoulders. Heat grew inside me, and the tension I felt earlier evaporated.
“I can’t believe you’re making me wear a trash bag!” I slapped him on the arm.
“What?” His eyes sparkled and I kissed his lips.
“We came back here for a broken sword and a trash bag,” I said. “I’m missing classes for this!”
“Eh, you gotta live a little, Rory. Have a little fun.” He kissed me again, deeper this time.
After I pulled away, insecurity swept in and I crossed my arms over my chest. “I have fun.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Why don’t you think I have any fun? Seriously.” I brushed my hair behind my ears.
He looked around the room and hesitated before he replied. “For starters, you don’t drink.”
“Yes I do. I had a drink the night we went out, but I’m careful when I drink.” I pressed my hand across my chest. “Why does alcohol equal fun? Haven’t you heard of moderation? Plus, I’m only nineteen. I can’t drink in my country.”
He smirked. “But you’re in Ireland now. Alcohol is our beverage of choice.”
I dropped my eyes to my hands. “I don’t drink excessively because I don’t trust being in a vulnerable state around people I don’t know in places I’ve never been. You can never be too careful.”
He looked at me with closed lips. “I’m sorry.”
I waved my hands, trying to lighten the mood. “No, no, it’s fine. I drink, Jaime, but only when I’m with people I trust. And I do have fun.” We locked eyes, and my heart rate sped in my chest. His head leaned toward mine, and my limbs turned to jello. “What else?”
His lips touched my nose. “You never skip class.”
“My parents are paying good money for me to be here. I have to take it seriously…and that’s not even true. I’m missing four classes to be here with you right now.”
He tilted his head back and forth, thinking. He rubbed the top of my hand, and sparklers lit up inside me. “Your calendar. You never stray from what’s on the calendar.”
“I’ll probably never be back here, so I have to make the most of it. Time is not on my side.”
“What if making the most of it means dropping all the touristy things and seeing the country for its beauty? You’ll find more genuine people, places, and food if you venture off the paved road that every other tourist follows. I can show you the country and it’ll be a million times better than the bus tours and breweries that everyone sees.”
I tried to reply, but I didn’t have time. His lips pressed against mine, and fireworks in red, blue, and yellow lit up behind my eyes. My stomach somersaulted and flipped and, like a hungry lion, my hands were on his head, pulling him closer to me. I explored his lips with my tongue, drawing myself into every nook and cranny and feeling his desire match my own.
