Chapter 8 - Niall - Bumping into You
Chapter 8
Niall
Well, that could have gone better. I watch Rose walk out of Duke’s. I haven’t been off my game that long, have I? I mean it’s not like I’ve been on many dates, but I typically catch the occasional eye when I’m out with my crew at the bar. I mean, who can resist a dimple and Irish accent? Well, obviously she can. She’s beautiful as ever but prickly as a thorn. Rose is a fitting name for her.
Maybe she was right. Maybe we won’t run into each other on this cruise. I’ll be doing things with the wedding party most of the time anyway and helping Greg with his request, so I don’t know why I even bothered to strike up a conversation with her.
Because there is something about her that calls to me.
I realize this is the first time in a long time someone has had that effect on me. I think back to the promise I made my mam and wonder if Rose could be the one to help me fulfill it.
Yes, she’s beautiful, but there’s something hiding beneath that rough exterior she keeps up when we interact that pulls me in, something about her that makes it fun to flirt with and tease her. Maybe I won’t write her off just yet.
Taking another bite of my burger, I get my phone out and text Greg.
Niall
Hey mate, just grabbing a bite to eat, then heading to the Imperial SkyDeck.
Greg
Great man, Holly and I are at the pool but we’ll be meet you there for drinks.
Setting my phone down, I finish up my lunch. It’ll be good to see the guys and get to know Holly better. I’m happy for Greg. He’s about to marry the woman of his dreams—which also happens to be the only thing my mam wanted for me before she passed.
When my mam got sick, I stepped up. I was there for her, driving her around to her appointments, hiring a caregiver for her when I was on a twenty-four-hour shift with the firehouse, and doing everything in my power to ensure she was able to still be as active as possible in the community.
We’d definitely had to scale back on what all we did; she just didn’t have the energy for much. But we made time for music nights at the community center and picnics on the beach.
And now she’s gone.
Sadness floods through me. I want to fulfill this promise to her. I want to try and find someone I can be with, someone who makes me genuinely happy like she wanted. It’s the last way I can show her that I am always there for her. I promised her to look for that person a year after her passing, but it’s so hard. How can I care for someone when they could just leave so unexpectedly? I couldn’t bring myself to put my heart out there just for the potential to lose them someday like I lost my mam. And now that it’s time to keep that promise, it looks like I won’t be able to. Sorry, Mam.
Shaking my head to clear away the thought, I stand and leave for the Imperial SkyDeck to hang out until I meet up with the others.
Located at the front of the ship, the Imperial SkyDeck is an adult-only lounge with a pool, a bar, and a small restaurant. After making a right hames of things with Rose, I am ready for a drink. A pick-me-up of sorts.
The circular bar is full of people, but I manage to snag a seat just as an elderly couple get up. As a firefighter, situational awareness is a big part of my job. I tend to carry my keen observation skills into my normal life, and I enjoy relaxing and observing people and their surroundings. Due to the wall of alcohol in the center of the bar, I can only see to my left and right, but I can still hear those on the other side.
A group of college kids are trying out the drink of the day, the Bahama Mama. An older bloke is sipping on what appears to be a glass of whiskey. A couple who looks to be in their mid-forties are debating about some excursion they are going on at the first port. Chuckling to myself, I hear the husband going on and on about how they never just relax on their cruises and it’s always go-go-go with the missis. He looks wrecked, and we haven’t even left the port yet.
Poor bloke.
As I sip on my Blue Hawaiian, I continue to listen to the different groups around the bar as I wait for my own group to arrive.
A voice catches my ear; my heart races and my eyes go wide. I can’t say for sure, but considering the giving out I’d just had at Duke’s, I am sure I’m listening to Rose.
I fiddle with the edge of my napkin. I’m suddenly restless, not wanting to make my presence known, especially after our last conversation. But something about her tone has me leaning in to hear better. She doesn’t sound like the same fierce and in-control Rose from earlier. There’s a nervous edge to her voice. Something is off. Where is the confident, take-charge woman from lunch?