Wrapped Up & Intertwined

Niall’s point of view:
I looked at Nóirín as she just sat there and stared at me without saying anything. She was opening her mouth and closing it again like she was about to say something but then regret it. I kind of realised that she was just trying to find the right words to let me down gently. Even though the silence might only had been for a few seconds it felt like hundreds of minutes.
The kiss had been great and I had taken the opportunity to kiss her not because she was Nóirín Mac Craith but because I was really stunned by her and because when I thought of her she made me feel happy, and even though I had only known her for a week I wanted to be around her all the time. She made me kind of crazy. I knew if she would just want to ignore it it would make me a little heartbroken. You really took a liking to her quick.

“You make it sound like ye’re the only one t’blame.” She said. “I took as much part in it as ye did. I’m just a bit unsure ‘bout where this might lead us but the point is that I like ye too. I just dunno where to go from ‘ere.” She said. I was lifted from the ground with a feeling of relief.

“Maybe I could take ye on a date?” I said to her and regretted my words when they came out. I was just taken aback by her and didn’t want to miss any chances. “Just to get to know ye better.” I added so it didn’t sound as serious.

“I would like that.” She said and I reckoned she sounded a bit shy. It was weird how a kiss could change so much. All week we had been laughing and joking and now moments of awkwardness and shyness was pouring down on us.
I decided to take her on a date the same day since none of the others would be here. It wouldn’t really be a proper date it would be more like a dinner and film date at home. We both agreed on not telling anyone about the kiss and our date until we knew if anything would come out of it. Until we knew if it had only been a once in a lifetime experience. The date wouldn’t be romantic at all since we wouldn’t be leaving the hotel. We both thought it was for the best to eat at one of the restaurants at the hotel and then watch a film in one of our villas.
The fact that we were calling it a date made me nervous. I hadn’t been nervous three days ago when I had lunch with her but now it was different and I kind of needed to “sell” myself. I needed to look presentable and behave beautifully without changing myself. I couldn’t eat the way I normally would even though she had already seen me stuff food into my mouth like I had never eaten before. I had to cut down my swearing and stop talking with my mouth full. It made me nervous and I was afraid she wouldn’t like me which was ridiculous because she already told me she did. Everything had just changed. We weren’t just friends. We were friends who had shared a kiss and going on a date.

I picked her up from her villa at 7.45 pm and we went to the restaurant. I had reserved a table on the beach. There were only a few tables on the beach and they were standing out of reach of each other. The whole beach was lit up with candles and so were the tables. The waiter led us to our table and as the gentleman I was trying to be I pulled out the chair for Nóirín.

“Wow it’s so beautiful down ‘ere. Even though we’re still at the hotel and we just came I don’t think this coulda been any better.” She said a looked across the table at me. The candles made her eyes lit and at that moment I couldn’t really believe I was on a date with a girl as gorgeous as her. She didn’t just have the looks she was also very intelligent. “This is the most beautiful dinner I’ve ever had.” I didn’t say anything I just thanked the hotel for having such a beautiful place. All I did was reserve a table. We both looked at the menus the waiter had giving us and when he came back we ordered our food, both having three courses.

I was thinking about what to say to her. What to ask her to get to know her better. It had to be something I hadn’t already told her. The thing was that I really felt I knew so much about her already. One thing that I really needed the answer to popped into my mind.

“There are so many rumours about you and Tom Cleverley. What is it really about?” I asked her and didn’t really know if I crossed a line or if it was appropriate to bring up to discussion. I really needed to know if he was more than just her friend. I knew he had a girlfriend, but footballers were hardly known for being faithful.

“I guess ye deserve the truth since we’re on a date.” She said and looked me in the eyes. I knew she would tell me the truth. “Tom and I are very good friends and I have known him since I was 15. The truth is that we actually shared a little something back then. Things never got serious because I lived in Ireland and he in England. I guess we travelled to see each other a few times. We have been really close friends ever since but the thing we had has vanished completely. He’s like a brother to me now. The press don’t know about us and don’t really need t’ know; I just guess that they don’t really understand why we’re so close.” I was relieved and happy with her answer but it brought me to the next question.

“Does that mean that nothing can ever happen between us since I live in England and ye in Eire?” I knew it was way too early to bring it up but I just had to know if I was wasting my time. I didn’t want to fall completely at her feet if she would just stamp on me.

“Ye don’t even need to worry ‘bout that cause when we go ‘ome from Thailand my flat in London will be ready for me. I shipped my last stuff t’ London before I went on holiday.” I looked at her surprised. She hadn’t said anything about moving to London. Even though nothing would happen I would want to stay in touch with her. She was a really loving and funny person. I wanted to ask her how she felt about me being in a band and about the fact that we had to travel for months in a row but I didn’t. I decided to leave it. I was afraid it would be too early for questions like that; that I was moving too fast. I was happy with the answer she had giving me. Her moving to London meant that I might get a second date. She told me that she would be doing a bit of charity in London while deciding on what her next move would be.
The date went much smoother than I had imagined and it was almost like any other time we had hung out. Things were just a bit more serious and we both tried to behave our best. We were waiting for our dessert when she popped the question I actually feared a bit. The question which were a bit similar to the one I didn’t want to ask her. I wanted to have a shot at her but I was afraid my answer might ruin it.

“How long are yer tours?” She said when the waiter came with our dessert.

“They are quite long. We are touring the UK, US and Europe when we get ‘ome and it’ll be around eigh’ months. The last two years have been really busy but we also do get time at home. We travel a lot but we also spend much time in London.” I told her. The truth was that the last years had been hectic and not just any girl would put up with being left alone for such a long time. It had been a turmoil but it had been fun and I wouldn’t wanna change anything.

“It must be really excitin’ to travel the world and do what ye love.”

“It is and the best thing is to meet the fans. Some of ‘em ‘ave waited a year to see us and we just have to give ‘em the best experience. It’s really motivating to know that people are counting down the days till we get there and t’ know that they support us no matter what. Ye must have travelled a bit with yer da?” I asked her. I wanted to know more about her. Every time she told me something my love for her grew and when she spoke my heart began to beat faster. I could not believe that I had only known her for seven days. I wished I had known her throughout my life. If someone had told me a week ago that I would be able to fall in love in just seven days I wouldn’t have believed them.

“You have quite a big fan base it must be overwhelming sometimes.” She said and shoved a spoon of ice into her mouth. “I’ve travelled a lot with my da. When I was a child my mam and I would go with ‘im all the time but as I grew older I had to go to school; but I travelled with ‘im in the weekends sometimes. Since I finished university I have seen most of the matches.”

“If yer da was the manager of Derby I would ‘ave kissed yer feet right now.”

“Too bad he isn’t.” She said and laughed. When we finished the dessert we went to the my villa to watch a film. We had agreed on a comedy and ended up watching Role Models. We cuddled up on the couch and halfway through the film she fell asleep. She was breathing heavily but it sounded adorable. I didn’t want to move because I couldn’t bear to wake her so instead I tightened my grip around her stomach, kissed her gently in her hair and closed my own eyes.