‘I haven’t got any of my stuff with me,’ I say, laughing to cover the fact I want to cry.
‘So?’ he shrugs. ‘It’s one weekend. Two nights. You could buy or borrow everything you need.’
With a shake of my head, I look down at the floor, but he tips my chin up so I’m looking at him.
‘I love you,’ he says. ‘Even if you are a coward.’
I close my eyes, smiling at his words. ‘It’s true. I am a coward.’
‘Never mind, we can work on that.’ He bends to kiss me and I squeeze him tight. I don’t want to let him go. He belongs with me. I don’t want to see him walk away. I have a flashback to him disappearing the last time he left, and my heart drops into my hollow stomach. I don’t want to experience all the fear and despair I felt back then. This isn’t fair. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Burying my face into his neck, I breathe him in, trying to memorise his smell and the feel of his body against mine. I don’t want to let go. I don’t want him to go.
‘I’d better go,’ he says gently. Though I can’t think why. He’s got plenty of time, hasn’t he?
‘Can’t you stay a little longer?’
He shakes his head. ‘I’d better get the security check over and done with.’
Giving him one last squeeze, I let him go and step away, crossing my arms across my body as if to protect myself from the onslaught of despair I know I’m about to experience.
‘It’s not for long. Two weeks? Maybe three?’ He smiles apologetically as he lifts up his coat and backpack, shifting it up to his shoulder.
I smile bravely and nod.
Three weeks and then I’ll have one measly weekend with him. It’s not enough. It’s not fair.
‘And then its Christmas, so we’ll sort something out for then, okay?’ He reaches for my hand and squeezes it.
‘Okay.’ My chest feels tight and it’s getting harder to breathe. He’s still holding my hand as he steps away and I’m reluctant to let go of his fingers, so I walk with him to the security checkpoint, until I can’t go any further.
‘Well, this is it,’ he says, turning to me. He stares at me, and for a moment I think he’s going to say something, but then he kisses me firmly on the lips and releases my hand. ‘See you soon, Orla. I’ll phone you when I get there.’
‘Okay. Have a safe journey.’
‘Thanks. Will do.’
I cover my mouth so no one can see it wobbling as he turns and puts his bag, phone and coat into a tray on the conveyer belt. Then before I know it, he’s through the human scanner and collecting his stuff on the other side.
I can’t bear that he’s the other side of the barrier to me.
I can’t bear that we’re separated like this.
I get a flashback to the last time I said goodbye to him at the airport, watching him stride away from me for what I thought would be forever. It was so painful. Even now it gives me chills to remember seeing his back disappearing through to the departure lounge. I can’t bear to watch him disappear again.
‘Aiden!’
The sound that comes from my mouth is so desperate and guttural that I’m as shocked to have made it as everyone else around me seems to be. People are looking, wondering what’s wrong with me, but I can’t hold it together anymore. I’m covering my face and crying, shaking all over.
Aiden stops, his back still to me, and for a moment I think he’s just going to carry on walking. But then he turns and looks at me, then returns to the barrier.
‘Look in your bag,’ he calls, pointing.
‘What?’
‘Look in your bag.’
Wondering what he means, I open my bag and peer inside. I’m half-expecting a love letter or postcard or something, but what I see makes my heart leap with joy. Nestled next to my purse is my passport and a printed boarding pass for the flight Aiden’s about to board. I look up at him in amazement.
‘Go and check in,’ he says, pointing towards the desks at the end of the hall.
‘But …’
‘No buts. Just go. We’ll sort it, don’t worry.’
I practically run down to the check-in desk, so excited I can hardly breathe. People are staring, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but the fact I’m going to be with Aiden for another two days. Check-in doesn’t take long, and within minutes I’m through the security check and back in Aiden’s arms.
‘Thank God for that!’ he says, lifting me off the floor and hugging me tight. ‘You’re shaking like a leaf.’
‘I know. I just couldn’t stand to see you walk away again.’ I bury my face in his neck. ‘Will your parents mind?’
‘Of course not. I told them to expect you.’
‘You did? What if I hadn’t come?’
‘Then my mum would have hated you forever.’
‘Hey!’
