Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, Sierra was pleasantly surprised to find Aodhan outside of her building waiting to walk her to class in the morning, as well as waiting outside when her seminar for the day finished.
He really had been serious about being on time this time, something that made Sierra chuckle to herself as they made their way through the small Dublin streets to Sierra’s favorite coffee place, which had shelves of old books along the wall as well as decorative branches and lights hung from the ceiling.
Having a coffee there was truly a relaxing and satisfying experience, though it was also a cute place for first dates—if you could ignore all the other women trying to take pictures of themselves at the best angle possible.
Due to her skin condition, Sierra had never been one for pictures; rather, she avoided them whenever possible unless they were required for her school ID badge or driver’s license.
Of course, she had a few images on hand from family events, and it was one of these images she had cropped for her Tinder photo.
“So, tell me about your family,” Aodhan said as they began their walk to the coffee shop.
Sierra grimaced. “I don’t know what there is to say, really.”
Aodhan looked at her apprehensively, “I heard your phone call that day, you know.”
Sierra knew exactly what day he was referring to, when her mother had just screamed at her and hadn’t let her get a word in edgewise.
Now she knew that with his Fae hearing, he had likely heard every word.
At least he probably didn’t know Spanish.
“My mother and I…we’ve never really gotten along,” she volunteered hesitantly.
“I understand. Does that type of call happen often?”
“When she’s angry at me, yes.”
“And how often is she angry at you?” he pressed.
“Since I moved to Dublin? Nearly all the time.” Sierra groaned before realizing how harsh that sounded. “But I promise my mom means well, she just doesn’t know how to deal with me. I’m not the type of daughter they usually teach you how to raise in those parenting handbooks.”
“Parenting handbooks?” Aodhan was obviously confused.
Sierra chuckled, “Yes, we humans write books to help other humans raise their children.” Now that she was saying it out loud, she realized how ridiculous it all sounded.
“So, you’re telling me, that humans have children when they don’t even know how to raise them?” Aodhan’s eyes were wide. “Just when I thought this world couldn’t get any crazier.”
“It’s not like that where you’re from?”
“Not at all.” Aodhan shook his head before changing the subject just as the coffee shop came into view. “So, do you have brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, I have four,” she answered, reaching for the door handle. But before she could grab it, Aodhan was pulling it open so she could walk through. Such a gentleman.
As they walked in the door of the coffee shop, the warmth from the interior overpowering the cold of the day, Aodhan motioned to the long queue, which wasn’t abnormal for the shop. “You find somewhere to sit, and I’ll get some coffee, okay?”
She nodded but didn’t move just yet as her eyes surfed the menu, and her hands loosened the top buttons of her jacket. “Aren’t you going to ask what kind of coffee I want?”
Aodhan’s eyes widened. “There are different kinds?!”
Sierra couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at his lack of knowledge of the human ways. “Only like about a million.”
“I had no idea,” he said honestly, scratching his chin. “I only thought there was regular coffee and Irish coffee. So, what kind of coffee do you want?”
“A latte, please, with almond milk.”
“Okay, latte, almond milk. I can remember that.”
Sierra looked around and decided to sit on one of the plush chairs in the corner.
There was another plush chair next to it and a small table in between.
It was cute, cozy, and perfect for a date.
It was rare that she came here without her computer, and she wanted to take advantage of the comfy chairs for once.
She watched as Aodhan waited in line for his turn, then approached the barista and ordered their coffee.
He had worn a coat today, Sierra noted, which made his signature black beanie stick out much less than it had the day before.
Sierra wondered if he ever tired of hiding his ears.
Within a few minutes, he was walking toward her with two paper cups in his hand. He handed her one without looking.
“Are you sure this is mine?” she asked, spinning the cup to the label.
“Yes, I got two of the same.”
Sierra was a bit surprised, but considering Aodhan didn’t even know that different types of coffee existed, she supposed she shouldn’t be too shocked. “Well, I hope you like it then.”
“I’m sure I will,” he replied as he took the plush chair next to hers, setting the coffee on the small table and leaning his arm on the armrest closest to her. “So, picking up our conversation from before, let me get this straight: you have four brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, two brothers and two sisters. I’m impressed already that you remembered that.”
He took a sip of his coffee, wincing at the temperature before giving the cup a skeptical look and setting it aside. “Well, it’s not every day that you meet someone with such a large family, but also, we just spoke about it a few minutes ago.”
Sierra shrugged, blowing lightly on her coffee. “In America, it's quite common to have several children.”
“Really?” he asked. “In my culture, most families are lucky to have two children, if that. You hear of three children from time to time, but it’s very rare. My…people,” he improvised, “have a hard time conceiving and carrying a child to term.”
