Declan grinned at me.“Aye, but I’d got a wee phone number outta her. She’d not be fighting me too hard, like.”
My head fell back with a groan. “Ah, she’s gone an’ given it? Y’feckin’ jammy shite.” I turned to the barmaid. “Y’were supposed t’ rinse him!”
She laughed and held up her palms. “Hey now, I’m not getting involved.”
I grabbed Declan, wrapping my arm around his neck. We roughhoused playfully for a moment before I eventually shoved him away from the bar.
“Go on, get, y’feckin’ langer!” I laughed, turning my attention back to the barmaid. “Looks like the round’s on me thanks to yourself!”
“Sorry about that.” She smiled, almost sheepishly. “What’ll it be?”
“Same again, darlin’.”
Whilst she got to work, pouring pints and totting up spirit measures, I glanced around the pub. It wouldn’t be too much longer until they called last orders and though it was still busy, the crowds had definitely begun to thin out.
It wasn’t unusual that we’d cross paths with people we knew here. The horse fair brought folks in from all over and Declan and I moved around more than most. I watched the patrons coming and going, scanning faces to see if I spotted anyone I recognised.
A group of fellas drew my attention. Some of them looked familiar, though I couldn’t quite place where from, but one in particular caught my eye. He wascute as fuck, short – maybe five-seven at a push – but pretty heavily muscled to compensate for it. A walking advertisement for short fella syndrome if I’d ever seen it, but that wasn’t a deal breaker. I eyed him from across the room, taking advantage of him being completely unaware of my appraisal. He had a lovely wee face, clean shaved but with a cute nose and dark eyes. It was hard to tell beneath the backwards baseball cap, but it looked as though his hair was dark to match. He was also covered in tattoos, even more so than Declan and that was saying something. From his jaw down, it seemed there wasn’t a spare inch undecorated, and I itched to know just how far down those dark markings went.
“Here you go.”
The barmaid placed a handful of drinks down in front of me and I snapped back to reality. I sniffed, hoping I hadn’t been caught leering and dug out some money.
“Ya a wee star, that’s grand,” I replied. As soon as she’d passed my change back, I carefully gathered up the glasses. I caught her eye and gave her a wink. “Don’t go treatin’ me mate too mean now, y’hear? He might just fall in love wi’ ya.”
The girl laughed, her cheeks flushing. “Well, we can’t be having that, right? Thanks for the heads up.”
With one last glance across the pub to my handsome friend, I returned to the others.
A drink or two later, the burly fella behind the bar called last orders and it was time for us to decide where the rest of the night was going to take us.
“A’right, y’feckin’ langers,” Seamus shouted. “Where to? There’s a wee place next town over that’s bangin’.”
When the rest of the group yelled and jeered in response, I glanced to Declan.
“What y’thinkin’, fella? Ya up f’it?”
To my surprise, my mate shrugged and scratched the back of his head. “Nah, I think I’d be hangin’ about here f’a while, like.”
My brows rose. “F’ya wee piece?”
Declan grinned, uncharacteristically sheepish. “Worth a shot, aye? Hopin’ t’ persuade her t’ take me home, like.”
“Like a wee stray dog?” I teased, shoving Declan with my shoulder.
“I’d be humpin’ more than her leg, now,” he replied with a laugh.
Still chuckling, I shrugged. “S’pose I’ll head out wi’ the lads then, aye? No point hangin’ about if y’gettin’ the ride in.”
“Ya’d be used to that by now, aye?” Declan smirked. “No bother. I’ll come a’knock ya in the morn?”
“Sound.” Declan and I bumped knuckles. My gaze flitted over his shoulder as the handsome wee fella I’d spotted earlier made his way outside with the rest of his mates. “Maybe I’ll get a wee chance t’ get lucky meself without y’handsome arse t’ compete wi’, eh?”
Declan laughed. “Aye.”
We filed out of the pub and into the night. It was still as humid and stuffy as it had been when we’d come in. The night air just served to remind me of how hammered I really was.
With one last farewell, Declan disappeared into the dark, heading for the back of the pub to wait around for that pretty wee barmaid. I patted down my pockets, hunting for my cigarettes.