‘I’m only joking,’ he laughs. ‘I mentioned you might come, that’s all. It’s not a problem either way.’
There are shops in the departure lounge, so I’m able to buy toiletries and underwear and a change of T-shirt. Sparks of happiness are exploding in my stomach, and I’m still trembling, but now it’s with relief rather than distress. All the same, I experience the odd stab of anxiety about exposing my feelings like that, in front of everyone around too. It feels undignified and weak, though Aiden doesn’t seem to mind. He holds my hand tightly as we wait for our flight to be called, and I press my body against his side, seeking reassurance that he’s still there and won’t disappear any minute.
I’m nervous and excited as we board the plane and take our seats together. Aiden shoves our bags in the overhead storage compartment and sits down next to me, muttering about the lack of leg room. He fidgets about, trying to get comfortable, before taking my hand and entwining his fingers through mine.
‘Excuse me,’ says a woman appearing next to Aiden’s seat. ‘Are you Aiden Byrne, from that documentary series?’
Aiden hesitates before smiling at her. ‘I am.’
‘Oh wonderful! My daughter loves you! Would you mind signing this napkin for her? She’ll never believe I saw you on this flight.’
‘Of course! I’d be happy to. What’s her name?’
‘Linda.’ The lady looks on, pink-cheeked and happy as Aiden takes the pen and napkin she offers him and writes To Linda, best wishes, Aiden Byrne x in his lovely cursive script.
‘Well, I feel like I’m travelling with a celebrity now,’ I murmur, once she’s gone back to her seat, satisfied with her autograph. ‘Do you get that a lot?’
‘Not really.’
I stare at him, noting how embarrassed he looks.
‘That means yes, doesn’t it?’
‘No!’ He pulls the air safety instructions from the pocket of the seat in front of him and busies himself reading them.
‘Wow. You’ll have to get your own private jet if this continues.’
‘I doubt that. Although, I wish we were somewhere private right now so I could …’ Leaning across, he whispers into my ear exactly what he’d like to do to me if we were alone.
‘Aiden!’ My cheeks go red and he laughs and kisses me.
‘Mind you,’ he says, ‘my parents are quite, erm, traditional in their values so I doubt we’ll be sharing a room while we’re staying with them.’
I blink at him in disbelief. ‘Really? You tell me this after you whisper that in my ear? That’s really cruel, you know.’
He laughs. ‘We’ll find a way round it, don’t worry.’
‘No, if that’s their rules, that’s their rules. I don’t want to upset them the first time I meet them.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘Do you think they’ll like me?’
‘Of course, they’ll like you. They’ll adore you. You’ll meet my dad at the airport when he picks us up.’
‘I’m really nervous now, you know.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m meeting your family for the first time!’
He lau
ghs. ‘It’s me that should be nervous, not you. They’re all a bit full-on. I’m worried you’ll take one look at them and turn and run.’
‘I’m sure I won’t.’
He winces. ‘You haven’t met them yet.’
Chapter 26
Aiden’s dad is waiting in the airport car park, with his engine running and the heating up full blast. ‘Great, glad to see he’s not left his engine running to curb his pollution level,’ Aiden says sarcastically as we approach the beige Land Rover Discovery.
‘Jesus Christ, Dad,’ Aiden turns down the heater as soon as he gets into the front passenger seat. ‘It’s hotter than hell, in here! How can you stand it?’
‘What do you mean? It’s feckin’ freezing outside! I like to be warm.’ He cranks up the dial again and the hot air blasts out. ‘You’re lucky I’ve come to pick you up! The bloody traffic’s been murder tonight. What are they all doing out on a Friday night, tell me that, eh? You couldn’t have picked a worse time to fly home! Pick a better time next time.’
Aiden glances at his watch. ‘Dad, it’s ten o’clock! How can the roads be busy at this time of night?’
‘I don’t know, do I? Bloody cars all over the place. People indicating left then turning right. And every bloody traffic light was against me.’
‘Oh well, you’re here now. Thank you for picking us up. We’d have got a taxi if y—’
‘No, no, no need for any bloody taxis! I’m here now. Who’s this in the back then?’ He peers into the rear-view mirror at me, and I see that his eyes twinkle kindly below bushy white eyebrows and wiry white curly hair. ‘You didn’t tell us you were bringing anyone, son.’