Sierra sipped her coffee as well, noting that it was indeed quite hot. “Yes, here, some women also have trouble, but most people can have quite a few children, and they do.”
“Where do you fall in the birth order?” He reached over and set his hand that wasn’t holding the coffee on hers.
She had never heard anyone use ‘birth order’ to ask that question, but Sierra was surprised to find it was more polite than the other ways people have found to ask her about her siblings. “I’m directly in the middle, and I hate it.”
He tilted his head to the side, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. “Why?”
Sierra looked around the coffee shop, searching in her mind for a way to say it that wouldn’t sound mean. “I just feel forgotten sometimes. I feel like I came too late to set my own path in life, but too soon to reap the benefits and resources available to the last child.”
“Hm,” Aodhan replied, his mouth pulling into a frown. “I guess I wouldn’t know about that.”
“I think things are different for you as well, at least from what you told me. It sounds like the same issues large families have here wouldn’t affect people in your…home.”
“That’s true. Do you think things will be the same when you have children of your own?”
Sierra grimaced. This was the part of most relationships where she tended to scare men off. “No. I’ve never wanted children of my own. It’s not for me.”
To her surprise, Aodhan didn’t react shocked as most men would. Instead, he just nodded in apparent understanding. “I understand. I feel the same way.”
Wanting to change the subject to something more lighthearted, Sierra asked if he had any hobbies.
“Hobbies?” He tilted his head to the side. “Are those a type of animal?”
Sierra couldn’t help but chuckle, “No, hobbies are something you like to do in your free time. For example, my hobbies are watching movies, going for a walk, and exploring new places.”
“Oh.” Aodhan rubbed his chin for a moment. “I guess I like those things too, except instead of watching movies in the hills, we read.”
Sierra rolled her eyes. It was obvious she hadn’t done a good job of explaining hobbies, but she would circle back to the topic later.
They settled into a comfortable cadence, talking about their families as well as some of their likes and dislikes.
There were so many differences between their upbringings that they never ran out of topics, as Sierra came up with new questions about everything from school in Sidhe, to the types of foods they had there.
As it turned out, Aodhan had a private tutor growing up, something which was vastly different from Sierra’s own experience in the American public school system.
Sierra found Aodhan was much more talkative than when she first met him, and she wondered if it was because she now knew his secret and he could speak more freely, or if he was really putting in an effort because he liked her.
Either way, it was hard to admit to herself that the man she had sworn to avoid just one week ago was now telling stories that pulled at her heartstrings and made her want to get to know him even better.
As afternoon turned to evening, Sierra decided to broach the question of their next meeting. “So, since this went well, maybe we should plan a more official date?”
Aodhan looked confused. “An official date? Was this not an official date?”
“Yes, but in…our culture, when two people are getting to know each other romantically, they set up multiple meetings, or dates, to spend time together. How does it work for your people?” Sierra tried her best to keep her questions vague since they were still in a public place.
Aodhan thought for a minute. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I haven’t really courted anyone.
” Sierra giggled at his use of the word courting.
“In my home, arranged marriages are still common, especially with the…bloodline…issue. And if you are lucky enough to choose your own partner, I think it is usually someone you knew before as a friend, so things just sort of…happen. But I’m not sure. ”
“Ah, okay.” Sierra couldn’t imagine her parents picking a partner for her, and the thought alone made her grimace. “Well, what do you say we have dinner tomorrow? I can cook, or you can cook?”
He shook his head. “I can’t cook at all. But if you don’t want to cook, we can go somewhere for dinner.”
Sierra was surprised. “You can’t cook at all?”
“No. But in The Hills, it's common to live with your parents until marriage or until their death if you don’t marry, so my mother does all the arranging of meals, and we have servants that help with tasks that go into meals like cooking and cleaning.”
Sierra knew that things were different in his home, but the fact that they had servants meant he had some money.
Well, the private tutor had been her first indication, but now she was certain he had a wealthy background.
But that thought reminded her of something else: did they use the same money in his land?
“I just realized something. How do you, you know, pay for everything?” She motioned to their empty coffee cups on the table.
“We have our own currency in The Hills. And if we decide to come here for a visit, there is a service that will help you exchange your money. Many of my kind who have moved here maintain bank accounts in The Hills and here, and they will give you some of the money you need in exchange for currency back home.”
“That sounds a bit complicated.”
“It is,” he agreed. “But they don’t take my money here, so I don’t really have an option. Sometimes locals in The Hills will let you buy gold off them, which can be switched for money here, but that’s not always an option.”
Sierra understood. “Alright, well, since you can’t cook, you’ll be subjected to my subpar cooking skills then. I work tomorrow, but we could eat a late dinner after I get off?”
He nodded. “I’m working, too. We can leave the library together.”
Sierra smiled. “It’s a date.”