Chapter Fifty-Six
‘Come on, Kitty. I’ve got news!’
I open the front door to a bright-eyed Niamh, her fist raised, ready to knock again. ‘Thank Christ,’ she exclaims, ‘I thought I was going to have to drink this alone!’ One hand grasping a bottle of bubbly by the neck, she brushes past me, heading straight for the kitchen and pulling a couple of glasses from the cupboard.
‘Make yourself at home, why don’t you? And what are we celebrating?’
‘I popped his Niamh cherry!’
‘Woot! I so hoped that was you I could hear coming—quite literally—through the wall last night.’ Her expression is priceless, the wine forgotten in her hand. ‘Who’d have guessed you were a screamer, but do you think you could keep it down a bit from now on? Some of us were sleeping alone.’
‘No.’ Her wide eyes move slowly to the wall my apartment shares with Rob’s. ‘You can’t hear, can you?’
‘Every. Last. Ounce.’ Then I let her off the hook, holding out open hands. ‘Nah, I haven’t heard a thing. I think that’s just their kitchen on the opposite side of the wall. Ha! Who’s got a face like a slapped arse, now?’
It’s not often she’s lost for words and I very rarely see her blush. Kate for the win again!
‘Thanks be to fuck!’ She laughs with genuine relief. ‘Bad enough that he has a roomie. I thought for a minute I’d have to make him start biting the pillow.’
‘Eww, what?’ I grimace. ‘Too much info.’
‘You started it. But I hit that! At last!’ Twisting the bottle from the cork—did you know that’s the best way to prevent an explosion of froth and a half-empty bottle?—it opens in apop.
‘Good doing, then, you and Rob?’
‘Yeah.’ And then she smiles shyly. This new Niamh is a hoot. Demure has never been in her social vocabulary before.
‘How did it come about?Eww, not like that! I meant how did you manage to...’
‘Deflower him?’ she asks with a dirty laugh. ‘I just put my cards on the table. I said, “Look, stop messing about”. I told him I was sick of waiting for him, of coming alone. Told him if he didn’t pull his finger out and put it in me, it was something he was never going to see.’ Pouring bubbly into two glasses, she adds, ‘Or words to that effect.’
‘You sweet talker. How could he have resisted that?’
‘Exactly.’
As the doorbell rings, sixth sense tells me it’s Rob.
‘I bet that’s him,’ I say, heading to answer it. ‘Now that you’ve cracked the seal it’ll be gushing!’
‘Hey, Kate, is Niamh here?’ And I was right, it’s him.
Gesturing him inside, Niamh almost jumps as she begins straightening her clothes and hair.
‘Hiya, Rob,’ she says shyly. Niamh and shy—what a trip!
Placing a chaste kiss against her cheek, Rob pulls her in for a quick hug. I feel slightly intrusive even though it’smyapartment, so I walk back to the lounge.
‘I thought that was your car downstairs.’
‘I just popped around to hang out with Kate, didn’t I?’ She smiles a little manically in my direction. Maybe that’s her signal for me not to congratulate him on finally giving it up?
‘Er, yeah. Come in, Rob. Sit down.’ I decide to put the wine in the fridge as Niamh pulls him into the room.
‘I see you girls have started the evening early,’ he says, gesturing to the bottle in my hand.
‘It’s always wine o’clock somewhere in the world. Would you like a glass, maybe a beer?’
‘No, thanks. Matt and I are heading out for dinner. I thought maybe you’d like to come?’