‘Yes, I did! Dad! This is my girlfriend, Orla. Orla, this is my dad, Donald.’
‘Hello, Donald. Lovely to meet you.’
‘Lovely to meet you, too. Orla’s a fine Irish name!’
‘She’s not Irish, Dad,’ Aiden mutters.
‘Did I say she was? I just said it was an Irish name, that’s all.’
‘You said the same when you first met me, Aiden,’ I remind him.
‘Hey, whose side are you on?’ He peers around the back of his seat at me and winks, making me laugh.
‘Well, Aiden’s mum is looking forward to meeting you, Orla. He’s never brought a girl home before, so there’s much excitement in the Byrne household tonight.’
‘Oh! That’s sweet.’
‘Da-ad!’
‘What, son? What? The girl needs to know that she’s a big deal. You should tell her how big a deal she is before she meets some other guy who does tell her and leaves you stone cold dead in the ground.’
Aiden groans.
‘Come on, lad. You must have known how delighted your mum would be to meet your girlfriend at long last.’
‘Jesus Christ, Dad. I’m 33 years old, and you’re embarrassing me like I’m a teenager.’
Donald throws his head back to laugh loudly, and the Land Rover swerves alarmingly towards the side of the road. Aiden goes to grab the steering wheel in panic, but his dad slaps him away and quickly corrects his steering. Laughing, I settle back against the dusty seats. There’s a strong smell of dog in the car, and a mud-covered hairy blanket lies on the seat next to me. It strikes me that I don’t know much about Aiden’s family. I have a vague notion they live on a farm, and looking round the vehicle that seems likely. I can’t see much of Aiden’s dad from the back seat, but I can see he has broad shoulders encased in a green woolly jumper and a bone structure like Aiden’s from the side. They have the same ears, slightly on the long side with rounded lobes. But it’s not until we reach Aiden’s home and I get out of the Land Rover that I’m struck by the similarities between the two of them. Aiden’s dad is tall, like Aiden, and the only real difference between the two of them is his dad’s white hair and the craggy lines around his face. He’s got the same laughing green eyes and wide smile.
‘Christ, I’m glad to be outside in the cold after your heating!’ Aiden says, climbing out and inhaling the cool night air deep into his lungs. ‘It’s about time you got rid of this old thing.’ Aiden slams the door of the Land Rover. ‘I’m amazed it’s passed its emissions test.’
‘You leave the old girl alone! She’s served me well.’
‘It’s about time you retired her then, isn’t it?’
‘Shut up and go and see your mother!’
Aiden holds out his hand to me and we walk up to the front door. It’s a wide, white bungalow and from what I can see in the darkness, it stands on its own, surrounded by tall fir trees swaying gently in the breeze. A lamp is glowing from the front porch and the door handle squeaks as Donald opens the door and leads us into a dark hallway.
‘Where’s Mum?’ Aiden asks, sounding slightly miffed.
‘She’s here, somewhere.’
Donald opens a door on the right and flicks on the light, and suddenly there’s a roar of ‘Surprise!’ and about twenty people appear, laughing and blowing hooters and firing party poppers.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Aiden looks flabbergasted as he stares around at his friends and relatives. ‘I was just expecting to see my mum! What are you lot doing here?’
‘Well, that’s charming, isn’t it? Aren’t you glad to see everyone?’ A small woman comes towards him and takes his face in her hands before kissing him as everyone else laughs. ‘No one was around last time you came back so I thought we’d get everyone together this time. Why do you think I was asking if you could get an earlier flight?’
‘Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realise.’
‘Doesn’t matter. Now who’s this then?’ she asks, turning her twinkling blue eyes onto me.
‘This is Orla. Orla, this is my mum, Mary.’
‘Hello, Mary.’ I smile as she comes towards me and envelops me in a warm hug.
‘Hello, Orla. Lovely to meet you. Everybody, this is Orla, Aiden’s girlfriend,’ she announces to the rest of the room before turning back to me. ‘Come in and make yourself at home. Did you have a good journey?’
‘We did, thank you.’
‘Can I get you a drink? Wine? Beer? Gin? Or something soft if you prefer?’
‘I’d love a glass of wine. Thank you.’
Mary squeezes my hand as she crosses the room to a long table loaded with buffet food and drinks of all kinds. Aiden’s busy greeting his friends and family, but he reaches back and grabs my hand, drawing me closer to introduce me. They’re a lovely, friendly bunch. I recognise a couple of faces from the exhibition last week. They look at me curiously, and I feel my cheeks flush self-consciously. I’m not wearing a scrap of make-up and my hair is loose and curly, so I know I probably look about 17, not 27.
‘So, this is Orla, huh?’ says a man who look just like Aiden and his dad. I definitely remember seeing him at the exhibition.
‘Yes. Orla, this is my brother, David, and his wife, Siobhan.’
‘Hello, hello,’ I say shaking hands with them both. Siobhan has a soft happy look about her and laughing blue eyes. I like her immediately.
‘Hi, Orla. Pleased to meet you,’ she says, shaking my hand.
‘You too.’
‘So, you’re the girl Aiden dashed after at the exhibition last week.’ David’s looking me up and down, obviously checking my suitability for his younger brother.
I feel my cheeks flush. ‘Yes.’
‘Alright, alright,’ Aiden says, shaking his head. ‘Don’t rub it in.’
‘Leaving us to deal with the organisers and all the questions about where you went.’ David punches Aiden playfully on the shoulder.
‘I’d spoken to everyone by then, anyway. There was nothing else I needed to do.’ Aiden rolls his eyes.
‘You could have said goodbye. Mum thought you’d spontaneously combusted. I had no idea what you were up to. It was only after Mia and Keaton filled us in on your obsession with Orla that we started to piece it together.’
‘Hey! It’s not an obsession. I’m not obsessed with Orla. That makes me sound like a cree
py stalker. I just wanted to speak to her, that’s all. I hadn’t seen her in five years and then she just left.’
‘And now you’ve brought her home, to our parents’ house?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘Nothing’s wrong. You just seem a bit … obsessed, that’s all.’ David winks at me.
‘I’m not obsessed.’ Aiden glances down at me as he slips his arm around my shoulders. ‘We’re not obsessed, are we, Orla?’
‘Well, maybe a little.’ I laugh and wrap my arms around his waist, making him blush.
‘Well, yeah. I suppose. Just a little.’ He laughs, embarrassed. ‘Anyway, David, it wasn’t a problem that I left. I sent you a text explaining. And the organisers wrapped it all up. It’s not like you actually had to do anything.’
‘I know. I just like making you feel bad. What are big brothers for?’
I’m introduced to more people whose names I have no chance of remembering, but all of whom seem lovely. Aiden’s family home is alive with chatter and laughter, and there’s a real feeling of love and warmth. Someone starts to play a fiddle and Aiden groans.
‘Oh no! I’m sorry about this,’ he says, as his dad appears with an accordion. ‘Every flaming family gathering we have turns into a flaming ceilidh!’
‘What’s that?’
He shakes his head. ‘Just Irish music and dancing. You’ll see.’
Standing to the side, I watch in amazement as the furniture’s pushed to the sides of the room and the food table is taken away. People are singing and clapping and dancing arm in arm, spinning round in joyful circles. The most exciting thing that happens at my mum’s house is when she breaks out the biscuits!
‘It’s all a bit crazy, isn’t it?’ Aiden says, cringing slightly. ‘You’re going to think we’re all crazy Irish people and run away screaming.’
‘Not at all. I think it’s lovely. I’m loving it and your family are amazing.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes.’
He tips his head to one side, considering. ‘You may as well join in then. Come on.’
‘What? No, Aiden!’ I protest as he takes my hands and pulls me into the centre of the room.
‘Come on!’ His eyes sparkle with laughter and suddenly I’m dancing with everyone else, or rather skipping round in circles, arm in arm with Aiden, and then David, and then Siobhan, and then another lovely lady whose name I’ve already forgotten. By the end of it, I’m red in the face and breathless from exertion.
The Five-Year Plan: The utterly heart-warming and feel good rom com of 2020 Page 30
